Northern Voices - News!

2020 enrolments and term dates!

14/12/2019

Wow what a huge year it's been for Northern Voices! We've had a great time with you all; singing, laughing and making new friends.
After our stellar term 4 set list, we are so hyped to get back into it next year. For those of you who may be wondering, here are our expected term dates for 2020.

Term 1: 29th January - 1st April.
Term 2: 22nd April - 24th June.
Term 3: 15th July - 16th September.
Term 4: 7th October - 9th December.
(Please note these dates may be subject to change. Please contact us with any queries.)

Enrolments for term 1 are now open! Gift certificates are also available. Click here to find out more.

Thanks for an absolute ripper year and we'll se y'all in 2020!

End of Year Concert

7/12/2019

Next Sunday 15th December Northern Voices are hitting the stage at Swamplands bar in Thornbury. This will be our biggest set yet!

With special guest Kate Lucetta, a gifted singer songwriter who has earned local legend status with her gorgeous original music and powerful voice.

Check out our Facebook event https://www.facebook.com/events/962156247498767/ and come along. Entry is free!

Term 3 wrap up and end of year concert announcement

26/9/2019

Well done to the awesome Northies singers for a fantastic gig at Swamplands last Wednesday! Here is a little taste of the set we performed.

Term four is gearing up to be a big one! We're going to be performing our favourite songs of 2019 in our biggest show yet!
If you're interested in joining the choir or just wanna check it out, feel free to come down! Term 4 starts on Wednesday 9th of November. There is no audition, everyone is welcome!

Well done Northies on a fabulous term two!

6/7/2019

We had such a great time with you all and loved getting to hang out as we made our way through the songs. You all sang beautifully at the end of year performance and we could not be more proud of you all!

We cant wait to get started on term three! We have some big plans including more Gillian Welch and more original music from fantastic local artists.

Term three begins on Wednesday 17th of July. If you've never done choir and you'd like to check it out, please do - you'll be so glad you did!

Vocal First Aid - what to do when your voice is sore, croaky or lost

3/6/2019

Good technique as prevention
Our vocal cords make sound by vibrating together at high speed. Beginning singers often use their voices in unhealthy ways, forcing the vocal cords to hit together too hard. Our vocal cords are delicate and will become inflamed and irritated very quickly. When repeated over time this inflammation will turn into calluses (nodules, polyps or cysts). To prevent short term voice loss and long term serious damage, work with a singing teacher or voice therapist to learn good technique.

Ask yourself these questions

Where is the pain? Most often singers report pain in the throat, but sometimes unnecessary tension can result in pain in the neck, shoulders or jaw. If your trouble is muscular you may need to consult a physio or speak to your singing teacher about relieving some of the tension.
What type of pain do you have? Sharp, scratchy pain is a sign of inflamed, irritated vocal cords whereas a dull ache indicates vocal fatigue. Inflamed vocal cords should not be ignored as it can have serious long term consequences. Vocal fatigue is not as dangerous and usually reflects a high vocal workload.
How often does this happen to you? If it’s more than once every couple of months and not the result of a cold or other illness, there may be an issue with your technique, your vocal cords or your vocal workload that needs immediate attention. However, it’s normal to feel a little more sensitive when the air is very dry or during cold and flu season.

Emergency voice treatment

Rest your voice as much as possible for 2-3 days.
Breathe steam for 5-10 minutes, 1-2x each day. No menthol, eucalyptus or other aroma-therapy, just clean water.
Siren for a couple of minutes a few times a day. Keep it extremely gentle, no need to use the extremes of your range.
Avoid strenuous exercise such as running, weight lifting etc.
Eat/drink anti-inflammatory foods: This includes berries, green tea, avocado, brocolli, leafy greens, fatty fish etc. My personal favourites are turmeric lattes and cayenne pepper spiced hot chocolate! Turmeric, cayenne pepper and cocoa are anti inflammatories!
Stay hydrated dry air and dehydration can lead to vocal swelling. Herbal teas or pure water are the best hydrators.
Get a humidifier if you find that you consistently wake up with a sore throat, breathing dry, dusty air while you sleep might be the cause. Air humidifiers can be purchased online for around $30. Do not add anything, just pure water.

Northern Voices rehearsal - The Halloween edition!

1/11/2018

Hello lovely people!

Thanks so much for making last night such a great rehearsal, and welcome to the new members! I'm so sorry last night was a bit less organised than usual, and for my voiceless, sniffly state. We got there in the end and made progress on This Town as well as revisiting Budapest. Big thanks to Jess for stepping in and helping with warmups!

We're going to keep looking at those next week, so check out Soundcloud for parts (This Town parts will be uploaded hopefully by Friday evening) to help you practice and if you need a PDF of any of the charts, check our Dropbox.

As I was saying last night, the end of term performance will be happening at Simba Sessions on the 14th of Dec as part of their Christmas show, so pop it in your diaries and check out the Facebook event. Other acts are TBA but click attending to keep up to date and be sure to invite your mates.

Next week I expect to be fully recovered and Cate will be back on deck so we'll be firing on all cylinders! See you then, can't wait!

X Maryanne, team Northies.

Term 3, Week 1

21/7/2018

Greetings Northies, Old and New!

We had such a fabulous evening last night. It was great meeting you newbies! As always, we want to express much love and appreciation to our vets who make our newbies feel warm and welcome!

The parts for Soundgarden's 'Black Hole Sun' and Lanie Lane's 'What Do I Do' are up on Soundcloud already. So have a listen! We also encourage you to listen to the originals and get familiar with the song.

Don't forget that if you've encourage someone else to join up, you get a $50 Brother Alec voucher! Flick through an email, or attach a message on your payment so we know to bring the vouchers next week. All issues with the new website have been resolved, so please sign up for term 3 HERE

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or queries.

See you next Wednesday!

C & M Xoxo

Northern Voices term 3 starts Wed 18th July

9/7/2018

Hello wonderful Northies!

We're back for term 3 next Wednesday 18th July. We've missed you all and can't wait to get back into it!

In the meantime, we'd love your feedback or suggestions. Be a pal and take our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JD2RP39
All the results are anonymous so go ahead and tell us what you really think. xD

We are also excited to announce that if you sign up with a non-Northie friend for term 3, you'll get a $50 Brother Alec voucher! What better way to solidify your undying friendship than with choir and coffee? (Term membership only).

Lastly, for those of you who are curious about the kind of music we perform, feel free to check out our Soundcloud page here!

Sign up for term 3 HERE

See you next Wednesday!

C & M Xoxo

NVC will be back on 18th July '18

5/7/2018

What an awesome gig we had at the Thornbury Lentil as Anything on Wednesday night! We had a longer set list than usual and we nailed all the songs! Great job everyone!

We will have two weeks off over the school holidays but we'll be back on Wednesday 18th of July at Salvo Hall. Any newcomers are absolutely welcome to come and give it a try.

We are moving!

18/4/2018

*UPDATE* We will be having one more rehearsal at Candyland next Wed 25th April as our new space is closed for ANZAC day. We are excited to announce that we have secured a larger space at the fantastic Salvation Army Thornbury Corps, 704/710 High St, Thornbury VIC. We have been lucky enough to outgrow our current space and we're so thrilled to have a space that will accomodate our growing numbers. We'll be there singing our hearts out every Wednesday 7.30-9pm. If you'd like to join, contact us!