Interview with Bella Brown Owner of Raise Your Voice

Last Tuesday we had great fun at a music lesson aimed at families. This was the second class the teacher had taught on the premises and turned out to be a music class like none other I'd been to before. Packed full of singing and creative activities this is one packed music lesson that will make all of you want to return for more. During the lesson we tried singing in Swahili and a chorus of The Greatest Showman. While the activities laid on for us were keeping the balloon up in the air and blowing the cotton wool over the taped line. My eldest enjoyed the music session immensely and coming up to 4 years old next year is at the perfect age to have her heart captured by singing and learning words along the way. She certainly hasn't forgotten the vocal warm up 'a tu, ta, tu, ta, teh'. Our youngest on the other hand was more interested in running around the hall, attempting piano playing and joining in with the balloon chasing. 


I thought it would be lovely to get to know more about Bella the music teacher behind these singing classes, So here's my interview with the music teacher herself:

Hi for those who don't know you, could you please tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Bella and I'm a music teacher based in Oxford. I only moved here in October so I'm still finding my feet, but there's so much going on here I'm really excited to get stuck into!

What inspired you to deliver music lessons for families (not just a certain age group) in Oxfordshire? 

I trained as a primary school teacher and during that time I learnt a lot about attachment theory. This theory says that children's early experiences either create a sense of security around others, or an insecure base that can lead to anxiety, behavioural problems and difficulty in learning. For my Masters' dissertation I wanted to research whether singing together could help to improve attachment relationships within families and encourage wellbeing, for children with both secure and insecure attachments. So Raise Your Voice was born! A year on from the first project, it's now running weekly and is open to the public.

Why did you choose to deliver activities alongside singing?

A lot of my initial research looked at a method called Theraplay, where parents/carers and children engage in structured play to help with attachment. I take elements of that and elements of singing games to create breaks in the sessions. Plus it means I get to play with balloons and beanbags too!

When do your classes run?

Family Choir, for children and their parents/carers, runs on Tuesday at 4.15 at St Andrew's School, Headington, and Saturday at 10.15 at North Oxford Association, Summertown. The suggested age bracket is children at primary school, though we have kids older and younger than that! Moms & Pops Choir, for new and expectant parents, runs on Tuesdays at 1.45 at West Oxford Community Centre and Thursdays at 1.45 at St Margaret's Institute.

Where can we connect with you (social media)?

You can find Raise Your Voice here to hear about special offers, competitions and new groups in different areas of Oxfordshire. There's also more information on my website, where you can also book a free taster session for the group of your choice.