Tim Jackson
Success Story: The Lancashire Youth Vocal Ensemble – Young Vocalists
The Lancashire Youth Vocal Ensemble (LYVE) programme is run by More Music. It began in 2013 and gives young vocalists (aged 14-21) from across Lancashire the chance to perform together and develop their singing skills, whatever their background or previous experience. The choir aims to fuse contemporary and traditional ensemble singing with beatboxing, improvisation and song writing.
LYVE Lancaster’s singers are currently all young women aged between 14 and 18. Their previous creations range from a vocal mashup of Rose Royce’s Car Wash with Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5, over which they added a self-penned rap on the subject of gender inequality, to an acapella Habanera from Bizet’s ‘ incorporating elements from contemporary urban music – a bit of Lady Gaga here and some Destiny’s Child there.
LYVE perform regularly at local, regional and national events and their online performances have gained thousands of hits. Previous successful performances include;
- BBC Ten Pieces Celebrations Preston Guild Hall 2015 & Harris Museum 2016
- Lancashire Music Hub’s ‘The Big Show’ 2017
- The International Society for Music Education (ISME) conference 2016 @ Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
- Youth Music’s 10 Stations 100 Choirs Manchester 2017 and 2018
The young people involved with LYVE report that they’ve learned new vocal techniques, improved their ability to project their voice and sing in harmony, and developed their composition and improvisation skills. But more than this, the ensemble has been a platform for the young musicians to grow on a personal and social level. “LYVE has challenged me to be more confident and to perform in front of large groups of people,” says Elsa, a young singer from LYVE Lancaster. “I used to be terrified of public speaking, let alone singing in front of audiences.”
Naomi, also from LYVE Lancaster, adds: “LYVE has helped me develop my leadership skills as I was able to lead sections of rehearsal. By doing this my confidence has developed which means a lot to me as it is something that has been an issue in the past.”
