Camberwell Choir School CCS

Who are we? What do we do?

Camberwell Choir School (CCS) is a music project for children and young people aged 0-18. We meet on Saturdays during term-time and sessions happen at different times depending on age—see When/Where?. The emphasis is on having fun while learning musical skills - singing, playing and listening. There’s a great “family feeling” to the sessions and the shows.

A wide range of music is explored, drawing on the experience of CCS’s professional staff and experienced volunteers, from traditional and contemporary African, African-Caribbean, South American and Asian music, to jazz, folk, gospel, soul, pop, classical and contemporary classical music.

For members aged 7 and up, we provide small group tuition on piano, tuned percussion, guitar, brass, violin and drums during the course of the session for their age group. Younger members also get a chance to try out lots of different instruments during their session.

We usually end each term with a performance to show off what we’ve been doing. And sometimes we perform at outside events.

We particularly want to get along to our sessions children and young people who would otherwise find it difficult to access positive and constructive group activities, especially high quality music tuition, which can be expensive and hard to find. We charge just £1 per child per week, which includes everything, even a healthy snack!

We believe very strongly in equality of opportunity and the celebration of diversity. We welcome children of all backgrounds and try hard to reflect the diversity of the area where we are—Camberwell and Southwark more widely.

Although we were set up as a church project by the Church of England parish of St Giles with St Matthew, and are still supported by the church, we welcome children of all faiths and none. There is no specific religious teaching.

We also welcome children with disabilities, for whom reasonable adjustments will be made.

We have a comprehensive child protection policy and trustees, management committee, staff and regular volunteers all undergo enhanced CRB checks.

We’re proud to have as our patron world-famous bass-baritone Sir Willard White who has supported us by singing for us to help with our fundraising, as well as visiting the project and meeting the children, to whom he is an inspiration. At our end of term show last December, Sir Willard said:

“This type of participation – singing, dancing, playing music – teaches joining in, uninhibited – it’s what builds your confidence. That’s the reason I give my support…”

How are we managed?

We have 4 Trustees, who are the Vicar and Churchwardens of St Giles Church, Camberwell.

Day-to-day decisions on the running of the Choir School are made by our Management Committee. This is made up of CCS parents, parents of former pupils, some staff and volunteers and other local people who support CCS’s aims. The Committee meets at least twice a term to plan the Choir School’s activities, make sure everything is running smoothly, and to co-ordinate fund-raising activities. See Who’s who for more details.

We welcome and invite regular feedback from our children and young people, their parents and carers.

We are always keen to improve our links with the local community, with schools, nurseries, and other appropriate organisations. If you’d like to talk to us about publicising our activities to your users, or our performing at your event, or coming and running a special workshop for you, then please contact us.

Latest CCS news winter 2008

How are we funded?

CCS is a charity, and we receive grants from trusts and other funding bodies, as well as from individuals.

If you’d like to donate,

please go to our page at justgiving.com or contact us for information on becoming our Friend. Thank you!

The music you can hear on the main pages of this website (if you turn on the sound on your computer) is from CCS’s concert last summer “Singing all over the world”.

Help us raise money for CCS at no cost to you or us—just use everyclick.com —when you search using this link, they’ll give us a donation.

Information for parents & carers: arrangements for Christmas show and carol-singing

Christmas Show, Saturday 13 December at the Parish Hall

Sessions next Saturday, 6 December, are as usual.

On Saturday 13 December, the day of the show:

Mini Music (0-3s) is as normal at 10.30. During the show, we’ll also be informally showing off what we get up to in Mini Music, so please come back at 1.15 to take part;

EVERYONE ELSE – aged 4 and upwards – please come to the Parish Hall to rehearse at 11.30, bringing a small packed lunch. We will have breaks and in particular will stop for lunch at about 12.45.

Please bring your family and friends to watch your child/children at 1.15. The show will be over by 2.30. There will be refreshments, plus a raffle with lots of prizes and a home-made cake and preserves stall where you can win or buy some great stocking filler presents, so please bring your purse or wallet! If you can make small cakes or biscuits to serve as refreshments or to sell in aid of Choir School, please sign the list at the front desk.

If you can help our Committee members serve refreshments, sell cakes/raffle tickets or supervise children over their lunch break, then please sign the list for this too!

Words sheets are available from today – please help your child/children by reading through these with them between Saturdays.

Carol-singing, Saturday 20 December

We will meet at the Parish Hall at 11.00 for a quick warm up and then go to Butterfly Walk shopping centre to sing some of the Christmas show songs and carols. We’ll then be going to Lomond House sheltered housing near Camberwell Green (ask Clare for a map), at 12.30 to sing to residents and visitors and have refreshments afterwards. We’ll be finished by 1.30. If you’d like to come along with your child/children, that would be great too. Again, please sign the list at the desk! We won’t be able to take your child out with us without you UNLESS you’ve signed the list in advance giving us permission to take them away from the Parish Hall. PS Every child who takes part in the carol-singing will get a small Christmas present to say thank you!

CCS Music Workshop is our session for 11 to 18 year olds who regularly play an instrument or sing—Saturdays at 2.30pm -

see www.ccsmusicworkshop.com for more details.

This new group is generously supported by the Jack Petchey Foundation.

Our policies:

We have policies on

· Child Protection;

· Health and Safety

so everyone can be sure they are safe while they are with us.

We carry out a fire drill once a term for each group.

We collect information on children’s medical needs, e.g. allergies, so we can meet any first aid needs.

And just in case something unforeseen does happen, we have specialist public and employers’ (including both paid staff and volunteers) liability insurance.

Our Equal Opportunities policy is very important to us. We want to make sure that everyone who comes into contact with us is treated fairly and has the maximum opportunity to flourish. We aim to promote equality of opportunity whatever a person’s gender; race, ethnicity or nationality; disability; religious or non-religious belief or lack of it; sexual orientation; or age—although we do differentiate our groups by age range, like most educational establishments. This belief in fundamental equality and the right to fair treatment applies to CCS members, their family members or carers, to staff, volunteers, trustees and management committee members, job applicants, and anyone else we come into contact with or provide services to. We make reasonable adjustments to ensure accessibility for disabled people.