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 summer term 2009

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 in summer 2007 “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.

Summer term runs from 25 April

to 18 July

End of term show, Saturday 18 July at the Parish Hall at 1.15pm.

More details before then—we’ll be handing out a newsletter.

We have an exciting term ahead, leading up to a collaboration with Carnaval del Pueblo, the largest Latin American event in Europe, attended by over 100,000 people, and on our doorstep in Burgess Park. See www.carnavaldelpueblo.co.uk for more information about the event itself. As the term goes on, we’ll provide more information about how we’ll be taking part on Sunday 2 August.

Before that, we’ll be part of The Big Event in Myatt’s Fields Park on Saturday 20 June—more details of that soon, too.

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.

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.

Recognition—

and another Triathlon

One of our regular music volunteers, Declan O’Dempsey, who has been with us for most of the 18 years since Camberwell Choir School was set up, has been given a Civic Award by the Southwark Civic Association, in recognition of his volunteering; this is presented to him by the Mayor of Southwark at a ceremony on 9 May.

Declan teaches guitar and other instruments, helping with all the groups most Saturdays. He is a member of our Management Committee, helping to take the day-to-day decisions on how Choir School should be run. He has also raised several thousand pounds for us by taking part in triathlons (swimming, cycling and running) and getting his work colleagues and others to sponsor him.

Declan’s latest race is on 24 May 2009, and will help to pay for our activities for the summer term. If you’d like to show your appreciation, please give whatever you can at www.justgiving.com/ccstriathlon09.

Thank you—and thank you, Declan! Well done!

Swine flu: Camberwell Choir School will be meeting as usual each Saturday, unless health advice changes. We will remain vigilant and encourage members to observe good hygiene precautions.