Scunthorpe Co-operative Junior Choir at 100!

To mark the Scunthorpe Co-operative Junior Choir’s centenary, MT commissioned me to record the choir’s achievements and share its formula for success. Every Friday evening during term-time, for coming up to nine years, the Marshall family has taken a trip to Scunthorpe. It is nearly a full hour’s drive from where we live, in York, but Scunthorpe is home to something quite special. As Daniel Fields, SCJC’s musical director, said to the BBC recently: ‘SCJC is one of Scunthorpe’s best-kept secrets’. It’s also the oldest youth choir in the country and has open access, meaning all are welcome, without audition.

You may have worked out by now that I am a proud to say I am an ‘SCJC mum’. Our two daughters started with the choir in 2014; one has left (to go to music college) and the youngest still attends. So, what I share about this choir comes from first-hand experience.

From local to national success

So how did it all begin? According to the programme notes from the recent Gala Concert on 25 March, a ‘Junior Choir was formed by the Scunthorpe Co-operative Society Education Committee, by Mr Denman (Danny) Leeman, who had recently formed the Scunthorpe Male Voice Choir and Ladies Choir.’ It seems these adult choirs needed a feeder choir, a training ground for young singers.

And what of the choir’s achievements? In 1926 the group won the prize for junior choir at a Bradford competition, and in 1927 it took first prize at the Scunthorpe Music Festival. From 1930 to 1933 it won the Hull Music Festival three years running, and by 1934 it had made its first radio broadcast. The choir continued to meet during the war years. It started overseas tours in the 1960s, visiting Germany and, later, France, Italy and Canada. In 1987 the SCJC Training Choir (or Middle Choir) was formed, by which time Susan Hollingworth BEM was musical director; in 2010, Hollingworth won Choral Director of the Year at the Gramophone Awards.

The choir’s prominence at a national level began in the 1990s. In 1994, at Buxton Opera House, SCJC won Choir of the Year, and in 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2002 it was either a finalist or semi-finalist in the Sainsbury Choir of The Year Competition, broadcast by the BBC. In 2008 SCJC was overall winner of BBC3 Choir of the Year. The recent Centenary Gala Concert featured the Scunthorpe Co-operative Junior Choir, Training Choir, alumni and special guests VOCES8.

Formula for success

Having observed SJCJ at close quarters, I have a sense of what lies behind its hundred-year success. Here are the organisation’s top ten characteristics:

1. Outstanding personnel

SJCJ boasts highly-trained musicians who are passionate about enriching young people’s lives as well as realising their musical potential. It’s important to have the right musical training to direct a choir; but to run a large choral community, you also need exceptional leadership skills (particularly to retain singers). Children and young people need to feel that you care about them and that they are listened to. It also helps when leaders have past experience as choir members.

The current team includes musical director Daniel Fields, who is also assistant head teacher at St Bede’s Catholic Voluntary Academy, Scunthorpe. Fields is a semi-professional choral conductor, having directed many choirs (three currently) and been an organist and instrumental teacher (brass and piano). He also sings in several choirs.

Kathleen Watson is associate musical director, leading the the Middle (Training) Choir. She is a former SJCJ singer. She’s a secondary music teacher at Sir John Nelthorpe School, Brigg, and a qualified Kodály practitioner, as well as a community musician who runs an adult ukulele group. She sings with the St Cecilia Singers.

Jenny Trattles is associate musical director, leading the Little Choir. Again, a former SCJC singer, Jenny is also the Voices Foundation’s musicianship director, and works as a music education consultant for multi-academy trusts and other organisations, developing training resources. She regularly leads ‘Big Sing’ events and is an experienced Primary school music lead.

Susan Hollingworth BEM remains SCJC’s creative director, after 34 years its musical director. Her achievements as a choral director are stunning (and award-winning) and her contribution to music education in Scunthorpe and beyond is vast.

The accompanists are James Longden, Lynn Robinson and Jean Leong. Previous staff include the much-loved and musically gifted Grace Baines, who led the Middle Choir for several years while being accompanist for the Main Choir and, more recently, an SCJC mum, with two daughters attending. (Grace very sadly passed away in March, just before the Gala Concert.)

Grace Marshall, who is 17 and a choir member since the age of three, sums up the impact of such dedicated staff: ‘I can’t wait for choir, learning new harmonies and singing with friends who I wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for Co-op choir,’ she says. ‘Dan pushes us to be the best we can be, ensuring we have fun and feel valued within the choir.’

2. Rolling programme of concerts and performances

Every year there’s a Christmas concert and leavers’ concert (in July); all other concerts vary from year to year. The music team tries to ensure there’s a variety of opportunities in a range of locations, from concert halls to local churches, parks and festivals, joint concerts with other choirs and also invited professional artists. Great care is taken to ensure this programme isn’t too demanding and fits around school exams. A team of volunteers chaperone on the day and ensure that all choir members are brilliantly looked after. The choir goes on tour every other year, and has travelled to Germany, Italy, France and to the Edinburgh Fringe.

SCJC rehearsing I’se the B’y (John E. Govedas), a Newfoundland folk song

3. Partnerships with key choral organisations

Over the years, SCJC has partnered with various organisations. This has brought great opportunity, from one-off projects to a series of concerts with choirs such as the Scunthorpe Choral Society and Male Voice Choir. Partners in recent years include Friday Afternoons, where SCJC recorded the ‘Dragon Songs’ (See Music Teacher, Oct 2022).

4. Training choirs and strong pedagogy

A pipeline for the Main Choir is created by two supporting choirs. Staff use the best pedagogies and materials to train these children to become part of the senior choir. The stages before this are: Little Choir (for children aged 3 to 5, from 5pm), during which children are trained using the Kodály approach, singing traditional folk melody through games and rhymes; and the Middle Choir (ages 5 to 9, from 5.30pm), in which singing games and musicianship training continue but children begin part-singing using rounds, partner songs and moving to two parts. Children move up to the senior Main Choir (ages 9 to 19, from 6.30pm) as Soprano 1, Soprano 2 or Alto.

5. Core repertoire that’s good for young voices

All SCJC choirs – especially the Main – have repertoire that they sing year after year. Of course, this is balanced with the new, but having pieces that are traditional to a choir is special and it gives a choir an individual personality. The repertoire is carefully selected to develop young voices to their highest potential. The best example of this is ‘Feel Good’ (by Tyson and Scott), a song that is sung at the end of the leavers’ concert (and available to view on YouTube, complete with brilliant clapping choreography!).

SCJC performing the world premiere of Dragon Songs (Joanna Lee) at St Paul’s Church, Ashby

Main Choir: Sing Jubilate Deo (Jerry Estes); Badgers and Hedgehogs (Andrew Carter); I’se the B’y (John E. Govedas); The Lily and the Rose (Bob Chilcott); And So It Goes (Billy Joel, arr. Michael Neaum); Loom Song (Sally Beamish); Inside My Heart (Anon.); Alice (Sarah Quartel); Towards Infinity (Paul Jarman/Phil Voysey); Deep Peace (Andrew Carter); Sound the Trumpet (Henry Purcell); This is the Key (Alan Bullard); Can You Hear Me? (Bob Chilcott); Amani Utupe (Patsy Ford Simms); The Lord Is My Shepherd (Howard Goodall); How Can I Keep From Singing? (Robert Lowry).  Christmas favourites include Hark (Bill Readdy/C. Wesley, T.); Little Babe from Ceremony of Carols (Britten); Mid-Winter or Time of Snow (Bob Chilcott).

Middle Choir: Grannies and Grandads (Andrew Carter); Time on Our hands (Alan Simmons); Get on Board This Train (Don Besig); Singing in the Bath (Lin Marsh); Firefly (Andy Beck). Singing games: Bow wow wow; Sally go round the sun; Witch, witch, fell in the ditch; Spinning top goes round and round; Lemonade Song.

Little Choir: (where singing games are foundational) Little Johnny Dances; Doggy, doggy, where’s my bone; Ickle-ockle, blue bottle; Zoom, zoom, zoom; We’re going on a picnic; Star light, star bright.

6. A commissioning choir

SCJC commissions works by celebrated choral composers. Why is being a commissioning choir so important? I asked Tom Lydon, former MT editor and now senior commissioning editor for sheet-music at Oxford University Press: ‘Having a choir commission you (as a composer) is a win-win for both parties. Writing to a tight brief has been the true mother of invention down the centuries. It keeps composers relevant and gives the choir something they can rejoice in. Being a commissioning choir serves your members and your audience in the best way, and it makes you part of music history. When you harness and enable today’s creativity you stand on the shoulders of previous generations and build a strong pillar for the next.’

SCJC has commissioned Three Elizabethan Songs by Paul Ayres, Time On Our Hands by Alan Simmons, The Long Trail by Howard Goodall, The Penny Fiddle by Robert Stuart Yager, Remember Me by Bob Chilcott, Bless To Me This Day by Cecilia McDowall and Cycle Song, the community opera by Tim Sutton.

For their Centenary Concert with VOCES 8, the choir commissioned Our Voice from Bob Chilcott. This set a poem (‘Murmuration’) by Eleanor Stewart-Pointing, a former choir member.

7. Committed volunteers and effective committee

One of the greatest strengths of SCJC is its committee, working for the good of the choir. The choir cannot run without a massive administrative operation. Key roles include the chair and vice-chair, treasurer, health and safety officer, media and publicity, DBS secretary/music librarian, not to mention a sea of chaperones. Holders meet regularly in partnership with the music team. Parents have stayed on the committee many years after their children have left the choir; they want to provide the amazing opportunity their children had for future generations, and enjoy being part of the SCJC community.

8. Effective fundraising and financial oversight

Membership to the choir involves a modest subscription from singers. In addition, there is a patron scheme and there are grants from North Lincolnshire Council, the Co-operative Society and organisations that the committee apply to. Choristers themselves raise money from bag-packing and sponsored swims. Revenue is also generated by concerts. There is a support fund for any choristers suffering financial hardship: no-one is turned away due to a lack of means. With the support of the committee and music team, a dedicated treasurer ensures that budgets are well managed.

9. An impressive alumni network

During lockdown, when virtual choir sessions took place, the choir enjoyed presentations from a large range of SCJC friends and alumni. The alumni even joined the stage at the choir’s Centenary Gala Concert. Many support the choir financially through the patron and friends’ schemes and enrol their own children into SCJC so that these have the same experience. SCJC is proud of all former choristers who have gone onto successful careers in music, theatre, TV and education (as school or university educators).

10. A wider supporting community

One of the special things we have enjoyed as a family is SCJC’s strong sense of community. Our children have made friends; we have made friends. When the trials of life affect chorister members and their families, SCJC provides kindness, warmth and support. When I asked Ava Lynch, a young chorister, ‘what does choir mean to you?’, she gave a creative response:

The power of song connects us all / Singing clears my busy mind. / A world of words and unison. / A time we can enjoy ourselves. / All together as friends / We celebrate the history of our choir. / One hundred years connect through song. / We are the Scunthorpe Co-operative Junior Choir / And we are proud to be who we are.

The final word I reserve for Daniel Fields, the musical director: ‘I believe the success of SCJC is down to the passion of the people. The passion of the singers, music team, chaperones and volunteers who give tirelessly of their time to give the young people of North Lincolnshire (and far beyond!) the best musical opportunities. The selection of high-quality choral repertoire, performed by our open-access organisation – where there are no auditions – makes for a unique combination within the world of youth choral music.’

scunthorpecoopjuniorchoir.org.uk

youtube.com/@scunthorpecooperativejunio7083

fridayafternoonsmusic.co.uk/song/dragon-fruit-dragon