WomenSing is a local choir that meets every Wednesday from 7.30-9.30pm at Coombes Community Centre in Royston.
This coming March, WomenSing will be joining with other choirs and performing at a concert to raise funds for local charity HomeStart. They are looking for former members and anyone who would be interested in singing, to join the choir, all in preparation for the concert.
Here, we find out a little bit more about Linda Bance, who so many people will know through the Music with Mum and Little Voices years, and how she came to launch the WomenSing choir in Royston.
“My family were crazy about music. Most of them played something, a piano, harmonica or a one-string fiddle along Great Yarmouth Seafront so it wasn’t difficult to persuade my dad to let me start the violin at the age of nine. It wasn’t long until I played in orchestras, and at secondary school, I was the only person who played a stringed instrument.
Did I care? No! but I taught myself the guitar so that I could be part of the school folk group playing on Radio Oxford’s morning show!
On leaving school I became a nursery nurse which led to nannying in Geneva and as a violinist in the Cern orchestra.
When our first child was born, we sang and played together all the time and I began inviting friends with babies to my home to make music together.
Here ‘Music with Mum’ was born. It was such a busy time but following the birth of our third child, I returned to Trinity College of Music achieving a Masters in Music Education.
This has allowed me to train, research, broadcast, write and travel with the message that with our very young, music can be ‘caught not taught.’
After 40 years of music making with 1000’s of families in Royston as Play Music Play, Little Voices, GuySing, Royston Street, I am still just as passionate about music and singing.
Just when I thought I might retire, my darling husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. It is a beast but yes you guessed it, singing can help, so I run ParkinSing in Royston where people with Parkinson’s sing and laugh and just for a while we can feel the magic of being musical together.
I look forward to you joining us at WomenSing and our concert next year.”
