Gunnedah hosts first ‘Toy Choir’ program outside Sydney

The Gunnedah Conservatorium in partnership with ‘The House That Dan Built’ has launched an exciting new pilot program, Toy Choir, the first outside of Sydney.

Toy Choir is open to young women aged 10 to 16, inspiring them to write their own music using a ukulele, work together to create stunning choral ensemble work and tell their stories through music.

Founder and director of ‘The House That Dan Built’, Danielle O’Keefe, started Toy Choir to encourage, inspire and develop young women to embrace singing, song writing and performance.

Toy Choir has enjoyed success after success in Sydney since its inception in 2014, including performing at Sydney Festival, Sydney Chamber Opera and Mardi Gras.

Successful standalone workshops have also been held in regional NSW and flash mobs across Sydney, including in parks, nursing homes and around iconic Sydney landmarks.

Gunnedah Conservatorium director Rebecca Ryan said they have been working with Danielle O’Keefe for three years, holding numerous workshops and are thrilled to be the first place outside of Sydney to run the Toy Choir program.

“We have run one-off workshops, so it is wonderful to be moving into the legacy phase and have the program going,” she said.

“Toy Choir is about unleashing creativity, developing skills including team skills, having fun and creating a desire to make music together
by finding a tribe of like-minded people.

“The ukulele is great instrument to learn as it is easy and allows for participants to play and sing simultaneously.”

Gunnedah Conservatorium music teacher Meg Clowes will be heading the program in town after completing several training sessions with Danielle and her team.

“I am excited to be running a program dedicated to assisting young women to use music as a tool to express their creativity through song writing and performance,” Ms Clowes said.

“Song writing can be very personal and a way for people to express emotions and feelings they find hard to say.

“It can also be silly, fun and a great way to boost confidence. We all need a bit of a confidence boost every now and then.”

The program runs for 1.5 hours every Monday afternoon for all of terms three and four. The fee is $350, with free trials running currently.

Scholarships are also available. To register or apply for a scholarship visit www.toychoir.com/gunnedah. Registration is also available over the phone by calling the Conservatorium on 6742 3998.