Below:
Training product: welcoming trans and non binary people to your choirs
NVN Statement on gender inclusion and awareness
Training: welcoming trans and non binary people to your choirs!
‘Welcoming trans and non binary people to your choir / singing group,’ is a training product, co-created by Hannah-Rose Tristram and Chris Brown.
Trans pride flag, non binary pride flag, genderfluid pride flag, agender pride flag
This training was launched and delivered for the first time on February 4th 2023, to a group of Natural Voice Practitioners and other choir leaders / singing group organisers.
This event was created with the support of the Natural Voice Network, to help launch the NVN Statement on Gender Inclusion and Awareness, and to help bring education and practical inclusion training and awareness to NVN membership.
The training, ‘welcoming trans and non binary people to your choir’ covers a wide range of relevant topics in detail, is interactive, and even includes a little bit of singing.
Trans and non binary inclusion in choirs is a subject area that Chris and Hannah-Rose are both passionate about.
Trainers – Facilitators
Chris Brown is an LGBTQIA+ inclusion trainer, with a professional background in mental health awareness, suicide prevention, and equality, diversity and inclusion.
Hannah-Rose Tristram is the choral director and organiser of LGBTQIA+ community choir, GLOW Choir Brighton. She believes passionately in choirs that welcome and encourage all voices, and in the power of an LGBTQIA+ community space where everyone under the umbrella is welcome and celebrated, no matter their identity or experience or what words they use or don’t use to describe themselves. You can find out more about her background on getbrightonsinging.com
If you would to discuss booking this training for your choir or organisation, contact hannahrose@getbrightonsinging.com
Feedback
What People Said! Feb ’23:
Please note the feedback form is still open until 11th Feb ’23
so stats may change and futher quotes may be added as responses come in.
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* 100% of attendees would recommend this training to other choir leaders
* 100% of attendees learnt something about trans and non binary identities and experiences
* 100% of attendees felt the trainers created a welcoming and inclusive environment
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* 85.7% of attendees felt they came away with clear actions they can take to improve inclusion for trans and non binary people at their choirs; the remaining 14.3% felt they came away with lots to think about
“Hannah-Rose and Chris were great, made everyone feel comfortable and provided us with much food for thought and some affirmation that we are getting some things right :-)”
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Things People Liked About It:
The safe space that was created at the beginning, and the trainers themselves!
Friendly relaxed and non confrontational
Well planned, well presented. Excellent content
The welcoming and learning-focussed environment
Kindness and empathy but there was a strong urgency to make change expressed
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“I liked… the very informed content and the sensitivity and kindness of the facilitators.”
Trish. Music4Wellbeing
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“I liked how the trainers (and nvn trustees) created and modelled a profoundly welcoming atmosphere. It really was a space where respectful exploration and questioning was welcomed.”
Margaret (she / her; hi)
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Hannah-Rose and Chris would like to thank the Natural Voice Network for their support in getting this training up and running.
Hannah-Rose would in particular like to thank the GLOW Choir community members for teaching her over time about how to do better by trans, non binary and other gender diverse people in the community, which has informed Hannah-Rose’s learning and practice at GLOW and elsewhere, and has also informed this training.
Hannah-Rose is also very grateful for the support and inspiration of her co-trainer, Chris Brown.
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NVN Statement on Gender Inclusion and Awareness
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In 2021, Hannah-Rose worked collaboratively on a document to help choir leaders and music teachers make their choirs safer, more inclusive spaces for people of all genders.
This document has been created specifically for Natural Voice Practitioners to use. However, we’re keen for others to have access this resource as well, so with permission from the Natural Voice Network, it is being shared here.
Hannah-Rose cares passionately about this, and hopes it can play some small part in creating a brighter future and a better world for trans, non-binary and other gender non-conforming people.
A note about the statement resource:
If you read or download this resource, hooray, and we hope it is helpful to you. However please keep the following in mind:
If you decide to share or quote this resource somewhere, please make sure to credit the authors: Hannah-Rose Tristram, Molara and the Natural Voice Network.
Please do not take excerpts out of context, or in any way plagiarise our work.
Please do use it as a springboard for learning, for bettering allyship and for helping others learn and grow too.
Now you have read the above, please find attached below, the Natural Voice Network Statement on Gender Inclusion and Awareness, published November 2021.
I hope you will find it a helpful ongoing learning resource, and/or starting point.
From time to time this document will be updated, as we receive feedback and/or learn new things. The version here was last updated 28th January 2023.
We acknowledge that our learning is not perfect and is never finished, and that we will continue learning and improving.
Please also understand that our time is limited and the information in this document may not reflect fully our most current up to date learning. Thank you for your understanding.
We also acknowledge that this resource is a valuable starting point and can make a difference, and this is why we’re sharing it.
If you think this document could be improved in some way, feel free to let us know.
If you access this document and would like some support in bringing it to life, implementing changes with your group or furthering your learning, please get in touch to discuss your training options with Chris and Hannah-Rose.
hannahrose@getbrightonsinging.com
Below: Access to the document. Please be respectful with your use of the resource we have created, and do not plagiarise or take our work out of context. Thank you!
If you would like to sing with a Natural Voice Choir which aims to put these principles into practice as best possible, then do head on over to the GLOW Choir Brighton page and have a look at what’s on.
Wishing you well and hoping this resource will be a positive and helpful one for you,
Hannah-Rose.
we have fallen into the place where everything is music - rumi 