WITH ONE VOICE

Melbourne Sings

Creativity Australia commenced its pilot program WITH ONE VOICE, in March, through the Melbourne Sings choir - a strategic partnership with Sofitel Melbourne On Collins, Allan’s Music and various agencies. The choir brings together employees from Melbourne businesses with disadvantaged people and migrants from the Fitzroy and Collingwood housing estates for weekly rehearsals towards performances at various special and community events.

It is an opportunity to bridge social capital as well as provide employment pathways and mentoring for residents from the housing estates. For participants it is an opportunity to develop networks and unlock creative potential. Choir members find their unique voice and learn how to lead and be part of a team. Melbourne Sings has already performed for key events including a Bushfire Benefit Arts Auction at Fitzroy Town Hall, the Diversity@work awards, the launch of a new digital inclusion program for Infoxchange, the Serious Women’s Business Gala Conference Dinner and is now being approached to create performances for a range of major special events and occasions celebrating cultural diversity including the Parliament of World Religions.

Melbourne Sings is unique in that it brings people together from all walks of life and ages, cutting across socioe-conomic, cultural and even linguistic barriers in the pursuit of making music together. Indeed, a significant proportion of the population of the housing estates are recent migrants to Australia, and the choir is a key opportunity for them to form networks and develop a sense of belonging to mainstream Australia. This has already led to some of the migrants gaining employment through improved self esteem and skills developed through their new networks.

'The choir is an escape for me. To open my heart, to be relaxed, happy and forget about all the problems. It’s an open door that you can only see flowers in front and be happy. Enjoy the perfume of the song. The choir really had an important role in my confidence. The diversity in the choir is really huge. Tania, Antony, Shaun… all of them were there for me. And when I got my job interview to prepare they gave me a hand to improve my confidence and to take that step it was really hard for me. I was so nervous, so emotional. I couldn’t believe I would have a job. Then I have the job. I say thanks to BSL, thanks to ANZ who recruited me and most importantly thanks to Tania [de Jong] for her support and all of the members of the choir.'

Nathalie – recent arrival from Cameroon

For more comments from members of Melbourne Sings click here.

To see and hear the choir in action please click here.