Singing for Beginners

Ages 18+

Course Dates & Times

Tuesday evenings, 22, 29 April, 6, 13, 20, 27 May 2025
7pm–9pm

About Singing for Beginners 

This six-week evening course for beginners, will introduce you to singing and a number of techniques and exercises that will help to build confidence while improving your voice.

Led by vocal coach Esi Acquaah-Harrison, the course will cover breathing, vocal warm-ups, dynamics in singing, explore colour, texture and expression in song. Participants will also receive tips for maintaining good vocal health. Songs will cover a range of musical genres: gospel, musicals, soul and traditional folk songs.

Through practical exercises, you will experience how to sing in an ensemble or group and there will be opportunities to sing individually, should you wish to. All exercises will be worked on together as a group.

The course will be mostly practical and you will be encouraged to have fun whilst putting your new skills into practice with the rest of the class, in a safe and relaxed environment.

Who is the course for?

• For anyone aged 18 and over who has a desire to improve their singing and build confidence, with the help and guidance of an industry-leading professional.
• The course is for beginners, with little or no formal training. 
• The course can also benefit new performers with a little experience.

What can I expect?

Through practical exercises and learning songs, you can expect to:

• Experience singing with harmonies in a group 
• Learn to appreciate the elements that make a song: melody, rhythm, tempo
• Discover different ways of expressing yourself through song with dynamics 
• Practice with vocal warm-ups and exercises
• Learn about vocal health
• Experience blending in a group  
• Gain a deeper understanding of your voice
• Discover something new about yourself
• Build your confidence
• Have fun

The course, which will focus on singing and learning together, will evolve with the needs of the group. You will receive feedback from the course tutor during the course, however please note that this is a group course which doesn’t include in-depth personal coaching. You will not be asked to sing on your own, unless you would like to.

Do I need anything for the course?

No materials required. Just your enthusiasm for singing and willingness to participate with others.

Course Fee

£290

Eligibility

• We welcome participants from all ages 18 and over
• Participants must have sufficient English language skills in order to fully engage with the course  

About the Course Tutor

The course is taught by Esi Acquaah-Harrison.

Esi is a voice and dialect coach whose work includes The House of Shades (Almeida Theatre, featuring Anne-Marie Duff); Moreno (theatre 503), The High Table and Lava - award winning play (Bush Theatre), Punk Rock (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Sex Education Series 3 for Netflix, Beneatha's Place and Start (Mountview), Desert Boy, Love and Money (LAMDA), Pigeon English (Bristol School of Acting), Stop Kiss (RADA).

Her other experiences include an exciting ten-year world tour (2010-2019 inclusive) with Cirque du Soleil's show - Totem, in which she was the lead female singer and original cast member. This was preceded by two years as Rafiki in Disney's The Legend of Lion King at Disneyland Resort, Paris. Some of Esi's singing and stage experience includes work with the likes of Luther Vandross, classical singer Jessye Norman, Michael Ball, Mariah Carey and Sir Tom Jones. Esi is a former member of UK's London Community Gospel Choir who recently appeared on Britain's Got Talent. She most recently sang at Rubee's Jam, Pizza Express Live, Holborn, in January and is a featured singer as Aretha Franklin in top tribute group - Ultimate Divas.