Oxford University Press Community Voiceworks: The Complete Resource for Community Choirs - Burns/Partington - Book/CD

Authors: Alison Burns, Gitika Partington
Format: Book and CD
Voicing: Flexible scoring in 1-4 parts

Community Voiceworks is an unrivalled collection of fun, reflective, empowering, and moving songs in the practical Voiceworks format. With five sections covering a variety of life's key themes, there is something for everyone - from classic hits such as 'Sitting on the Dock of the Bay', 'If I had a hammer', 'Walking on Sunshine', and 'Something Inside So Strong' to well-known traditional songs and new works by acclaimed choir leaders. The CD provides recordings of individual parts, allowing non-readers to learn aurally, and song sheets are photocopiable. A truly inclusive collection for all groups who love singing together, regardless of experience!

• 43 flexible songs, from simple unison to four parts, by established writers and arrangers
• Ideal for community choirs of all types and school groups of 11+ years
• Vast range of repertoire, including well-known pop songs, traditional songs from around the world, contemporary songs, protest songs, and rounds
• Diverse themes, including Peace and Reflection, Liberty and Freedom, and Celebrations
• Warm-ups and practical tips on working with amateur singers and the natural voice
• Supporting rehearsal plans for each song, from the basis of learning by ear
• Copiable pages
• CD containing MP3s of learning tracks (providing individual vocal parts) and backing tracks for some pieces
• Recordings of full performances available to download

Gitika Partington is a singer, songwriter, arranger, and workshop leader. She runs two large community choirs - The Bishopsgate Singers and The Tubthumping Chorus in the City of London - and a Primary school choir in Camden, as well as training days for local music education authorities (training teachers and community-choir leaders), a cappella workshops, and singing festivals for adults, students, and families. She has co-written two musicals for children and arranged a wide variety of songs for a cappella SATB choir, several of which are featured in her Sing Pop A Cappella (Novello), and written song commissions for Sing Up!, including the 2015 National Sing Up Day song. Gitika holds an MA in Choral Education from the University of Surrey, Roehampton, and is a Licentiate of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (jazz vocals and arranging). She taught secondary school music for 12 years, and is a member of the Natural Voice Practitioner Network and the band 3 Bucket Jones.

Alison Burns is a songwriter, arranger, and music educator. Her songs can be heard in diverse settings such as public art installations, theatre, mainstream and special needs education, and in the repertoire and recordings of many community choirs around Britain and the USA. She has published several collections including two songbooks for schools, and several of her songs are part of the Sing Up! website's song bank and were specially featured in Sing Up!'s magazine. She is also known for her originally-themed performances for choirs - in 2008, her song 'Sunshine in My Heart' was used by the Association for All Speech Impaired Children (Afasic) in an attempt to enter the Guinness Book of Records by getting as many people as possible to simultaneously sing a song in sign language. Alison is a founding member of the Natural Voice Practitioners' Network, the international organization for voice teachers and singers working in community settings, and continues to be involved in its development.

Table of Contents:

• Section I: Short and Sweet
  • Words Betty Tindal, music Alison Burns: I open my arms wide
  • Ros Thomas: I am not thinking about you
  • Polly Bolton: Spring Song
  • Carol Prior: A cat meditating
  • Alison Burns: A Twist in the Air
  • Trad., arr. Gitika Partington: Deep Down in my Soul
  • Juliet Prager: All will be well
  • Bryan Kessler, adap. Mark and Sharie Anderson, harm. Nickomo: E malama
  • Jules Gibb: Caballos galopando
• Section II: Peace and Reflection
  • words John Newton, music Sam Cooke: Amazing grace
  • words John Newton, music Gitika Partington: How Sweet the Sound
  • Trad.: Down in the River to Pray
  • Alison Burns: There is silence in my heart tonight
  • Alison Burns: Keep me
  • Melanie Dolinski, arr. Andrew Emmet: Peace white dove
  • Otis Redding and Steve Cropper, arr. Gitika Partington: Sitting on the Dock of the Bay
• Section III: Liberty and Freedom
  • Roxane Smith: Ain't gonna study war
  • Trad. / Gitika Partington: Ride this Train
  • Curtis Mayfield, arr. Val Regan: People get ready
  • Alison Burns: Give me wings
  • Nickomo: I can hear a train a-comin'
  • Pete Seeger and Lee Hays, arr. Gitika Partington and Peter Hunt: If I had a hammer
  • Em Whitfield Brooks: Sold down the river
  • Zulu song: Shona malanga
  • words Antonia Machado/Trad., music Val Regan: Ya Basta!
  • words Dick Dallas, music Billy Taylor, arr. Pete Churchill: I wish I knew how it would feel to be free
• Section IV: Change, Loss, and Moving On
  • Nickomo: Keep your heart good
  • South African: Think of me
  • words Judy Grahn, music Alison Burns: The Mountain
  • Alison Burns: A Pebble on my Tongue
  • Peggy Seeger, arr. Peter Amidon: Love Call me Home
  • Hedy West, arr. Gitika Partington: Five Hundred Miles
  • Cyndi Lauper and Rob Hyman, arr. Gitika Partington: Time after Time
  • words Robert Burns, Trad. Scottish melody, arr. Alison Burns and Gitika Partington: Auld Lang Syne
• Section V: Celebrations
  • Nickomo: The Yeah Song
  • Sammy Hurden: Now the sun is rising up
  • Gitika Partington: I stand tall
  • Bruce Knight: Zidele amathambo
  • Kirsty Martin: Different Ships
  • Alison Burns: May your cup always be full
  • Pauline Down: Old Woman
  • Kimberley Rew, arr. Gitika Partington: Walking on Sunshine
  • Labi Siffre, arr. Pete Churchill: Something Inside So Strong