Core Team
Emily Foulkes (Founder and Director)
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Emily is the Director of Music for Good, a music for well-being charity in Cornwall. She has worked in music and well-being for more than 20 years, having previously worked for the National Foundation for Youth Music in the Policy and Programmes department, and worked with the team at Youth Music to secure funding which led to her lead on the setting up and managing of national programmes and networks.
Emily is a Singing for Health practitioner, researcher, trainer and consultant. She has developed a Singing for Health programme in Cornwall, securing funds for a Singing Clinic programme with Social Prescribing and NHS funding to work in acute care. She received a bursary for her MA with Voice Workshop and completed research in Singing for Health.
The idea for the Singing for Health Network emerged through conversations and consultation with colleagues across the UK and Emily was delighted to receive Lottery funding in 2020 in order to set up the Network.
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Read Emily's article about her experiences of developing Singing for Health work linked to Social Prescribing in Cornwall here, and a summary of her research exploring online singing and mindfulness during Covid for people with anxiety and/or depression here.
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Baz Chapman (Network Manager)
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Baz Chapman is an arts and education consultant, programme manager and facilitator. He was previously Programme Director for Sing Up, the Government’s National Singing Programme for Primary Schools, and Regional Director for Teaching Leaders. He is co-founder and General Manager of the National Teachers’ Choir, and other current roles include Project Lead for the Sing Up Foundation and Events Development Manager for Sing for Pleasure. www.bazchapman.org.uk
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Dr Jo Erwin (Research & Evaluation Adviser)
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Jo has a background in public health, is a researcher in musculoskeletal health at Royal Cornwall Hospital and is the evaluator and researcher for our Singing Clinic programme in Cornwall. Jo is an avid singer in a few different choirs and singing groups in Cornwall and advocates for the power of singing to promote health and well-being.
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Claire Turner (Research & Evaluation Adviser)
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Following an English and French degree, Claire studied at the Royal College of Music, completing her Postgraduate Diploma (Voice) with distinction. Her performing career has been varied, including roles with Welsh National Opera and Longborough Festival Opera, alongside an extensive repertoire of concert solos.
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Claire’s many years as a singing teacher have furnished her with a passion for the benevolence that singing can bring. She is currently pursuing an MA in Vocal Pedagogy with a Specialism in Singing for Health, particularly focusing on Singing for Mental Health conditions.
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WHO WE ARE
Ambassadors
Emma Baylin​
Emma has approaching 30 years’ experience of supporting transformation for people, communities and organisations. She is a highly recognised facilitator, working on the development and delivery of a number of national programmes for clients including NHS England / Improvement as well as bespoke programmes for individual organisations.
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In 2013 Emma founded Shared Harmonies CIC, a not for profit organisation specialising in creative development services for companies & communities, improving connection, confidence & wellbeing through inspirational singing.
Shared Harmonies help organisations explore leadership, team working and wellbeing working with some of the UK’s leading companies including Nissan, Hermes, Royal Canin, Pinsent Masons and PwC. The profits from this work support the delivery of Shared Harmonies community programmes working with participants affected by health & wellbeing conditions including COPD, poor mental health, cancer, Parkinson’s and dementia.
During the pandemic, Shared Harmonies developed many creative ways to still connect, offering services through Zoom and Facebook, interactive DVD’s & Ring & Sing services. They connected hundreds through producing co-creative songs, winning awards and coming runner up in the Song for Yorkshire competition. Emma was awarded a Prime Ministers Point of Light Award for services to communities and was invited to become a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts
Emma is also co-author of Amazon best seller Awakening Legacy, curated by Sarah Parkes
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Abigail Mann-Daraz​
Abi is a Singing for Health and Wellbeing Practitioner-Researcher. She is currently studying for a Masters in Voice Pedagogy (Singing for Health specialism). Her primary research areas are singing for stammering, Autism and mental health. Her work covers teaching, performance, research and mentoring. She specialises in holistic, bespoke 1:1 singing lessons for health and well-being. Within her own private practice, Abi offers fully inclusive studio based and online teaching, providing a flexible and bespoke service.
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Abi's performance experience includes a wide range of venues and functions. She specialises in jazz and blues, although has a versatile repertoire that also includes folk, classical, musical theatre and pop. Over the past 20 years she has volunteered with a number of charities, as well as the NHS, including facilitation of singing afternoons for dementia patients and their carers. She holds a certificate in Vocal Health and Mental Health First Aid, and is a member of the recently formed South East Steering Group for the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance.
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Links:
Facebook: Abi Singing | Facebook
Twitter: Abi (@AbiSinging) / Twitter
Instagram: Abi (@_abisinging_) • Instagram photos and videos
Linked In: Abigail Mann-Daraz | LinkedIn
Website: Abi Singing - Welcome
Elizabeth Drwal
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Elizabeth is an experienced singing teacher with a portfolio of work built up over the last thirty years. Her teaching encompasses many genres of performance and visual arts including opera, music theatre, community dance, short films and singing for health and well-being projects.
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She has completed an MA (distinction) specialising in singing for health for Parkinson’s sufferers. Her research papers have been presented at the British Voice Association, Society for Music Education in Ireland, Parkinson UK conferences. She has facilitated class for the British Lung Foundation in Northern Ireland and is currently setting up a Sing to Beat Parkinsons group in Wexford and a Singing for Lung Health classes with SingSing in the Wexford Area.
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Elizabeth’s community projects place creativity and social connection at the heart of classes. Groups have performed at an eclectic variety of venues from Stormont, Northern Ireland to ‘Big Sing’ Events in Co. Wexford.
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Elizabeth is resident director for the Children's Opera Chorus and outreach education for the Wexford International Opera Festival. She is co-creator of the Discover Singing and Discover Opera projects for Blackwater Valley Opera in Waterford. Currently, she is in collaboration with Dublin based composer Andrew Synott, creating a children's opera for the 2023 Wexford Opera Season.
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Watch Elizabeth's instructional films about Singing and Parkinson's here.
Rachel Hynes
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A professional Opera Singer turned Singing For Health Practitioner, Rachel now combines her love of singing, breathing and moving to help those with life-limiting conditions such as COPD and other chronic lung conditions, Parkinson’s, Mental Health issues and most recently Long Covid. She strives to help people find their voice!
Rachel works for Common Wheel & Luminate with her Singing for Dementia work, and runs several singing for breathing groups plus one for St Andrew’s Voices. She loves crochet, cats and cold water swimming, but not all at the same time!
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Read Rachel's article about working as a singing practitioner within the health system here.
Sophie Garner
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Sophie is a professional singer, vocal coach and wellbeing music specialist for the past 30 years. In 2020 she became a published author of 'The Creative Songwriting Journal' and 'If you can't say it sing it!' All Sophie's work is focused on improving mental health and wellbeing through singing and creative songwriting. She teaches within a wide range of community sectors: Schools, SEND, young carers, dementia units and brain neurology units. She have a particular interest in brain injury (my MA research was carried out in an ABI unit) and works with a group on a weekly basis for the charity Headway.
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Watch Sophie's film about her work and research on singing for people with brain injuries here.
