Stuart Jones  - Musical Director

Humbrella was formed, under Stuart’s leadership, in September 2009.

He has been teaching natural voice singing groups for 9 years, having trained as a Natural Voice Practitioner with the renowned folk singer and voice development coach, Frankie Armstrong.

Stuart is committed to the ‘Natural Voice’ approach, which maintains that singing is not the exclusive preserve of professionals and celebrities, but is everyone’s birthright.  

  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *   

As a Natural Voice choir, we believe that everyone can sing.

For thousands of years all over the world people have sung — to express joy, celebration and grief, to accompany work and devotion, to aid healing — without worrying about having a "good" voice or "getting it right". Song has been a part of life, a way of binding the community together.

 We enjoy the sense that vocalising, singing and singing together is natural and open to all.

 To read more about Natural Voice singing, see details of events and workshops and read about other nationwide Natural Voice choirs ,  please see http://www.naturalvoice.net/

Our songs are taken from different traditions from all around the world. We sing in 3 or 4 part harmony or we sing rounds which are good fun! As we do not use any copies, Stuart prints the words of some of the longer songs for us to read. Here he is, leading Ja Helo, a Czeckoslovakian goatherd song, half-way up a hill! 

A recent survey to find the 3 favourite Humbrella songs shows the range of songs we sing.  Everyone who took part commented that it was hard to choose as there are so many lovely ones.

Here are the results -

1.  Ise Oluwa (Nigerian) 2.  Okolo (Czech) 3.  A La Nanita (Spanish)