Choir for mums...

[swannieboy]

Hello all. It's been ages since I posted in here. I thought I'd let you know that Hummy Mummies is still going strong! We have expanded considerably, and you now have a choice of six groups to attend, two of which are in East Dulwich.

For those of you who don't know, Hummy Mummies http://www.hummymummies.com is a fun, amateur pop choir for mums where you can bring your bump, baby, toddler or even older child. The class is for the parents, not the children, but the children love it too. You don't need to have any experience at all, no need to read music either. You just need to enjoy singing and be willing to join in. Once you sign up for a term (?65) or a half-term (?35) you can attend as many of the sessions during the week that you like, so you can easily make up sessions that you miss. This term we're singing Abba, Janis Joplin, Lou Reed, Katrina & The Waves, Coldplay - that sort of thing.

The locations are as follows:

Monday 10:30am East Dulwich

Tuesday 11am Peckham (Bellenden Rd)

Wednesday 11am Greenwich

Thursday 11am Forest Hill/Honor Oak

Friday 10am Brockley

Friday 3:30pm East Dulwich

Do check out the website and the Twitter feed

and pop along for a trial session before you commit. We have about 85 mums (and a dad!) in total now across all the groups, and we're soon expanding to other parts of the UK.

Drop me a line at [email protected] if you have any questions.

Richard

[ForestHill Mum]

Just wanted to say as someone who has attended with my 2 boys for a couple of years, how enjoyable and uplifting it is. And how much the kids get out of it too. Can't recommend Hummy Mummies enough x

[lynners]

I've been going to Hummy Mummies for over a year now, also with my two boys. It has rekindled my love for singing and music, at the same time as providing my kids with a great outlet. They have fun playing in the hall with lots of other lovely kids whilst surrounded by music, and mums having a great time. All good. If you're looking for something that's as much fun for yourself as for your kids Hummy Mummies is it.

Richard who runs the group is incredibly warm and welcoming, and very understanding of the rather unstructured needs of children, whilst running a very talented singing group. Hummy mummies is good for the soul and I'm so glad that I found it.

[cnn]

At a loss with what to do with our newborns a few years back my friend Sarah and I heard about Hummy Mummies through a friend and have rediscovered our love for singing (hers from performance school, me from a lot of choral singing at an all girls' school)

We have both returned to work since but have continued going to the Friday ED group immensely. I don't always make it due to a whole host of reasons and my new employers think I am bonkers for trying to negotiate a clause in my contract allowing me to leave early every Friday, but hey that just says how much I enjoy going.

[buggie]

Can't recommend Hummy Mummies enough,

Loved my time with HM's **waves to Swannieboy & cnn** & hopefully I will return (might make some of the summer term once I know what my work schedule'll be)in time for the post HM pub/kids tea!!

[swannieboy]

**blushes** aww, thank you all. I'm glad it's been enjoyable!

:)

[Anna D]

My eleven-month-old tries to eat the keyboard stand every week. Nobody seems to mind..

It's a really lovely, relaxed choir. Great songs. Much more fun than your average playgroup.

If you like singing and need an excuse to get your babies/kid out of the house, I strongly recommend giving hummy mummies a go.

[Otta]

Even though I personally think pop choirs represent everything that is wrong in the world, and make me want to burst my own eardrums with knitting needles, I have to say that this was a bloody great idea, especially in an area like ED/Peckham.

Fair play for coming up with it.

[yummers]

I have been going to hummy mummies for over a year now, and absolutely love it. It really is such a lovely activity, both for me and my baby. Richard is fantastic and chooses great sings for us to belt out. The atmosphere is welcoming and relaxed, meaning I don't worry when my baby starts rampaging! Quite simply, it's great.

[hmt1979]

I just started attending Hummy Mummies this term with my toddler and newborn and am really enjoying it - the group are so welcoming, my toddler is enthralled by the singing and it gives us all something to enjoy on a Friday afternoon! Cant recommend it highly enough!

[bluesuperted]

Can I add to the praise? I've been a 'Hummy Mummy' since its inception in 2011 when I used to come with my eldest to Richard's sessions in ED and had a fab time. Now I take my youngest to Vicky's sessions in Forest Hill. Hummy Mummies is a really special concept and is the source of many cherished memories with my little ones. It is a lovely but rare example of children and parents using the same physical space with each party simultaneously getting unique things out of the experience; my eldest used to barrel around like a mad man while my youngest potters or sits on my knee, all types of normal kiddie behaviour is fine and the children are rarely upset, think they enjoy the music and the vibe. Vicky the new(ish) Forest Hill teacher is wonderful, incredibly encouraging and dedicated to our group - and a great teacher to boot!

Highly recommended - I always leave on a high and feel so lucky to have this group on my doorstep.

[kandr]

Just wanted to add my tuppence-worth. This was the first group I joined when I moved to ED in October and I'm so glad I did. It's loads of fun and a great opportunity to belt out some fab pop songs. Richard is so encouraging and warm and writes really nice arrangements. I would definitely second what another person here said about it being the most fun kids group by far. The kids have a great time and it's very informal so you don't have to worry if your little one cries or runs riot in the hall. My two-year old loves it and calls it 'Happy Mummies' which it is!

Do come along and try it out if you fancy a bit of singing in a really fun, relaxed atmosphere.

[swannieboy]

My keyboard stand is quite tasty, I have to say...!

Otta - I do get where you're coming from, and regularly cringe at the awfulness of some of the stuff out there, but honestly I don't think you'd feel like that if you actually came to one of my sessions. We don't do any actions, or wear branded t-shirts, or anything like that. It's just singing songs that are approachable and that people know, and making them more interesting by adding harmonies. And breaking down the "you must be musically trained" stereotype, and in the case of HM, not marginalising people for having inconveniently noisy children.

Thought you might like a brief look at us in action - this is the Brockley group a week ago...

I also run London City Voices primarily for people who work in Soho, Canary Wharf or the City. There is a huge social (read "drinking") element to LCV, and I have over 200 attending across the groups every week. We do try and shy away from really cheesy stuff, and our current repertoire includes Bohemian Rhapsody (a very faithful arrangement to the original song) and Mr Blue Sky.

Really - don't lump us in the same category as other choirs (who should not be named for fear of offending some of them...) - we are really quite different.

Richard

[Anna D]

Just worth adding, for the avoidance of doubt, that there are no 'actions' and no matching T shirts. It's NOT AT ALL like Pop Choir.

[LucyInTheRye]

YY it's no cringy at all, and great to go to a group where the focus isn't just on the kids. DD is 2 and LOVES it, more than the traditional toddler groups, I think. I find it brilliant for blowing Mon/Tues cobwebs away and it is very mon threatening and friendly, no one makes you sing by yourself ;-)

[swannieboy]

:) Thanks Anna D! I didn't mention any of my rivals by name...

[SaffronG]

Another huge thumbs up for Hummy Mummies! I've been going for nearly 2 years and really love it. New groups springing up too so plenty of options. http://www.hummymummies.com/

[didyousaysomething]

I heart hummy mummies! This is the highlight of any group I've tried so far - a fab way to round off the week singing my way home with a spring in my step. However child-led other groups say they are this is the only one where I feel entirely comfortable whatever my 5-month old decides to be doing... The singing isn't cringeworthy at all probably due to Richard's fantastic arrangements and the fact that it's all done with a lot of humour. Though you'd probably want to be able to hold a tune there is no pressure to be a great singer, just turn up, do your best and have fun!