Your Desert Island Songs invites you to bring together a small collection of songs that matter to you personally. During the weekend we'll explore how your repertoire reflects where you are now as a singer, celebrate the songs that have stayed with you, and discover where your voice might lead you next.
Welcome to your Workshop Guide. Here you'll find everything you need to prepare for our September weekend together. As well as practical information about the venue and travel, you'll find guidance on preparing your repertoire, organising your workshop materials, using Dropbox, choosing backing tracks, and everything else that will help your weekend run smoothly.
I'll continue adding to this guide over the coming weeks, so do drop in again before the workshop.
Preparing Your Repertoire
Your Desert Island Songs begins with a simple idea: bring together a small folder of songs that matter to you personally.
These are not necessarily the most polished pieces you have ever sung, nor the repertoire you think you ought to choose, but the music that continues to draw you back. The songs that feel instinctively right in the voice, awaken your curiosity, and still seem to have something new to reveal.
Once you've begun choosing your repertoire, it's time to start preparing it for the workshop. One of the first steps is to make sure you have suitable accompaniment for each song.
Throughout the weekend we'll work with high-quality piano or orchestral backing tracks rather than a live accompanist. This allows every singer to work with their own chosen repertoire while keeping the weekend flexible and giving us more time to explore the music together.
Once you've settled on your repertoire, the next step is to locate suitable backing tracks. You'll find a vast range of high-quality piano and orchestral accompaniments on YouTube, often with several different interpretations of the same piece. If you prefer, specialist websites such as youraccompanist.com also offer excellent accompaniments at a very low cost per song. If you'd like any help choosing your accompaniment tracks, please just get in touch.
Because ultimately, repertoire is never just repertoire.
The songs we choose, return to, struggle with, and carry forward all tell a story about who we are when we sing.
Very often, the work itself simply shines a light on something that was already there.
And that is the deeper thread running through this new Voice-works year.
The practical guidance that follows is simply there to help you organise everything before we meet, leaving us free to concentrate on the music once the weekend begins.
Organising Your Workshop Materials
Everything you need before the workshop is organised through our shared Voice-works event folder in Dropbox.
Before the workshop, you'll receive an invitation (by email) to join the shared Voice-works event Dropbox folder for this study weekend. Once you've accepted the invitation, you'll have access to the VW study weekend Dropbox, where you'll find a personal folder created especially for you. This is where you'll organise everything you'll need before we meet in September.
Inside your personal folder, you'll find three subfolders:
Music Copy
Upload a PDF of each of your chosen songs. This becomes the music we'll all refer to during the weekend, making it easy to follow the music copy together as we work.
MP3 Accompaniments and Backing Track Links
Add links to the high-quality piano or orchestral backing tracks you've chosen for each song. If you've downloaded MP3 accompaniment files, these can also be stored here.
If you're unsure which accompaniment to use, or would like help finding the most suitable version, please just get in touch.
The Process Vault
The third folder is called the Process Vault.
Unlike the other two folders, which are there simply to organise the practicalities of the workshop, the Process Vault is an invitation to explore your repertoire in a little more depth. Think of it as a place to collect your thoughts, questions and discoveries as you prepare for Your Desert Island Songs.
There's no expectation that you work through every folder or record everything you notice. Simply use it in whatever way you find most helpful as you prepare for the weekend.
Singers often find it easiest to make a short voice recording whenever a thought occurs to them while they're preparing a song, or to write their reflections in a document and save it as a PDF. There isn't a right or wrong way to use the Process Vault. Think of it as a place to collect ideas, questions and observations in whatever format works best for you.
If this is your first Voice-works study weekend, you'll soon discover how naturally the Process Vault becomes part of your preparation. If you choose to join future workshops, it will also become a valuable record of your repertoire, reflections and musical discoveries that you can continue building over time.
The Green Room
A few weeks before the workshop, you'll also receive an invitation to join our Voice-works Green Room on Google Chat.
The Green Room allows everyone to ask questions, share useful information and keep in touch as the workshop approaches. It's an informal space where practical queries can be answered quickly and where everyone can begin preparing together before we meet in person.
What to Expect
Voice-works Study Weekends are built around thoughtful exploration rather than performance alone. Throughout the weekend we'll spend time singing, listening, discussing and experimenting together, using your chosen repertoire as the starting point for everything we do.
You'll be working in a small group of no more than five singers. This allows plenty of time for individual attention while also giving everyone the opportunity to learn by listening to one another. Some of the most valuable insights come from watching another singer explore a technical or musical idea that unexpectedly illuminates your own.
There'll be opportunities to ask questions, explore new ideas and revisit familiar repertoire from a fresh perspective. The aim isn't to achieve perfection over a single weekend, but to leave with a clearer understanding of your voice, your repertoire and where your singing might take you next.
Please bring a packed lunch with you each day. Tea, coffee and refreshments will be available throughout the weekend.
The Weekend at a Glance ...
Taking Part
Voice-works Study Weekends are intentionally small, with a maximum of five singers. This allows plenty of time for individual work while creating a supportive environment in which everyone learns through singing, listening, observing and discussion.
Each study weekend has its own booking period and application deadline. Once applications open, you'll find full details on the relevant workshop page, together with any Early Bird Reward Plan that may be available.
Early Bird Reward Plan
The Early Bird Reward Plan is designed to reward singers who commit to a workshop well in advance. As well as allowing the fee to be spread over several months, it gives you more time to choose your repertoire, prepare your workshop materials and make full use of the resources available before we meet.
Singers find that this longer period of preparation becomes an important part of the Voice-works experience, allowing ideas to develop naturally before the workshop begins.
The earlier you book, the more flexibility there is to spread the cost over several monthly payments. Each workshop has its own Early Bird deadline, so it's always worth checking the workshop page if you'd like to take advantage of the Reward Plan.
Observers
Observers are always welcome at Voice-works Study Weekends.
Observing is much more than simply watching from the back of the room. Following the music, listening carefully and reflecting on the work taking place often provides valuable insights into your own singing and musicianship.
If you're not ready to sing at a particular workshop, attending as an observer is an excellent way to experience Voice-works, become familiar with the way we work together, and discover how much can be learned simply by watching and listening.
Prefer a printable copy?
If you'd like to keep the Workshop Guide with your music while you're preparing for the weekend, you can download a PDF version here.
Voice-works Venues
Where we meet
Voice-works Study Weekends are currently held in two venues, depending on the workshop and the time of year. Full joining instructions, travel information and any venue-specific guidance are always provided well before each event.
The Ritchie Hall, Chandler's Ford, Hampshire
The Ritchie Hall provides a comfortable and welcoming teaching space with good acoustics, free parking and convenient access from the M3. Chandler's Ford railway station and local amenities, including a Co-op, are within easy walking distance, making it an easy venue to reach whether you're travelling by car or by train.
The Jubilee Hall, Church Street, Winsham, Somerset
The Jubilee Hall is a beautiful historic building with a fine acoustic and a wonderfully welcoming atmosphere. Over the years it has become a much-loved Voice-works venue, providing an inspiring setting for thoughtful musical exploration and shared learning.
Whichever venue is being used for your workshop, you'll receive clear directions and all the practical information you need well in advance, so you can simply arrive ready to enjoy the weekend.
Where to Stay
If you're travelling from further afield, you'll find a good choice of accommodation close to both Voice-works venues.
For workshops in Chandler's Ford, there are several hotels within a short drive of Ritchie Hall, together with a wide range of Airbnb accommodation. If you're travelling by train, staying close to Chandler's Ford or Eastleigh stations can be particularly convenient.
For workshops in Winsham, there are a number of welcoming inns, bed and breakfasts and self-catering cottages in the surrounding villages, with additional accommodation available in nearby Chard, Crewkerne and Ilminster.
If you're unsure which option would suit you best, please do get in touch. I'll be very happy to suggest accommodation based on your travel plans and the workshop venue.
Looking Ahead
Your Desert Island Songs marks the beginning of a new Voice-works year.
Each Voice-works Study Weekend has its own theme and can be enjoyed as a complete experience in its own right. You're very welcome to join me for just one workshop, or to return whenever a future theme particularly appeals to you.
For singers who do choose to come back, I have designed the 2026–2027 programme so that each workshop builds naturally, and sometimes quite playfully, on the last. Together, they create an opportunity to revisit your repertoire, discover how your voice continues to develop, and gradually shape a collection of songs that grows alongside you.
Where that journey will eventually lead is part of the adventure. At the moment, my hope is that by the summer of 2027 we'll be ready to share some of that repertoire in a special project of some kind. Time will tell exactly what form that takes.
Wherever your Voice-works journey begins during the next academic year, I look forward to welcoming you.
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