Folkestone Junior Choir

Music Centre

Folkestone Music Centre

Group Session

Saturdays ~ 10:00 am - 11:30 am ~ Term Time Only

Music Leader

Helen Brookes

Grade

Any

Ages

8 - 13 years

Type

Choir

Sing, play and grow with the Folkestone Junior Choir!

The Folkestone Junior Choir is more than just a choir. We’re an inspiring, exciting and welcoming musical group for young people to develop their skills and have fun.

Lead by the versatile mezzo-soprano and musical magician Helen Brookes, every Saturday morning in term time you’ll sing various genres and styles as a group and solo, engage in constructive music games and activities.

First half term is free for new students!

If you join the Centre as a new member in the first half of Autumn, Spring or Summer term, you can enjoy completely free sessions until that half term break. Find out more in our Terms & Conditions.

Join us now to make music and save!

Choir members can expect to build confidence and friendships as they develop their own musical skills and style. Joining a choir is great foundation for musicians of all kinds, building musicianship, aural training, ensemble skills, harmony and more!

Members will have regular opportunities to perform weekly in sessions, and we also seek out exciting local performance and collaboration projects.

Our choir members are a welcoming group who love their Saturday sessions. They’ve told us that some of the things they love most about FJC are:

  • seeing friends and making new friends
  • sharing news
  • playing lots of games
  • dressing up for special Saturdays
  • bringing stuffed toys to be our audience
  • getting brave about performing
  • harmonies
  • actions for songs
  • being leaders
  • learning about music
  • biscuits!

Don’t miss your chance to join this welcoming and empowering choir. Join today!

You can join this group at any time – no auditions are required! The FJC is designed for all young singers in years 3 – 8 who want to take their singing to the next level.

To apply for this ensemble, please click ‘Apply Here’ below. You’ll be taken to the ensemble page on our online course platform where you can add this course to your basket.

Once you’ve selected your chosen course, go to your basket to complete your application. You will then be prompted to log into your Kent Music online customer account.

If you don’t have an online customer account, then don’t worry – you can still easily apply at the ‘Apply Here’ button. You’ll be taken through some simple steps to create an account and your application will be processed the same as someone with an existing account.

After your application is complete, you’ll be sent further information about your ensemble to confirm.

If you have any questions or concerns about applying, please contact our Customer Services team on customerservices@kent-music.com

Music Centre membership is fantastic value with some great benefits!

As a member you will have access to all ensembles at our Music Centres across Kent, so you can join as many as you wish, no matter which centre you initially signed up at.

Tuition is an additional charge, but you will receive a 10% discount on your membership if you wish to also wish to join an ensemble at a Music Centre.

Fees per term:

September 2023 – July 2024: £50

Fees are invoiced termly (3 terms per year) and can be paid by instalments on request immediately following receipt of your invoice. Invoices will be sent at the beginning of each term and are payable by return.

Financial assistance may also be available for students who meet our criteria. For more information and to find out if you are eligible, please see our Financial Assistance page.

Click the ‘Apply Here’ button below to become a member. 

Get in touch with us at any time!

Contact our dedicated team any time through the ‘Get in touch’ button below, or on musiccentres@kent-music.com and we’ll see how we can get you making music.

“The only thing better than singing is more singing!” – Ella Fitzgerald

Meet your ensemble leader – Helen Brookes

Helen Brookes, born in Stroud, Gloucester, gained a first class honours degree in Performing Arts (Music, Dance and Drama) before studying postgraduate singing at the Royal College of Music.

A versatile mezzo soprano, experienced in singing a wide range of styles, she has performed opera and oratorio as a soloist and ensemble member with English Touring Opera, Almeida Opera, Les Musiciens du Louvre, and English Concert as well as rock and pop vocals for Florence and the Machine, Sting, Take That, and symphonic heavy metal group Nightwish.

She sings with many of the leading vocal ensembles (Tenebrae, Dunedin Consort, Gabrieli Consort, Eric Whitacre Singers, BBC Singers) and has performed on numerous film soundtracks including Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Interstellar and the Kung Fu Pandas.

She is especially passionate about music in education and as a music specialist teacher and firm believer that everyone can (and should!) sing, leads workshops, projects and training for children and adults to do just that.

She is a musicianship tutor for the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and is immensely proud to be Music Director of the Royal Greenwich and Blackheath Halls Youth Choir as well as the recently formed ‘FESI Choir’ – a Folkestone based group providing opportunities for enthusiastic young singers from eight local primary schools to join together, have fun (biscuits and silly voice warmups feature heavily!), and perform to a wider audience.