February 23 2008- ‘Fareham In Harmony’- a songwriting workshop with Matt Hales

On a bitterly cold Friday night I had travelled up to a Southern town called Fareham which, being a Northern boy, I had never heard of before. All I knew was that I would be meeting one of my favourite artists the next day in Matt Hales(aka Aqualung) and I would hopefully be helping out with the workshop as a musician myself. As it turned out, the events of the Saturday afternoon ensured I would never have trouble remembering the name of this place again. More specifically, the talented young musicians I met made sure I would remember the Fareham Youth Choir especially.

The day begun with a curious exercise involving everyone hand clapping in rhythm on the floor and subsequently getting sore knees (or maybe that was the less athletically inclined participants!). It worked as the perfect ice breaker whilst also creating a sense of humour and team work.

Matt proceeded to teach everyone the melodies to the verse and chorus of what is to be the choir’s signature song, “Fareham in Harmony”. It was a catchy number, perfect for its purpose. Within a very short time the kids had picked up the melody and were belting it out in rehearsal for the recording. Within a few takes, each verse and chorus was recorded. There was a certain charm and passion from the 12 young singers’ voices that complemented the tuneful maturity of the previous week’s vocals on the track.

Matt seemed relaxed and happy with the progress that was being made and the second session after the fifteen minute break seemed to hit the ground running. This was a complement to the concentration and enthusiasm of the young people involved.

It was the brain power of what I witnessed in the second half of the workshop that left me mesmerised by the choir. The challenge was to split up into groups of 3 or 4 and to write our own verse in a 10/15 minute period. I thought perhaps this would be a step too far for children of their age and I would perhaps have to take the lead in writing the verse (with my great lyrical expertise). I was very wrong. My job was merely to give out the paper and pencils- then try to keep up with the speed of the ideas coming at me thick and fast. The three youngsters I was working with were working on a verse that was to capture the positive global appeal of music. We came up with several ideas and also laid claim to being the first writers of the new century to use the word “didgeridoo” in a song!

We finished our verse feeling optimistic about the work we’d done in such a small time. We thought maybe we would be one of the only ones to finish. Wrong again. Everyone had completed their verse and Matt found himself flooded with new lyrical ideas to record. It was at this point that I saw the real talent and intelligence of the group as a whole. Many young kids can stand and sing. Very few can sing, understand the song they’re singing and contribute to its creation! I say this as an 18 year old songwriter, young enough to vividly remember being involved in such activities myself. Never was I a part of a creative choral organisation. This for me is where the Fareham youth choir stood out.

We laid down our verses in smaller groups; everyone attentively listening to eachother’s verses before jumping up excited when their own verses were called to be recorded. The energy levels throughout the day were incredible considering the amount of material that had to be taken in.

Last of all came the recording of a concoction of instruments giving the song a feel of a ‘workshop’ environment. This was a reminder that what was created very much belonged to the choir themselves. There were guitars, flutes, a foot stomping percussion section and many more instruments.

Before departing, we were able to listen to the unmixed recording of the song. Everyone seemed proud of what they had done and excited about the finished product.

Personally, it was a privilege to observe and assist during the workshop. I was incredibly impressed by the choir and their positive attitude as a whole. Matt showed great perspective and skill when working with the young people. Despite his great experience and success, he seemed as impressed as anyone with all of the participants.

By Andy Ruddy