Each Friday morning, a captivating sound rings out from the Bill Hicks Pavilion in Byford.
Inside, an eclectic group of women are gathered in a circle, singing their hearts out, while children play contentedly with cars and blocks in the centre of it all.
It’s been four months since local singing teacher Nicole George introduced the Singing Mamas phenomenon to Western Australia. And each week, more women are braving the unknown to find joy in singing aloud in public.
The first Singing Mamas group was established in the UK in 2010 by nurse and mother Kate Valentine, after she struggled to find a choir where her young children would also be welcomed.
Since then, the idea has ballooned to a fully-fledged not-for-profit which encompasses over 100 similar groups worldwide, and with a guiding mission to improve maternal mental health.
But the Byford group is open to women of any description – not just mothers.
“I believe everyone should be able to call themselves a singer and I am passionate about the transformative power of music,” Nicole said.
That sentiment struck a chord with Trudi Graveson.
Trudi has found singing to be instrumental in the journey to finding her voice. And being a member of Singing Mamas has helped her to build her confidence.
“There are days when I show up and I’m extremely nervous, but I know that these ladies are absolutely wonderful, and I’ve never felt anything but welcome here,” she said.
“Everyone’s just happy to be empowering each other, and meeting new people and singing.
“What I love about Singing Mamas is, in the middle of the week, in a public place, I can just sing.”
Trudi explained that there have been people in her life who have tried to stifle her desire to sing loud and proud.
“But my theory is that it’s my voice, and I can use it,” she said.
“Like Nicole, I’m of the belief that women should be allowed to sing no matter what. Over the last three or four decades, we’ve slowly been discouraged from doing that – been shown that, unless you’re a professional singer, you shouldn’t be singing, especially not in public.
“And I want to change that. I leave here feeling on top of the world every week.”
Amy Adams and Michelle Cronin started dropping in to Singing Mamas in September despite their initial fear of singing in public.
“I used to be terrified – terrified – of singing. Whereas now I just go with it,” Michelle said.
“Nicole had been trying to get me to one of these [Singing Mamas sessions] for a while, and I resisted because I didn’t know if singing aloud in a group was for me,” Amy said.
“But actually, the more that I think about it, it is our sacral heritage and right as women to be able to sing. So, it’s nice to come back to something so ancient.”
As mothers, the pair were also relieved to find a social activity that wholeheartedly welcomed them and their kids.
“It’s always very limited when you’ve got young kids,” Michelle said.
“It’s nice socially to come out and be around other mums – somewhere the kids are safe and happy, and we can just do something with other mums for a change,” Amy said.
“A lot of people say ‘oh we welcome kids’, but they want them to sit still and be quiet.
“We’ve had times when they’ve had a few spats and it’s just been chill. Nicole gets it – she’s got kids. So that deeper level of understanding is great.”
And the children clearly get something out of the experience too.
“They go home and they sing the songs,” Amy said.
“And I often sing the songs to them to help regulate them – it really helps.”
For Nicole, these words are music to her ears. One of her observations that motivated her to start Singing Mamas here in Byford was just how many women she met who were too embarrassed to sing aloud to their children.
“In the 21 years since I’ve been teaching, I’ve seen people stop singing to their babies. They say – ‘oh no, I don’t have a good voice’. But your baby thinks the world of you and loves your voice,” she said. “And singing to our children is the foundation of early speech development – it models early speech patterns, cadence and rhythm.”
Amy explained she also often uses the mantra-like songs she learns at Singing Mamas to self-regulate when she’s having a particularly stressful day.
“The songs stay in my head for about three days afterward, so it’s nice to have that sing-song affirmation. It’s a nice sort of check-in with myself,” she said.
“Some of the songs are quite empowering.”
Amy said she feels like a “bit of a VIP” being one of the first Singing Mamas on the west coast.
“It’s actually incredible,” Michelle agreed.
And both can see the need for the concept to take root and grow here in WA.
Coincidentally, Nicole has confirmed there has been interest from another singing teacher north of the river keen to leave the formal constraints of classroom music behind and embrace the more-inclusive and instinct-driven style of Singing Mama circles.
But for now, anyone interested in joining the revolution can drop in at the Bill Hicks Pavilion in BYford from 10.30am on Fridays. The one-hour sessions are $10 each, with coffee, bikkies, and chats afterwards.
