Teaching Music With Body and Soul/Corona Children's Chorus Spring Camp

Corona, Queens, NY.  April 18th-23rd,  2011

The workshop will approach how to teach choirs and singing from the perspective of Sanna Valvanne’s creative and holistic choral method: Making Music With Body and Soul. At the workshop you will get an in-depth understanding of Sanna's work and her goals for the Corona Children's Chorus Camp. You will also get a taste of what the children will be experiencing at the camp by participating in the fun exercises of the workshop. You will sing and play, move and improvise, and experience the shining star inside you, just like the campers will.


Sanna combines movement and drama with singing in a unique and fresh way. With her contagious energy, charming ways and fun exercises she creates a playful, open, tolerant and loving environment that removes limiting fears and concepts of singing, and stretches the voice and creativity. Joining the powerful journey into your voice and to the heart of songs from different continents, you will be moved inside and outside!


Sanna's workshops are loved around the world and her method has awakened thousands to the joy of expressing music with the whole being. Teachers find the workshops very inspiring and useful for their own work. Sanna frees up choirs, singers, teachers and communities and engages them in a holistic singing process. She empowers to get in touch with the inner child and become a creative performer. People of all ages relax and open up, discovering the beauty and boundlessness of the voice. Sanna shows how to sing with not only the voice but with heart, body, mind and soul.


The workshop includes:


  1. 1. Introduction to the philosophy, principles and results behind the method


  1. 2. Warming up for a creative and holistic singing experience

Playful vocal exercises that free the voice, engage the whole being in healthy vocal production, expand the voice range, and prepare to sing in different styles

Exercises for opening and freeing the creativity, group dynamics and the mind and body


  1. 3. Improvisation

  2. •Improvisation as a natural and important part of choral performances and rehearsals

  3. •Learning to improvise in a safe environment through fun games and guided steps

  4. •Improvisation exercises with voice, body percussion and drama


  1. 4. Repertoire with Body and Soul Method

  2. •Learning songs of different styles and languages from around the world

  3. •Exploring new and different ways of expressing and performing music with choirs

  4. •Creating dynamic, interesting and moving performances

  5. •Engaging the singers and their creativity in the process of interpreting and performing music


  1. 5. Developing confident performers and shining stars

  2. •Working with Solo and Tutti aspects to develop a strong group through strong individuals


  1. 6. Useful skills and qualities for teachers


Workshop Schedule


  1. •1:00-1:30 pm    Welcome & housekeeping

  2. •1:30-3:00 pm    Music & pedagogy

  3. •3:00-3:30 pm    Coffee break

  4. •3:30-4:30 pm    Music & pedagogy

  5. •4:30-5:00 pm    Wrap up & housekeeping


The Spring 2011 Corona Children’s Chorus Day-Camp will take place at P.S. 19Q in Corona, Queens, and will gather around 150 children, ages 9-15 from the neighborhood and beyond. This tuition-free day-camp will also include a training workshop for music teachers and children’s chorus conductors from the area schools, El Sistema inspired program teachers, and other teachers and conductors interested.  


Finnish Children’s Choir conductor Sanna Valvanne will lead both activities.  The camp will close a concert in Corona on April 23rd, 2011. This camp is the second children’s chorus camp in Corona, organized by the Corona Youth Music Chorus.  In August 2010, the first camp gathered around 100 children who worked intensively for 10 days to learn 12 songs in 13 different languages.

Sanna Valvanne is an innovative conductor from Finland, specialized in children's and youth choirs. She is  recognized worldwide for her holistic and creative choral method: “Making Music Body and Soul”, which combines vocal expression with movement and drama. She is a popular clinician and guest conductor with choirs globally. Sanna's Warm Ups DVD was published in 2010. It presents the special exercises Sanna has created for warming up and freeing the voice and the group dynamics.


Sanna has made frequent appearances at renowned international choral festivals, such as Festival 500 (St. John's, Canada) and many Europa Cantat (European Federation of Young Choirs) events. In 2008, she was a selected presenter at the 8th World Symposium on Choral Music in Copenhagen, and was chosen by the IFCM (International Federation for Choral Music) to the Songbridge Artistic Committee. During the past two years Sanna has been guest conducting in Taiwan, Canada, USA, Israel, Palestine, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Finland, Japan, New Zealand, and at the Europa Cantat 2009 Festival in the Netherlands.  Some of the highlights include her concert with the Tapiola Choir, in Finland, and working with adult choirs and Simon Carrington at the Sing Aotearoa 09 festival, in New Zealand.  She recently planned and conducted the Corona Children's Chorus Camp for 100 new singers in Queens, New York. This was the start of the Corona Youth Music Project, inspired by El Systema, the famous  Venezuelan Youth Orchestra Movement. In 2011 she continues with the Corona Children's Chorus projects and has invitations to Norway, Finland, Germany, Denmark, Italy, and USA.


Since 2005, Sanna has been living in the USA, where she brought her cutting edge approach to the North American Choral Company, as its artistic director (2005-2008). In Finland, her children’s and youth choir program with the Kameleontti Choirs, was loved by children of all ages. The popularity led to a series of  TV-programs on the Finnish National Broadcasting Company, featuring a musical journey around the world with Sanna and her choirs.


Sanna has her Master’s Degree in Music, from Sibelius Academy, in Helsinki. She is a  graduate from the world-famous Tapiola Choir. Sanna sang in the choir for 13 years and continued as its vocal trainer and conductor's assistant to both Professor Erkki Pohjola and Kari Ala-Pöllänen.


Apart from music education, Sanna is a talented singer, songwriter, actor and a versatile performer. She has performed her songs and shows in concerts, theaters and on television.


For more information, visit www.sannavalvanne.com.

Teachers’ Workshop