0:00:02 > 0:00:04HE SINGS A SCALE
0:00:04 > 0:00:07As a singer and songwriter, arranger and vocal coach,
0:00:07 > 0:00:10I've had the privilege of working with countless other singers.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13Some famous, some not yet famous.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15The thing that never ceases to amaze me
0:00:15 > 0:00:17is music's ability not just to change a mood,
0:00:17 > 0:00:22but to completely transform a life, the way that it did mine.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25This week we're going to be going around the country,
0:00:25 > 0:00:28looking at people whose lives have been transformed
0:00:28 > 0:00:30by the gift of music.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36Coming up - the student who's changing the face of rugby.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38The singer who's found a new voice.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41And the teenagers bringing their community together
0:00:41 > 0:00:43through the power of song.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47Plus, of course, hymns galore to lift your spirits.
0:00:55 > 0:01:01Hans Christian Andersen said, "Where words fail, music speaks."
0:01:01 > 0:01:05Of course, music is a powerful way of worshipping and showing our love for God,
0:01:05 > 0:01:09as expressed in today's first hymn
0:01:09 > 0:01:12which comes from the oldest church in Portsmouth, St Mary's.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44This is Stockbridge Village in Knowsley on Merseyside.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Originally built in the '60s, it's had a troubled past
0:03:48 > 0:03:52but a group of youngsters are using music to try and brighten its future.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55As a vocal coach and youth music ambassador,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58I'm well aware of the power that music has to engage young people
0:03:58 > 0:04:01and that is certainly what is happening here.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05The En-Chord music project is giving local teenagers the opportunity
0:04:05 > 0:04:08to make and perform their own music.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11I've come along to one of their sessions to share some tips with them.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16# Oh see it's getting late Oh please don't hesitate
0:04:16 > 0:04:19# Put a little love in your heart
0:04:19 > 0:04:22# Put a little love in your heart... #
0:04:22 > 0:04:2618-year-old Judith Guabadoa has been involved in the project from the very beginning.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30I only discovered I could sing at the age of 12
0:04:30 > 0:04:32when the music pastor of our church said,
0:04:32 > 0:04:35"You should audition for a part in the choir."
0:04:35 > 0:04:40I was shy, I didn't want to sing and he forced me to sing
0:04:40 > 0:04:45and when I sang, he went, "Wow, you've got a voice."
0:04:46 > 0:04:48Everybody sing their first note.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52There is nothing to do in our lives
0:04:52 > 0:04:56so En-Chord has given us the opportunity to come together,
0:04:56 > 0:04:58to make one big family.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02We've literally created a music community in a community.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07# Put a little love in your heart... #
0:05:07 > 0:05:11'I've met so many nice people who are into music
0:05:11 > 0:05:13'and I've learned from them, the way they've learned from me
0:05:13 > 0:05:17'and it has actually changed my life so very much.'
0:05:17 > 0:05:23# Put a little love in your heart... #
0:05:23 > 0:05:26Everyone is like a family and everyone is close
0:05:26 > 0:05:29and there's no judgemental people.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31You can be yourself around everyone.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36Just because the area we live in has a bad name doesn't mean
0:05:36 > 0:05:38everybody who lives there is bad as well.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43If you think back to two years ago, there was nothing like that.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48Now there is and it's just amazing.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52En-Chord may be giving the gift of music to their community
0:05:52 > 0:05:56but Judith believes that her voice is a gift in itself.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58'I feel that it is a gift from God.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02'He has given me this gift and I must share this gift.'
0:06:02 > 0:06:06I don't want to be selfish with it by not allowing people to hear
0:06:06 > 0:06:08what God has given me.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24# Above all powers
0:06:24 > 0:06:28# Above all Kings
0:06:28 > 0:06:34# Above all nature and all created things
0:06:34 > 0:06:41# Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
0:06:41 > 0:06:47# You were here before the world began
0:06:47 > 0:06:51# Above all kingdoms
0:06:51 > 0:06:55# Above all thrones
0:06:55 > 0:07:01# Above all wonders the world has ever known
0:07:01 > 0:07:08# Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
0:07:08 > 0:07:15# There's no way to measure what you're worth
0:07:15 > 0:07:22# Crucified, laid behind a stone
0:07:22 > 0:07:28# You lived to die Rejected and alone
0:07:28 > 0:07:34# Like a rose Trampled on the ground
0:07:34 > 0:07:42# You took the fall and thought of me, above all
0:07:45 > 0:07:51# Crucified, laid behind a stone
0:07:51 > 0:07:57# You lived to die Rejected and alone
0:07:57 > 0:08:04# Like a rose Trampled on the ground
0:08:04 > 0:08:12# You took the fall and thought of me, above all
0:08:13 > 0:08:20# Like a rose Trampled on the ground
0:08:20 > 0:08:23# You took the fall
0:08:23 > 0:08:28# And thought of me
0:08:28 > 0:08:32# Above all. #
0:08:46 > 0:08:50Elle Caldon regularly sang at her church and in local choirs.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54She earned a music scholarship to university but when there,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57her health began to suffer.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00I was diagnosed with bipolar about six years ago.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03The depressive episodes make lots of things more difficult.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06They make just getting up
0:09:06 > 0:09:10and getting out of the house become quite a challenge.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Everything just feels as though it moves very slowly.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18There are times when the depression is so significant that the idea
0:09:18 > 0:09:23of singing is not one that I would feel I could entertain at that time.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26When things are beginning to shift and I start to feel a bit better,
0:09:26 > 0:09:28I find singing can actually be really helpful.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33# ..And mercy shall follow me... #
0:09:33 > 0:09:37Elle realised that music might also help other sufferers.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Six years ago she set up The Mustard Seed Singers,
0:09:40 > 0:09:45made up of people with mental health issues and those who support them.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48The choir is not a Christian choir, it hasn't got a spiritual component
0:09:48 > 0:09:51although I do feel that God has helped and inspired me
0:09:51 > 0:09:54to do what I am doing now.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58# Parsley, sage Rosemary and thyme... #
0:09:58 > 0:10:01And it's not only Elle who believes that music can have a
0:10:01 > 0:10:03profound effect on people's moods.
0:10:03 > 0:10:04Professor Stephen Clift
0:10:04 > 0:10:07is from Canterbury Christchurch University and has been
0:10:07 > 0:10:11studying the effect which music and singing has on people's wellbeing.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13Singing is a very uplifting activity.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15It helps people to feel happier.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19It's a very social thing, people come together regularly.
0:10:19 > 0:10:20They get to know one another,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23they have social support from their friends.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26It's especially important for people who might have a
0:10:26 > 0:10:28history of health problems.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30# Just call on me, brother
0:10:30 > 0:10:33# When you need a hand
0:10:33 > 0:10:37# We all need somebody to lean on... #
0:10:37 > 0:10:41Singing is my main hobby. It's my lifeline.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44'I always feel good after I've sang.'
0:10:44 > 0:10:48# ..I'll help you carry on. #
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Music creates a sense of harmony that unites generations,
0:10:52 > 0:10:56and to sing together with a group, singing different harmonies,
0:10:56 > 0:11:02creating a complete entity of song, is a wonderful experience.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07I think music generally is a gift from God.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11Whether people experience that in that way for themselves...
0:11:11 > 0:11:15It's going to be different for different people,
0:11:15 > 0:11:18but I personally think music is a gift.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28# Make me a channel of your peace... #
0:14:28 > 0:14:3222-year-old soprano Laura Wright has packed a lot
0:14:32 > 0:14:34into the last eight years.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37The former Radio Two Young Chorister of the Year had a successful
0:14:37 > 0:14:41career with the group All Angels, selling over a million albums.
0:14:41 > 0:14:42SHE SINGS
0:14:44 > 0:14:45Having gone solo,
0:14:45 > 0:14:49her debut album went to number one in the classical charts.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53She was last seen by Songs Of Praise viewers here,
0:14:53 > 0:14:54performing at The Big Sing,
0:14:54 > 0:14:58but she actually spends most of her time here.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00LAURA SINGS
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Currently, Laura's finishing her degree in opera studies
0:15:05 > 0:15:08at the Royal College of Music, but she's in demand.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Last year she performed at the Queen's Jubilee,
0:15:10 > 0:15:15at the Olympic Stadium and at the Festival of Remembrance.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18Do you feel that music somehow brings a nation together?
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Yeah, enormously. I've just been made the official singer
0:15:21 > 0:15:25for the England rugby team, which is an amazing feeling,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27but a big responsibility.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29It's only 50 seconds long, our anthem.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32It's so short, but in that space of time you can unify the entire
0:15:32 > 0:15:34crowd and be the symbol of unity.
0:15:34 > 0:15:39THEY SING "GOD SAVE THE QUEEN"
0:15:39 > 0:15:42- You have a vested interest in rugby, don't you?- I do.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45I have three older brothers who all play rugby,
0:15:45 > 0:15:48and let's put it this way, I was the rugby ball when I was younger.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51But in recent times, I did actually start playing rugby,
0:15:51 > 0:15:55and I'm having so much fun being in a team sport, because obviously,
0:15:55 > 0:15:58as a soloist, you're up there on stage on your own a lot of the time.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01You're travelling around on your own, and to be part of a rugby team
0:16:01 > 0:16:05and to be with a group of girls that just have so much fun,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08they're so driven as well, that they have that drive
0:16:08 > 0:16:11that you have as a performer. It's great to mix the two.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14So there you are, you're singing in front of 86,000 people.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16How does that compare to, say,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20singing in an opera house or a concert hall or a church?
0:16:20 > 0:16:24Singing in a church, for me, is the most peaceful experience,
0:16:24 > 0:16:28and I feel like I have a very strong faith there as well.
0:16:28 > 0:16:29SHE SINGS
0:16:35 > 0:16:37And I think it's interesting
0:16:37 > 0:16:39when you take that music out of the church and out of that surrounding.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42I still feel that faith
0:16:42 > 0:16:44and I still feel that connection to the church
0:16:44 > 0:16:47and to my faith as well, and I think that's the beautiful thing about
0:16:47 > 0:16:50choral music, is that it's written in devotion to God
0:16:50 > 0:16:54and that kind of goes with you wherever you go.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57You talked about the need to have an emotional connection with a song.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00How do you connect to I Vow To Thee, My Country?
0:17:00 > 0:17:03You sort of feel like it's the people's national anthem.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Everyone gets behind you, everyone sings it, everyone knows it,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09and you see people almost sit up straight when you start singing it
0:17:09 > 0:17:13because they feel proud, and I think that's how I feel when I perform.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25# I vow to thee, my country
0:17:25 > 0:17:31# All earthly things above
0:17:31 > 0:17:36# Entire and whole and perfect
0:17:36 > 0:17:43# The service of my love
0:17:43 > 0:17:49# The love that asks no question
0:17:49 > 0:17:54# The love that stands the test
0:17:54 > 0:17:59# That lays upon the altar
0:17:59 > 0:18:03# The dearest and the best
0:18:03 > 0:18:09# The love that never falters
0:18:09 > 0:18:14# The love that pays the price
0:18:14 > 0:18:19# The love that makes undaunted
0:18:19 > 0:18:25# The final sacrifice
0:18:47 > 0:18:52# And there's another country
0:18:52 > 0:18:57# I've heard of long ago
0:18:57 > 0:19:02# Most dear to them that love her
0:19:02 > 0:19:08# Most great to them that know
0:19:08 > 0:19:13# We may not count her armies
0:19:13 > 0:19:18# We may not see her King
0:19:18 > 0:19:23# Her fortress is a faithful heart
0:19:23 > 0:19:28# Her pride is suffering
0:19:28 > 0:19:34# And soul by soul and silently
0:19:34 > 0:19:38# Her shining bounds increase
0:19:38 > 0:19:44# And her ways are ways of gentleness
0:19:44 > 0:19:50# And all her paths are peace
0:19:50 > 0:20:01# And her ways are ways of gentleness
0:20:01 > 0:20:11# And all her paths are peace. #
0:20:27 > 0:20:31For some, their devotion to music has meant overcoming physical
0:20:31 > 0:20:33barriers to fulfil their dreams.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35Gemma Lunt was a musical child,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38but suffered from hypermobility syndrome,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40which caused joint pain and fatigue.
0:20:41 > 0:20:46It was such a huge part of my life at that time, and as I grew up
0:20:46 > 0:20:50into secondary school, there was leading the Wigan Youth Orchestra
0:20:50 > 0:20:53when I was 14, which was a great opportunity.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56It was a way I could express myself,
0:20:56 > 0:20:58it was a way I could kind of get frustration
0:20:58 > 0:21:02out in my music as well as all the other emotions,
0:21:02 > 0:21:07and I think it really became a big, big support to me.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11Gemma overcame these barriers to secure a place studying
0:21:11 > 0:21:14performance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18But after an accident in 2003, she lost the sight in one eye,
0:21:18 > 0:21:22and four years later, suffered an anaphylactic shock which led
0:21:22 > 0:21:25to nerve damage and the loss of the use of her legs.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30I was in bed for most of that year a lot of the time, and I'd been
0:21:30 > 0:21:36told I wouldn't play again properly, and that really, really...
0:21:37 > 0:21:41..hit me. I was just absolutely devastated.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45I suddenly started being able to pick up the strength to play
0:21:45 > 0:21:49my soprano sax, and I just kept at this,
0:21:49 > 0:21:55and gradually built that up and got some of the sensation back
0:21:55 > 0:22:00in my hands a bit, and basically then started picking up the viola.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Within a year she was back at college,
0:22:04 > 0:22:08but even this threw up new barriers to overcome.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11It's quite hard going back to Trinity Laban
0:22:11 > 0:22:14being in a wheelchair, cos obviously I had issues with
0:22:14 > 0:22:18access at first and it was very frustrating.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23But it felt like that's where God had wanted me to be
0:22:23 > 0:22:29and I was just determined to stick at that
0:22:29 > 0:22:33and work my way through whatever else came up.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39I'm going to be playing Amazing Grace.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42It always seems that there's certain songs that have really stuck
0:22:42 > 0:22:48out to me or really kind of really reached out to me at times
0:22:48 > 0:22:49when I've just felt like giving up,
0:22:49 > 0:22:55and that is one of the songs that has really, really helped.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45'Oh, Lord, through music we express our faith in you.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49'With song in our hearts, we find strength and confidence.'
0:25:53 > 0:25:56'Music's power heals, transforms and unites us.'
0:26:00 > 0:26:04'And for this wondrous gift, we thank you. Amen.'
0:29:17 > 0:29:19The gift of music is a wonderful thing,
0:29:19 > 0:29:21for the performer as well as the audience.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24But when that music or song comes from the soul,
0:29:24 > 0:29:27then it becomes more than just a tune.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30Then it becomes a musical prayer.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23Next week, ahead of St David's Day, Aled visits the saint's
0:33:23 > 0:33:25birthplace on the Pembrokeshire coast,
0:33:25 > 0:33:28and takes a look around the fascinating cathedral in St Davids.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32The hymn singing, as it's from the Land of Song, is heavenly,
0:33:32 > 0:33:35and there's music from special guest, Rhys Meirion.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd