Sborůvky – a handful of singing

 

Sborůvky

(The name is an amalgamation of the Czech word sbor – choir and borůvky – bilberry.)

A handful of singing

A choir for kids that want to sing for joy

Hlasohled has been running the children’s choir, led by musician Tereza Staňková, since September 2018. It is a choir open to all children who want to sing songs and play music. Tereza gives a detailed description below.

What happens in Sborůvky?

Anyone can sing

Sborůvky is open to all children who want to sing. I think it is important for children to sing, even if their voices aren’t perfect at the start. My experience from the choir in the art school is that they always get into singing, especially if they like the songs. That’s why we don’t have entrance exams. It is not even necessary to know music theory - we get to know it naturally and learn it through practice.
I know from experience, that the choir I conduct is a big hit with boys; more or less half of the choir at the art school comprises of boys.

We sing what we like

We sing folk songs from various countries, but also covers of pop songs, spirituals and canons. We want to sing the songs that we find fun. The children tend to get captivated with the more temperamental songs. I like to include Romani and Jewish songs which, despite the language barrier, are the most popular with the children. I tailor the songs for the children according to their abilities and capabilities - both in the range and the extent to which other voices are added or instruments that the children play (if they want to get involved). It is wonderful to see how the kids gradually bring in other ideas as they start to take a completely different approach to songs and music.

We play with music and we’re not afraid to be creative

We improvise the choral warm-ups and sometimes even the song lyrics. When someone wants to join in with an instrument, we think up an interlude or a prelude depending on their proficiency. Or maybe we form an accompanying band with the help of the parents!

Parents are more than welcome

We are glad if some of the parents want to get a little more involved. In addition to welcoming any help during concerts and other organizational matters, I would like to have parents join in every now and then as a support band, if there are some musicians who would be interested.

We sing for joy

We want to get immersed in (and occasionally share) the joy of music. So we don’t plan to take part in singing competitions or lots of concerts. Twice a year we have a concert and a workshop on a Sunday afternoon beforehand. We also have two open days planned.

Who am I and what experience do I have?

My name is Tereza Staňková. I graduated in Music and Composition at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory. I conduct a female choir called Carillon, a children’s choir at the Elementary Art School in Břevnov and, recently, a choir for adults with no singing experience. I teach singing and composition. I sing in the band Thea & Coming Out and in the acapella ensemble Skandál. I mostly compose for choirs.

 

Rehearsal times and location

Sborůvky has two groups divided up by age and experience. The first group is for smaller children, the second group meets later and is for older children - or they can attend both. If you have an older child who finds 50 minutes of singing is not enough, they can go to both groups. The group for the smaller children learns the basics of singing and new songs, for the older children it is a bit faster and they get into singing more.

• Smaller Sborůvky: 6–9 years; Monday 15.30–16.20
• Bigger Sborůvky: 9–13 years; Monday 16.30–17.20
• Rehearsal room: ZŠ Letohradská, Letohradská 1, Praha 7

Course fee

The course fee is paid as a half-year deposit. It is due on September 30/January 31 or 14 days after the child joins the choir. Upon arrangement with the lecturer, you can come to see what we do at Sborůvka at any time, which is free of charge.

• One group – CZK 2400 per half-year
• Both groups – CZK 3500 per half-year

Contact

• APPLICATION
• If you have any questions about the choir, then please contact Tereza Staňková directly at thea.stankova@gmail.com.

Hlasohled’s activities are supported by Prague City Hall and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.