Wendy Sheffield

I am currently the song-leader for the Community Choir “Assorted Biscuits” catering to people living in the Kaipara area, north of Tāmaki-makau-rau, Auckland. People come from the area between west and east coasts, with age ranges between 30-90yr olds.

I originally sang in a Community Choir until Covid created gaps that needed to be filled. My motivation for singing has changed since becoming a song-leader, my involvement is so much more about creating a space for people to sing songs in a relaxed friendly environment that make them feel good. I am not a “gifted” musician, so the support I have got from “Lead In” is invaluable.

I attended my first “Lead In” over Matariki 2024 and what an event it was. The support and camaraderie developed, especially between song leaders, at the event, is not to be found anywhere else. There is an extensive diverse area on the SLNA website, which members have access to. There was a wonderful variety of teachings/songs using different approaches, all of which was generously given.

SLNA is a unique organisation because it primarily supports song leaders. It gives us a place to go to feed our souls, re-charge our batteries and take back the vast amount of collective knowledge to our choirs. Otherwise this knowledge will be lost over time.