The early months of motherhood can be a daunting time, with many new mums feeling isolated and lonely, as well as sleep deprived and totally exhausted.
One local group, Singing Mamas, aims to combat symptoms of postnatal depression by bringing new mums together to sing as a group and to enjoy a host of mental health and social bonding benefits associated with group singing.
Founded in East Sussex in 2010, Singing Mamas now operates in 12 different countries, with over one hundred groups existing globally.
Emily Connor is the leader of Walton on Thames’ Singing Mamas sessions. With a choral background and a love for collective musical practice, Emily was eager to share the experience of singing with other women in the local community.
After discovering Singing Mamas online, she trained as a group leader and began running sessions in September 2023. Her group meets on Fridays between 10-11.30am at St Andrew’s URC Church in Walton on Thames.
The average group size is roughly eight people, plus babies and toddlers, and term dates mostly align with those of schools.
Sessions are open to both women and their children, but children are not a requirement for attending: “I have plenty of women attending my sessions whose children are at school or nursery, so they come on their own,” says Emily. “I even had a great-grandmother come once, which was really lovely. My vision for the group is for it to be truly intergenerational, because that’s really when the magic happens.”
Inclusivity is central to the Singing Mamas ethos: “Everybody is welcome. It doesn’t matter how you sound, all that matters is how it makes you feel. There’s no judgement or pressure, it’s just a welcoming space where you can completely be yourself and not worry about what anyone else thinks.”
The group sings music from a variety of genres, including folk pieces, lullabies, pop songs and non-English language songs.
Emily offers free taster sessions for anyone hoping to trial a Singing Mamas class in Walton. Sessions must be booked online in advance; further information about pricing and term dates can be found through the booking link: www.bookwhen.com/singingmamaswalton.
Additional local groups meet in Surbiton, Haslemere, Wandsworth and Morden.
