Ep 13: Football, choirs and Bantam of the Opera with James Sills

This week we invite James Sills into the assembly hall for a great conversation. We chat about the links between football and singing which have combined in his awesome new project called Bantam of the Opera for BBC Sounds. This is a project bringing together Bradford City fans for the year of the city of culture in Bradford. James, Lesley Garett and Chris Kamara are linking up to get the football fans singing! James talks also about the work he did online with Sofa singers plus his journey into leading choirs.Before we get to the chat, I have a forgotten school assembly classic as this week’s singalong. It is called I watch the sunrise. Let me know if you know this one or if you have any requests for future singalongs.  If you have enjoyed the episode please feel free to leave a comment or review. Timestamps below if you want to skip to any bit in particular. All questions and/or requests can be sent to [email protected]:0:00: Intro and catch up02:51: ‘I watch the sunrise’ singalong05:40: James Sills interview10:10: Bradford as city of culture and intro to Bantam of the Opera13:55: James’s journey into leading choirs18:35: Links with football23:30: Singing as a safe space and corporates28:40: James’s book ‘Do Sing’29:55: Sofa singers and virtual choirs34:13: Recognition for work in music37:55: Bantam of the Opera45:23: Singing as therapy and music in schools50:10: Power of communal singing52:10: James’s favourite school assembly song55:15: Conclusion to interview58:24: Round-up and goodbyesSend a text~~~ I am on tour all year, across the UK and you can book your tickets at: https://jamesbpartridge.com/ ~~~ Follow me on socials at: Instagram: http://instagram.com/jamesbpartridge Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamesBPartridgeOfficial/ TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@jamesbpartridge YouTube: http://youtube.com/jamesbpartridge Send me a message: [email protected] ~~~ Find the podcast on all streaming services and leave a review if you've enjoyed it! Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Ta8ch0BjnuV6GDgGv7BN2?si=5270e69bbb9a431e Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/notes-from-school/id1790674992 Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/054bf11f-a134-42c7-9114-f1398cc3fbe8/notes-from-school