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Young Voices – A Parents Guide

Young Voices Concert. Friday night Charlie along with approximately 8500 other children sang at the o2. He was part of the Young Voices Choir which is made up of various schools across the south of England. To say he was excited about the event Young Voices at the o2 arena was an understatement. And he’s still buzzing about it now. Harry and I went along to support him and his fellow classmates. The arena was full of doating parents, watching as the children sang their hearts out.

Young Voices – A Parents Guide

I really wasn’t sure what to expect from the event and there were a few things which I wish I had known before we went to Young Voices o2. I hope that this blog post will help you if you are planning on watching your children sing at this once and lifetime experience. Although our Young Voices Choir took to the stage at the o2 Arena. This post will also help if you are visiting other venues across the UK.

What is the Young Voices Choir?

The Young Voices Choir is a non-profit organization aimed at bringing together young people from public school and high schools to sing together in children’s choirs. Giving the young singers the chance through festival registration forms to sign in front of thousands of proud parents. Both at various locations throughout the UK but also overseas in cities such as New York and other states in America.

Educationally this means that music theory can leave the classroom and children can have the opportunity to sing as young professionals. There is also a large focus on young people’s mental health with some proceeds from the event being given to the charity Place2Be which specialises in helping children’s and young people’s mental health. There are plenty of young voices advocates including many of the other musicians that appear in the show. Keep an eye on their social media channels to find out where the next events are happening.

How long does the Young Voices concert last?

Approximately two hours. Doors to the o2 arena opened at five thirty, the Young Voices choir started at 7 o’clock. Unlike other performances we have been to there was no interval. It ran straight through for almost two hours, finishing just before 9 pm. So make sure you buy any food and drink prior to sitting down. Those taking part can take drinks in with them and have them during the concert.

What to expect from the show?

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the Young Voices concert. On the basis that Charlie had been spending hours, trying to learn a whole host of different songs. There are so many different songs that I didn’t see how they would’ve possibly fit into a two-hour performance. So I was genuinely just expecting to see a lot of kids singing.

However, the Little Voices concert was much more than that. There is a compere that guides the audience throughout the concert. Introducing various people during the show such as the band and backing singers. There was also a beatboxing group demonstrating such a unique ability, a dancing troop and a very well-known headliner – Heather Small. Who was the lead singer of the 90s group M People. There was also Anna Phoebe who is a violinist, composer and producer. And absolutely amazing making quite an appearance with her impressive playing and even more impressive lime green platforms.

Throughout the Young Voices concert, there are impressive light shows that light up all the children in bright colours and swirling patterns. Then when the lights go down all you see is this sea of bright LEDs shining back at you.

Where did the children sit at Young Voices?

For some reason, I had it in my head that they would be in the centre of the arena with the parents sitting around the outside. But actually, this isn’t what happened at all. Instead, for Young Voices o2 arena the children are located down one end of the arena. Sitting in the seating that is normally occupied by spectators.

This means that unless you happen to sit in seats in the centre of the arena you can not get very close to your school. If you are sitting in the arena, from what I could tell these tickets started with a double letter such as AA. You are free to move around this area and go to see your child or get as close as possible.

If you do not have tickets in this area then you are not allowed in. Tickets were being checked at the centre floor entrance. As you can imagine there were a lot of disappointed parents at this point. Thankfully everyone had the good manners to do as they were told but I did wonder a couple of times if it was going to go the other way. Since our tickets were right by one of the entrances and so we heard every word.

How can you spot your child at a Young Voices concert?

There’s a good chance you’re going to be quite a way away from the child due to where they’re sitting. Although they do try and sit parents opposite their children. There is still such a distance it doesn’t guarantee that they will see you.

I took a large rainbow scarf with me which I’d shown Charlie prior to going. So when we arrived, I held up and shook it quite a bit. I wasn’t 100% convinced he had seen it but afterwards, he said he spotted it right away. The children themselves are quite easy to spot on the basis that all of the schools will have a school sign up. This was easy for us and I would anticipate that this would be the case for most people.

The only seats that I would suggest may struggle are those on the opposite side to the children right at the back of the arena. Where the distance may be too great. If you have binoculars I would suggest you bring them. We sat in block 102, and I managed to pick Charlie out and several of his friends using just zooming in on my phone camera.

How to get to Young Voices

We were notified by our school that they were putting on a parent’s coach. This transported everyone from school to the arena and back again. Designed specifically so that it would leave the o2 arena ahead of the children. So assuming it didn’t break down it would mean that we would arrive back at the school before they did.

However, Harry and I actually caught the train up to Young Voices at the o2 arena. We had intended to drive, but our plans changed. If your child is also singing at the o2 then getting to the arena from London Bridge station is really straightforward. It’s only four stops on the underground. You take the Jubilee Line from London Bridge to North Greenwich.

If you intend to drive I would book parking in advance. Bookable parking often sells out when there are special events on and young voices will be no different. Carpark one is normally allocated for events. However, if you are too late and it’s sold out then there is also additional parking in car parks two, three and four. Although these are ideally used for those visiting the shopping outlet Ikon and the restaurants within the o2. And would probably work out more expensive than the bookable carpark.

How much does it cost?

Young voices o2 tickets cost £25 per person and there is no concession for children. On top of this there is an option to buy a branded t-shirt for your child who is singing in the Young Voices choir. Although we did I noticed a lot of children who just had their white t-shirts on. However when all the schoolmates are buying t-shirts and it is very difficult not to do so. The white t-shirt costs £20 as I get a little light with this that is used throughout the concert.

Top tips for visiting Young Voices

Here are my top tops and things we learnt from watching Charlie sing at the o2.

Younger siblings

I did take Harry at the age of six. He’s probably a little bit young to really fully appreciate the show. I would recommend trying to get a babysitter if that is possible. Although he was quite good, I did take his iPad and headphones so that he could watch a film. Which then makes you question whether it’s worth £25. I think if he could see his brother easier he would’ve been more engaged in the evening. Although he did enjoy the beatbox and crowd participation.

Merchandise

If you are taking a younger sibling, they may want a little LED light of their own. At the o2 arena, the only place we could get one was at the entrance in the merchandise shop. There were no merchandise outlets in the o2 itself. Although we did find some people walking around selling Young Voices programs which cost £5 each.

Food and drink

Food and drink of any sort are expensive within the arena. You’re not allowed to bring your own drink into the o2 and they make you empty your own water bottles. However, you can take an empty bottle and fill up with drinking water from the fountains located close to the toilets.

If you can then I would recommend trying to eat prior to getting into the arena as they only have fast food available. There are plenty of restaurants available at the o2 although I recommend booking in advance as they can be very busy when there are events on.

Take something to stand out

As I mentioned I used a big rainbow scarf to try and get Charlie’s attention at the Young Voices o2 arena. But we also saw parents with coloured laminated sheets to match the school. Some people had light toys and others had bought some homemade signs. Although I had been given on strict instructions that a sign was not cool for school.

Arrive early

If you can arrive early, it’s worth doing on the basis that being one of the first into the arena it gives your child more of a chance of spotting you. If you’re getting transport laid on by the school then this may not be possible. Once we received our tickets I showed Charlie the block we were sitting in online, this wouldn’t show him exactly where we were sitting but it gave him a rough idea. However, he did say he spotted us as we were one of the first in.

Video

You can buy a video of the Young Voices concert which can be done online. The compere mentions it several times throughout the show. As you, if you buy it on the night you will get a discount. Also then the kids know about it and can ask you to purchase it for them…

Logistics

We did not realise until a couple of weeks before the Young Voices concert that it would not be possible to pick your child up from the Young Voices o2 arena. The school who had been communicating about the concert since October neglected to mention this until an email two and half weeks before the concert. This caused us all sorts of logistical problems as we planned to spend the weekend in London visiting Greenwich, the Sky Garden and the Shard. Needless to say, it caused us all manner of issues so I am popping it here so you do not have to suffer the same fate.

Practice

Although Charlie had a couple of practice sessions in the weeks running up to the Young Voices choir. I did notice that he got quite concerned towards the end and was a bit restless in at nighttime. As he felt he did not know all the songs. From one parent to another I would get ahead of this to avoid any undue stress. I don’t think his teacher helped matters by telling them all they must know every word. The children are given access to an app which also has the music on as well as the songs. So this could be a much easier way for children to learn than just from a song sheet.

Food for the singers

You will need to pack two meals and snacks for your little singer. The bag needs to be able to fit underneath a seat. We managed to squeeze everything into Charlie’s large smiggle lunchbox. But it did take some thought around what to give him so he didn’t just end up with the normal stuff at both meals!

Overall it was very special watching Charlie and his friends singing at the o2. Especially when Heather Small sung Proud. It is most definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience (thankfully). Have your children sung as part of the Young Voices Choir? I would love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.