Sutton Music Trust aims to help every young person to make, be inspired by, and celebrate the music they love. We champion all forms of music-making and ensure that all young people – no matter what barriers they may face – can access and perform the music that matters to them. It is of this mission that the Sutton Autistic Youth Choir (SAYC) was formed.
Originally a collaboration between Sutton Music Trust and the Cognus Autism Team, SAYC performed for the first time to an audience of friends and family on Tuesday 2nd July. This gave the choir the experience of performing to a live audience – for many of the young people, this was the first time they had performed.
The idea of SAYC is to create a choir adapted to meet the needs of Autistic singers aged 8-13 years and create a comfortable environment for them to enjoy singing as a group. Currently, SAYC has 6 members but is now opening to new members after a highly successful two terms and a concert!
I like that all autistic people can be involved. There is a special fundamental need for an Autistic Youth Choir. I like that the sessions are not too overstimulating or tiring for me.
The sessions are definitely ‘autistic friendly’.
SAYC removes barriers that have previously stopped autistic children from accessing group music-making. The fact that these children have performed their first concert together in the Summer term is a testament to their hard work and enthusiasm.
