News Archive

Lee Stupart, Academic Services Manager at UWA Business School, has developed some unexpected skills while working on campus.

A music lover who came to making music late in life, Lee learned to play the piano and violin (through the School of Music). But although she sang in a school choir many years ago and has always enjoyed singing around the house, she has never had the right opportunity as an adult to sing in a group.

Lee first got the idea of setting up a community choir for staff here at UWA a few years ago. Now, through a partnership between the Staff Wellbeing Program and the School of Music, it’s becoming a reality.

A new UWA Staff Community Choir will commence in late August and will offer a 45-minute session each week on Monday lunchtimes for 12 weeks. The group will learn a varied repertoire of songs, with a primary focus on having fun and learning a new skill.

“I’m so pleased to see this coming to life,” said Lee. “Singing always makes me feel good and I figured that, with over 3,000 staff, there must be others like me at UWA who are interested in singing but nervous about taking that next step to make it happen. Given our talented colleagues in Music, I thought an on-campus community choir was a natural offering to extend to our staff.”

There is evidence to support the mental and physical health benefits of group singing, including increased levels of social connectedness, increased sense of belonging, and reduced personal stress.

Choir leader Michael Battersby is a talented pianist, vocalist, songwriter, producer, and music performance coach – and also a UWA student. Michael has been performing for over 28 years and has shared the stage with the likes of Tina Arena, Don Maclean and James Morrison. He has facilitated numerous community choirs for different organisations including the City of Perth, and is excited to bring his passion to the staff of UWA.

Michael’s experience is that people get more out of joining a singing group than they expect.

“They come for a bit of fun, but end up making some amazing sounds, gaining confidence, making new friends, and feeling a strong sense of community.”

No experience or audition is necessary to join the group. A taster session will be held at lunchtime on Monday August 24, and all staff are invited to come along and see what it’s all about. Find out more at the School of Music website .