MP: Could you tell us about your background and early musical experiences?
BR: I grew up in a household where domestic violence was the unsettling norm. As a child, the traumatic violence I witnessed birthed within me a need for isolation, silence and many songs. I remember humming on one note each time the shouting began in a bid to comfort myself and shut the noise out.
In primary school I loved acting, and was often the lead role or soloist in school plays. At some point the headmaster called my parents into school, asking them to consider sending me to Italia Conti, the drama school. There was, I believe, the possibility of a scholarship. However, with six children, my dad being a self-employed plumber and my mum working at the Post Office, there was no way for either of them to take me to the school, which was a great distance from our home on the Aylesbury estate.
I had an amazing music teacher, Penny Davies, from the age of four right through to the end of secondary school (and I last reached out to her last year!). She was an amazing influence.
Singing was my healing tool. I composed songs from an early age and studied GCSE Music. I had drum-kit, guitar and piano lessons. Not enjoying the repertoire, however, meant that my concentration wavered, and I didn't practise as hard as required. I studied trumpet up to Grade 5 and then discovered steel pans.
I loved learning by ear. I played the Ping Pong/Melody pan with the London Schools' Steel Orchestra. Our gifted flamboyant tutor, Gerry Forsythe, taught us scales, harmony, jazz, gospel, calypso and classical pieces on the pan. It was amazing! We performed in venues including the Royal Festival Hall and Royal Albert Hall, and then we toured Europe. After I left school, I continued to play in adult orchestras.
In secondary school, I auditioned for a scholarship to attend Pimlico Music School on Saturdays, studying piano and trumpet. Many years later, I would run Expressive Voice workshops in the same school for young musicians.
I went on to study at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, attending a couple of summer schools before enrolling on the jazz course; but I left after the first term. The environment felt hostile, sadly, affecting my joy of music-making and wellbeing. But again, years later, I would return to Expressive Voice workshops at the Guildhall.
I studied singing with a number of inspiring practitioners, including jazz singer Carol Grimes. I also had classical and gospel lessons along the way, and have an insatiable desire to keep learning vocal techniques.
When I left school, aged 17, I wanted to be an actress, an air hostess or a social worker. I auditioned for a role in the play The Trial of Dedan Kimathi, which was being led by writer Ngugi Wa Thiong'o at the Africa Centre in Covent Garden. I was given a solo, went on tour around England for six months, and was offered a job teaching voice at the Oval House Theatre, by Eugene Skeef. I worked there for three years, honing my teaching skills and opening doors to meet teachers at various educational establishments. Later, this led to my work in prisons, and invitations to work internationally in all areas of the community.
MP: How did the Voice Expressions music school come about?
BR: Many of my gifts and skills are woven with the pain of trauma: family, societal or systemic traumas, experienced in schools, universities or the workplace. Amid those threads there exists a deep resilience that has carried me in all levels of society.
Voice Expressions was birthed because I was tired of the nonsense I had to grapple with as a black educator. It is a testament to the resilience, creativity and inclusivity that rise from a spring within me as a result of my dramatic beginnings.
The organisation has safety at its root. I have a world view that is weary of the status quo. My music school is a sanctuary where those who have been harmed can learn how to find themselves and rise again. They can leave some of their pain behind or carry it with them, placing it on a shelf where the past harm no longer affects them.
For too long, the music industry has been plagued by systemic inequalities, leaving marginalised voices unheard. Within the walls of my pioneering academy, a new narrative unfolds – one of authenticity, healing, empowerment and liberation. I refuse to accept societal norms that stifle progress and perpetuate injustice. Fuelled by a burning desire for change, I embarked on a journey to create a space where every aspiring musician, regardless of age, experience, background or identity, could flourish without fear, prejudice or harm.
A songwriting workshop, led by Brenda, with London Youth Choirs as part of writing a piece for their 10th birthday showcase. Courtesy Alice Beverley/London Youth Choirs
At the core of Voice Expressions' ethos lies a commitment that transcends physical boundaries to encompass emotional wellbeing, spirituality, self-love and cultural affirmation. Here, students aren't just taught scales and chords; they're nurtured, celebrated, and empowered to reclaim their narratives through the universal language of music.
Voice Expressions builds bridges. From local communities and grassroots organisations to the RNIB, the BBC and a high-profile psychiatric hospital, the school fosters connections that extend far beyond the confines of its classrooms. By amplifying underrepresented voices and championing diversity, the idea isn't just about shaping musicians; it's shaping a movement.
In a world where conformity often eclipses creativity, I unapologetically dare to defy the status quo and chart a new course for music education, with safety as its guiding principle. Voice Expressions paves the way for a future where every voice is heard, every story is honoured, and every note is a symphony of solidarity.
MP: Some practitioners might feel anxious about going into more challenging environments, despite the mutual benefits. What advice would you give them?
BR: I believe that we are all born with a calling, a purpose. I was born to experience my trauma which, in turn, birthed my heightened sensitivities to others' suffering.
As a highly sensitive being, I feel societal pain and have a high dosage of empathy and compassion. People who do bad things often need love and kindness. Some of them may have never known love. When a family closes its front doors to the world, there is no telling what is happening to the vulnerable people behind those doors.
I think that those who feel intimidated about going into challenging environments could first think about their ‘why’. I think it is important for us all to connect deeply first with ourselves to understand who we are and what we can bring to this world.
Brenda speaking at Goldsmiths, University of London. Courtesy Belinda Lawley
Humans, like animals, smell fear. I use my spirituality and prayer to step boldly into high-profile spaces because I know who I am and have no doubt that the recipients need what I have to bring to the table: love, transparency, laughter, and fun (mixed with a huge dose of crazy), stirred very carefully with a sprinkling of anything that goes against the harming elements of the status quo.
Do not simply bring music and notes into these institutions; bring an energy of peace, challenge, hope, wisdom and life.
MP: How does your education and community work influence your composing?
BR: My education work is congruent with who I am, how I think, my world view and my experience of the world. Whoever I'm working with, I aim to discover the same things about them: who they are, how they think, their world view and how they experience the world.
My songs often ask questions. To children it might be, ‘What do you see when you look out the window? Butterflies or bombs?’ To adults it might be, ‘Why do people hate?’. My music addresses a range of topics, including marriage, sexual violence, Mother's Day (for those whose mothers are no longer alive), the importance of belonging, and the efforts our society makes to perfect an external image while needing inner healing from brokenness.
I have also written lots of fun songs for schools about animal behaviour, educational tools for mental health and wellbeing, and songs about living life to the fullest.
MP: What is the best piece of advice, musical or otherwise, that has helped you in your career?
BR: Decide what it is you want out of life. Set the goal, embrace the vision, walk towards it and step by step make the necessary changes in thought and action to get there.
- voiceexpressions.co.uk
- Brenda Rattray is an associate lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London, and an external examiner for Kingston University
- Her book The Joy Singing: 20 Inspirational Songs for Schools and Communities is published by Faber Music
