The One Big Voice Studio Choir Program offers selected gifted and passionate young singers the unique opportunity to develop in the recording environment. Alongside others of similar ability, theirs are the voices featured on the many recordings produced every year by One Big Voice, used daily by up to 175 schools throughout WA as well as choirs in other parts of the world.
The hidden world of recording is understood by few but it provides a unique opportunity for rapid advancement. This is due to the process of critical listening and adjustment involved in creating great vocal takes, all done with the guidance of the very best vocal instructors available. A sense of mission and purpose comes from facilitating singing for thousands of school kids and contributes motivation and satisfaction to everything the Studio Choir does.
Most of all, its fun!
Neurodiversity
Giftedness, with its unique intellectual strengths and potential challenges, is increasingly recognised as a form of neurodiversity. As a gifted and talented program the OBVSCP welcomes, embraces and celebrates the participation of neurodivergent children whether diagnosed or not.
Program Outline
- The OBV Studio Choir is a highly selective sub-choir that records the vocals for the songs used by over 8,000 school children every week as part of One Big Voice. It also performs live at key events including the OBV RAC Arena shows and Telethon and has been engaged for large sporting and civic events such as the City of Wanneroo Australia Day Citizenship ceremony, the NBL1 Grand Finals and the City of Perth Nativity event. The choir also provides national anthem singers for many sporting events including Perth Lynx and Perry Lakes Hawks.
- The Studio Choir Program has ethics of excellence, service to others and fun. Its fundamental purpose is to further One Big Voice’s vision … To Have As Many Young People As Possible Singing Positive, Uplifting, Life Affirming Songs.
- The core is is Lift, a 2 year program for students in years 6 to 8. From year 9 onwards choristers progress to a variety of advanced and engaging activites as part of UpLift
- See full program structure below…
- The program commences in July each year and runs for 12 months. Each session is 90 minutes long (60 mins for Dreamers/Step Up.) In between, choristers receive review materials from the previous session as well as preparation materials for the upcoming week via their private members area Practice & Chat. Yes, there is homework (the fun type.)
- Choristers receive expert teaching in the fundamentals of singing as part of these sessions.
- In 2025-26, 8x SCP sessions will be held on the last Sunday of every month (except holidays) at Perth Modern School apart from two further sessions held at Perth’s top recording studio Crank Studios.
- The live performance choir performs appears at selected large public events and rehearsals are scheduled as required.
- The program also includes a range of free elective offerings. These include small ensemble recording sessions as well as song workshop sessions in which choristers participate in the development of original songs and arrangements for the OBV repertoire. Live performance engagements may occur at any time.
- The 2025 Studio Choir Program intake will be limited to around 12-15 members with the cost being $700 per year plus a one time cost for headphones ($35) and polo shirt ($40) for new members. The live performance choir consists of around 30 choristers ranging from year 6 to year 11. Incoming SCP members must attain a certain technical competency before being added to the live performance choir.
- Each choir member participates in at least one individual recording session with a professional producer/engineer.
- As part of their immersion, choristers experience a large professional recording studio at Crank Recording in Northbridge. Solo and small ensemble sessions are conducted at Hibiscus Recording Studio in Girrawheen and at the Music Room Studio in Cockburn.
- Live performances have become a key part of the SCP. Studio Choir live performances have included both matinee and evening OBV shows at RAC Arena, Telethon, Perth Wildcats, Wanneroo Festival Drone Show and WA’s largest citizenship ceremony, the City Of Wanneroo Australia Day Citizenship event. For Christmas 2025 the choir performed at the City of Perth Forrest Place Nativity Event for the 3rd consecutive year.
Parents are welcome at all activities and are encouraged to be proactive in participating as parent helpers for sessions and live performances.
I can not speak highly enough of the program and the amazing experience it was for the kids. Any child who is passionate about singing would absolutely love it! And as a parent, it was so awesome to be able to sit in the Crank Studio session. We absolutely love the songs and are very proud that Ebony was part of recording them.
Katie Ridgway – Parent
Selection Info
Selection is via invitation, audition and interview. Please go to our SELECTION INFORMATION page for full details.
Step Up! Program
Our Step Up! program provides a pathway to full Studio Choir Membership for Year 5s and 6s. For details please go to our Step Up! page
Dreamers
Our Dreamers Program is designed to encourage and inspire outstanding Year 4s.
Would you like a conversation? Please contact Brendan O’Brien at brendan@onebigvoice.com.au or phone on 0418 634341.
FAQs
OneBigVoice has grown to the point where it produces the recordings that are used by over 7500 children every school week. OBV versions are also increasingly used interstate and overseas. (The Scottish Glee Challenge of 5500 children used an OBV version as their feature song in 2019.) In the past, OBV had adults singing on their material but recognised the opportunity to give our own gifted kids that valuable experience while at the same time, making the recordings more authentic, relatable and more useful for teachers everywhere. In doing this, OBV aims to challenge and improve all Studio Choir Program singers because we believe this advances them, inspires others and helps build a culture of singing within our community.
Currently entry into the SCP is only available to year 6 and year 7 students from schools who have participated in One Big Voice (Year 5 entry may be considered in exceptional cases). It is expected that most applicants will enter the SCP via our Emerging Talents Program (ETP) . The SCP is a 2 year course. Choristers may continue on as part of the senior live performance choir, regardless of what school they subsequently attend hence the majority of the choir are now in high school.
The SCP is a 2 year course with re-enrolment occurring every year. Commencing in July the program runs for a full 12 months. The core program consists of 10x 90 minute recording sessions at which choristers receive expert tuition in the fundamentals of singing. Additional activities are offered such as small-group ensemble recording sessions when smaller subsets of the choir gather to record. Live performances can occur at any time including holidays e.g. Australia Day. The Studio Choir is announced every year on the last day of Term 2. See the SELECTION page for key dates.
In 2025 the cost will be $700 for the year plus a one-time cost of $35 headphones and $40 for a shirt for new members. The cost of live appearance rehearsals is largely offset by income received from performance fees.
8x SCP sessions will be held on the last Sunday of every month (except holidays) at Shenton Park Community Centre with the other two sessions being conducted at Crank Studios. Sessions go for 90 minutes. Prior to the session, students receive demo mixes of the parts they’ll be recording. Choir members are expected to do this preparation. The full schedule can be found in the SCP Calendar.
One session per semester will be held at Crank Recording in Northbridge, the most prestigious studio in Perth. The other sessions are held at Shenton Park Community Centre which has a beautiful sounding choral hall and excellent facilities. Solo and small group sessions are held at Hibiscus Studio in Girrawheen and also at Cockburn Music Room studio at Cockburn Youth Centre.
OBV’s music producer Brendan O’Brien is the director of the program. The SCP is a high-performance program and invests in the very best instruction with vocal specialists such as WAAPA(Hons) grad Keely O’Brien, respected music specialist Jenny Gaunt and WAAPA grads Leah McFetridge & Amy Elhers. OBV Creative Director Donna-Marwick O’Brien and other OBV team members such as Kiki McCormack and Margaret Glossop consult to the program. All personnel hold current WWC accreditation. The program calls on parents to participate proactively in a similar manner to that used with junior sporting teams. Parents are welcome at all activities.
The solo sessions are one of the most popular features of the program. You will be working one on one in the studio with a producer exploring what it is that makes you unique. It is relaxed and fun. A parent is expected to be present as well. Each student is guaranteed a minimum of one solo session, although commonly extra sessions are offered. Each student receives a produced mix of their solo sessions.
Yes! The LIVE Studio Choir appears at the massive OBV concert at RAC Arena concert and other major events. In 2021 for instance, members of the OBV20 SCP performed at RAC Arena for the Perth Wildcats Indigenous Round game and on TV as part of Telethon 2021. 2022 saw an increased engagement with appearances at the Wanneroo Festival drone show and Australia Day Citizenship event. In ’23 and ’24 the choir performed several songs as part of the City Of Perth Nativity Shows in Forrest Place, appeared again on TV on Telethon and the City of Wanneroo Citizenship event, the largest in WA. The choir performed live for well over 30,000 people in 2024-’25.
The OBVSCP is an independent not-for-profit and ACNC registered charity dedicated to supporting the mission of One Big Voice.