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A Very Warm Welcome!

Everything you need to know about the October 2026 Community Leader Training, in one place.

We send a series of emails that go deep into every aspect of the training before bookings open. This page is here so you can explore in your own time, revisit anything you've read, and feel fully confident before you decide.

 

What is Singing Mamas?

Singing Mamas is a network of community singing groups for mothers and babies, founded in 2010 by Kate Valentine, a registered nurse who recognised the gap between clinical maternal mental health support and accessible community care.

There are now 160+ groups worldwide, run by trained local women embedded in their own communities. Groups are non-judgemental, taught by ear with no sheet music or performances, and focused entirely on the mother's wellbeing.

Not a choir, or therapy, or a parenting class. A circle where women can come exactly as they are.

Are you bringing something new?

Before bookings open, we'd love to hear about you and the community you're hoping to reach. Women who are addressing a gap in the leader network may be offered priority booking ahead of the general release on 17th June.

Tell us about you and your community

Have questions?

Kate and Polly hosted a live Q&A on Monday 1st June at 1pm London time. The link to watch the recording is here and you can find answers to questions that came up at the bottom of this page.

About the leader training

The Community Leader Training prepares women to set up and run Singing Mamas groups in their own communities. It runs over 16 weeks, split into two phases. 

Key Info

  • Training begins: Tuesday 6th October 2026, running until Tuesday 1st December (with a break on Tuesday 27th October)
  • Cohort times (all UK time): 
    • Morning 10am-12pm
    • Afternoon 1-3pm
    • Evening 7.30pm-9.30pm
  • Bookings open: Wednesday 17th June, 12.30pm
  • Cost: £750 full payment, or three monthly instalments of ÂŁ260
  • Bursaries: We're not offering bursary places for the October round. Our Equality, Inclusion, Diversity and Anti-Racism subgroup is building a fair and transparent bursary process, and that work isn't ready yet. Bursary places will return in 2027.

Phase 1 - Learn & Discuss (Weeks 1-8)

Eight weekly live Zoom sessions with Kate and an assistant facilitator, alongside eight self-paced online learning modules covering:

  • The Singing Mamas movement, vision, mission and values
  • Your voice, reflective practice, and oral singing tradition
  • Singing for wellbeing and trauma-informed practice
  • Equality, inclusion, diversity and anti-racism (EIDAR)
  • Song sharing, copyright, and the Singing Mamas formula
  • Inside a Singing Mamas session
  • Building your Singing Mamas community
  • Next steps and completion requirements

You must attend a minimum of 75% of live sessions to complete the training. Recordings are available for sessions you miss. Missing more than two sessions may require a paid catch-up call with Kate or the assistant facilitator.

Phase 2 - Practise and Reflect (Weeks 5-16)

From around week five, alongside the live sessions, you'll begin sharing songs out in the world. This is where the learning becomes real.

Practise: Share five songs on three separate occasions each (15 shares in total). Opportunities can be informal (friends, family) or formal (community groups, development days). You'll also observe songs being shared by experienced leaders. Everything is documented in your Practice Record.

Reflect: Throughout the training you'll keep a reflective journal. Your Final Reflection, submitted as written, audio, or video, draws on that journal and forms part of your completion requirements. You'll receive personalised written feedback within two weeks of submission.

Song Leader Development Days: Included in the price of your training are two tickets to our song leader development days. These days are optional, but a really great opportunity to bring existing leaders and trainees together for a day of shared learning and connection. Many trainees share a song at these days and receive support and feedback from the facilitator. Some of the days are facilitated by Kate and others by two other members of Singing Mamas HQ, Rachel and Polly.

Completing the Training

To be invited to become a licensed Singing Mamas Community Leader, you need to:

  • Complete all eight online modules including end of module reflections
  • Attend or watch back all eight live sessions (75% live minimum)
  • Submit a completed Practise Record
  • Submit your Final Reflection

There is no grading of modules or submissions. What we are looking for is genuine engagement with the learning and honest, considered reflection on your intentions as a leader.

Your licence and what it includes

On successful completion, you'll be invited to purchase a Community Leader licence (ÂŁ10 to ÂŁ20 per month depending on licence type). This gives you:

  • The licence to run groups under the Singing Mamas name and brand
  • Public liability insurance (UK leaders)
  • Access to the Singing Mamas Song Bank
  • Your listing on the Singing Mamas website (and promotion via social media and other communications/PR channels)
  • The full Leader Library of resources
  • Ongoing support and connection through the leader network
  • Opportunities to meet and share with other leaders online and in person

Who is the training for?

Women from all backgrounds. No musical training, performance experience, or singing confidence required.

Some of our leaders are professional musicians. Others had never sung in front of anyone before training. What matters most is your values, your willingness to learn, and your desire to bring Singing Mamas to your community.

The training is designed for women who intend, on successful completion, to become a licensed Singing Mamas Community Leader and open a group. If you're not sure whether that's you, the Q&A on Monday 1st June is a good place to start.

Ready to tell us more?

Fill in the form below. and if you're bringing Singing Mamas to a community that needs it, you may be offered early access to book.

Tell us about you and your community

Want to go deeper or signed up recently?

As our email sequence unfolds, we'll add links here to each email so you can revisit them in your own time (or catch up if you're new!).

This is why we do it... a story from Kate's group, and why this work matters

A mama near you needs this... the gap, the groups, and why more leaders are needed

Someone is searching... is this you? Values and tell us a little about you and your community

The shape of the training... overview, dates, cost, and cohort times

Learn and Discuss... what happens in the first eight weeks

Have questions?

On Monday 1st June, Kate and Polly hosted a live Q&A for everyone on the training waitlist. Here are the questions that came up, with answers.

The link to watch the recording in full is here.

Inside a Singing Mamas Group

Video Poster Image

Singing Mamas are an award-winning movement for perinatal mental wellbeing and our groups reach thousands of women and babies every week.

We have trained women from across the world in our evidence-based approach and we work in partnership with leading academics and researchers in the field.

When you train with Singing Mamas you join a global network of inspirational women who will become your friends and colleagues in this work.

If you haven't been along to a Singing Mamas group before, it would be a wonderful first step in this journey if you could find your local Singing Mamas group and pop along! You'll be able to see for yourself the Singing Mamas approach and values in action and reflect on the experience as we begin our learning together. 

Viv, Anglesey

I felt that the training was a really safe and inclusive space where I could give things a go.

I was so nervous about sharing my first song in the training, but I was so well supported by Kate and the other trainees that I did it and enjoyed it too!

Zoë, Cheltenham

It was recommended by a friend who had completed the training. I said I would never be able to teach adults, then got addicted to Songline during lockdown [our free Zoom song sharing]. I signed up for my training in July 2021 having never sung in a women's circle and that was it!