CHRIS STARTUPBAHons
Musician, Choir and Singing and Harmonica Lung Health Leader
A little bit about me…
My name is Chris Startup.
I originally come from Sidcup in Kent but have now made Northampton my home.
I am a multi-instrumentalist and composer.
I studied at the University of Northampton in 2000,
combining Music and Drama as a Degree (B.A. Hons).
After graduating I began teaching in the Theatre and became a Musical Director.
I have now been teaching music privately and to many groups for 21 years, running choirs as well as vocal and instrumental sessions. I teach instruments ranging from acoustic guitar, bass guitar, piano, bouzouki, harmonica, banjo and singing, to name but a few.
I have played live across many stages throughout the UK and Europe with multiple bands, initially with Rachel Warwick and New Jack Union and Tarantism.
I am now fronting the super FolkBeat outfit King’s Gambit, which I founded in 2010.
We are a seven-piece folk-dance band based in Northampton,
playing festivals, pubs, clubs and other venues across the UK.
We are very excited to have just released our fifth album, Around We Go Again,
for which I composed the music and lyrics.
I have performed in numerous festivals including
Bearded Theory, Camp Bestival, Off The Tracks Festival, Cognac Blues Festival,
Banbury Folk Festival, Glastonbury Festival, and Mano Festival in Germany, Small World Festival, Eco Festival (Tavistock), Sidmouth Fringe Festival, Cropredy Fringe, Green Gathering.
My Lung Health Journey
I completed my Singing Lung Health Practitioner training with The British Lung Foundation in 2017 and began running several weekly singing groups for people living with conditions such as COPD, Bronchiectasis, Asthma and Emphysema.
Initially focusing on Singing, my sessions were designed to improve breathing and to maintain healthy cognitive skills through the medium of songs and music.
They also helped participants to find the voice they did not know they had
in an entertaining and relaxed environment!
At the end of 2017 I started a Harmonica for lung health group, Harmonica 4 Breathing.
Using my existing knowledge and skills, I developed sessions that incorporate similar breathing principles buy applying them to Harmonica playing. The response from the participants was overwhelmingly positive with people joining us online from all over the UK.
In 2021 our Harmonica group was chosen by Dr Adam Lewis, Lecturer in Physiotherapy at Brunel University, London to participate in an exciting breakthrough study on the effects of harmonica playing on the health and wellbeing of people living with lung conditions. The initial study is about to be published and we are hoping to be involved in further research in the coming years.
Last December in 2021, I was approached by Asthma and Lung UK to deliver a 6-week course of Harmonica for Lung Health sessions to an international audience – The International Breathe Easy Group, reaching people from Holland to Canada.
Its now 2024., As well as working with Asthma and Lung Uk every Thursday morning , I am now working in collaboration with Northamptonshire Carers at Breathing Space in Northampton.
I am running sessions throughout the week, covering the areas of Moulton, Wellingborough and Daventry and Raunds.
We work on singing and harmonica throughout these sessions and they are held at various venues throughout Northampton.
I am also working in my second year with The Aphasia Cafe in Woburn Sands, giving harmonica sessions and working with two speech therapists Steve Naylor and Lisa Barnett.
I am looking forward to continuing to develop my method by creating a variety of challenging and stimulating exercises, both in Singing and in Harmonica playing, that support positive lung health and help improve the well-being of people living with respiratory conditions.
I am excited to learn more about the impact of Singing and Harmonica playing on people’s mental health and cognitive clarity by connecting with a wide range of participants all over the UK and beyond. I am confident that the use of online teaching will help me to reach out and help more people.
Check out King’s Gambit on www.kingsgambitband.com
It WILL change your LIFE!
Chris Startup