Hi! I’m Assamiya (pronounced A-sa-mee-a, she/her) and I’m the Creatress and Song Leader of Heart Song Collective. I'm a long-term Brockley resident, professional singer and singing teacher, transformational life coach, and companion to a divine feline called Gizmo. I am thrilled to be offering weekly Song Medicine gatherings and one-to-one coaching in my local community, and can't wait to meet you!
Hopefully, this 'ere website has all the info you need to help you say YES to joining us soon, but if there is anything you want to check out with me directly, then please pop me an email.
MY background
I've always been a bit of a science/music chimera, with a good dollop of hippy thrown in for good measure. Until 2020, I had a broad portfolio career, freelancing as a classical singer, locuming as a diagnostic healthcare scientist, and teaching and coaching choirs and individuals (while the hippy part of me has mostly lurked in the wings).
Working as a professional musician (under the name Zoe Bonner) has been a dream come true, and I've been fortunate to perform in concerts, operas, numerous church services, and recordings in some of the UK and Europe's most iconic venues.
More recently
Regular opportunities to sing with others are something I've been very privileged to have access to my whole life, although often with an emphasis on the ability to read music skilfully and produce a controlled, pure and "beautiful" sound (don't get me started on the fasion for women's voices that sound like small boys in the church music world!).
I was instantly enchanted and wanted to share the gift of this kind of group singing with the folks back home. Emerging out of the Pandemic, I saw an opportunity to create the thing I wanted to see in the World, while stepping into my creative power and leadership skills.
Heart Song Collective was born.
As well is running this CIC, I also offer private 1-2-1 Holistic Singing Lessons in Brockley (SE4) for those who wish to gain confidence, breath-control, power and range as a singer.
Well, that's just dandy for those of us with a formal music education and a particularly shiny larynx isn't it, but what about everyone else?! Having attended some incredible singing workshops at summer festivals, I discovered the Natural Voice Network's choir leaders, philosophy, fantastic songs and a whole new way of singing in groups: embodied, heart-led, inclusive and utterly magical!
