The Royal Military School of Music was alive with the sound of a different kind of music this week, when Gareth Malone led the Military Wives Choirs Foundation’s inaugural Musical Directors (MDs) Workshop.

The MDs, who work closely with the Military Wives Choirs, were given the opportunity to meet choir expert Mr Malone , from TV series The Choir, to discuss the successes of the past year and learn new skills, vocal exercises and choral pieces.

Mr Malone, the first patron of the Military Wives Choirs Foundation, said on May 9: “It was great to meet so many of the MDs today. Their energy and enthusiasm was infectious.

“To date, we have more than 60 choirs across the British Forces World and the fact that we had at least one representative from nearly all of the choirs shows just how important the foundation has become to the serving community.”

The Military Wives Choirs Foundation was launched in September 2012 as a subsidiary of the military charity, SSAFA, with the aim of reaching across the whole of the military community to bring women closer together through singing.

Caroline Jopp, choirs co-ordinator and co- founder of the Military Wives Choirs Foundation, said: “The Musical Directors are the unsung heroes of the Foundation who quietly and consistently support our choirs from the wings and this is a chance for us to recognise their invaluable contribution to the Military Wives Choirs Foundation and to look forward to an exciting year ahead.”

The Royal Military School of Music is based at Kneller Hall in Twickenham.