Fairfield Farm College

Thanks to the Fairfield Farm College folks for hosting an AllStars extra session last Thursday. It looks very calm in the photos but there were 35 young people coming and going over the course of the evening, where we investigated an eclectic mix of mind-expanding looped vocals, funky jam sessions, and a musical chill out.

Starting the session at Fairfield

You can see more pictures on the College website here.

Stay Up Late

Just wanted to give a shout out to the Stay Up Late folk....

Stay Up Late is a charity started by members of the punk band, 'Heavy Load'. Frustrated at seeing people with learning disabilities leaving gigs at 9pm due to their support staff working inflexible shift patterns they decided to do something about it. Stay Up Late exists to promote full and active social lives for people with learning disabilities.
Stay Up Late is about having choice and freedom in your life to do what you want to do.
Fight for the right to party!
www.stayuplate.org
There's a facebook page too

We were thinking about Stay Up Late because it's such an important thing that people can have a life after tea time.

One young musician in our group is able to come along to the Heart Beats group because someone who works with him (well, actually his piano tutor) was inspired by the Stay Up Late campaign to just - get him in the car - and come and play some music. Simple, but powerful.

And we'd like to give a shout out to all the other drivers, parents, support staff, bus drivers and folk who go out of their way to bring people to our sessions. It's a rural area, and some journeys are long - that's why we'll always do our best to welcome everyone and make sure the kettle's on.

Funky Fairfield

They don't know it yet, but the students of Fairfield Farm College who come to our Heart Beats music session tonight are in for a bit of funk ... and they get to try out some brand new AllStars instruments that have just come out of the box....

This isn't our first visit to Fairfield, and we expect to be welcomed and make some great music.
We'll be back in the spring, because the college have invited us to run a music day for their arts week.

 

It's great for our team to get out and about and run some outreach sessions like this. Of course it's a challenge too, meeting new people and getting something good to happen in just two hours, but we have a whole host of ideas up our sleeves, and lots of different ways to include people.

AllStars heading West

Tomorrow we are running the first of our regular AllStars West Sessions - we're off to Bridgwater where we will be the guests of Robert Blake Science College and Elmwood School.
We're working with the students on using music as a means of connecting, making friends, and communicating.
In the sessions tomorrow we'll have a good mix of students from both schools.
This will be interesting ...... it's the first of four sessions this academic year, so we'll be doing some groundwork together and establishing a groove.

Keeping it seasonal

It's apple day coming up so apples give us our theme for tonight's music.
Crunchy.... sweet!

iPad apps ... recommendations from Drake Music

We use iPads, Skoogs and other technology as part of the mix in our sessions. Both Ben and Alex have experience and skills in using assistive music technology.

Here's a great article from Ben Sellers of Drake Music about some top iPad apps...

Top 5 iPad Apps for SEN/D Music Making

Assistive Music Technology (AMT) is all about fitting the instrument to the musician, rather than the musician to the instrument. These iPad apps allow us to do this both physically and cognitively, and a little experimentation can reap big rewards. Here are the five apps I use most regularly in SEN/D settings:
 

1. Thumbjam – Recreate a myriad of instruments from Hang to Tabla to Theremin to Banjo using high-quality samples. Allows the user to achieve great results with limited fine motor skills or theoretical understanding. Also allows us to sample vocalisations and map them across a scale – great for students who want to sing but do not have speech.
    
2. Bebot – A friendly robot character fronts a polyphonic synthesiser with a set of presets that are guaranteed to engage students. The whole iPad screen is used a playing surface, making playing easy for all.
    
3. Launchpad & iKaossilator – Re-create a variety of dance genres – dub-step, DnB, hip-hop, House – using sets of samples from these apps, both of which employ unique, colourful and accessible interfaces. Great for teenagers.
    
4. Airvox - Uses the iPad camera to generate pitches based on the distance between you and the iPad. An audio-visual theremin... try using it with your head!
    
5. Loopseque – Create drum, bass and synth patterns using a brilliant, cyclical interface. Great for students who learn visually and enjoy patterns.

And one more for good luck:
Bloom/Trope/Scape - Create abstract sound and colour scapes with these Brian Eno inspired apps. Great for PMLD groups in conjunction with a projector. .
 

Thanks for reading, please do get in touch with Drake Music to share your experiences or ask questions about any of the apps I've recommended above.

   Ben Sellers, DM Associate Musician

Otoasobi project

We've been looking at the Otoasobi project from Japan... fascinating stuff.They are a group of musicians, music therapists, indivduals with learning disabilities and their families who play improvised music together.

One thing they say is really interesting - about evaluation. The AllStars team spend a lot of time thinking about evaluating our work, wondering how to understand everyone's different experience of playing music together. Like the Otoasobi project, we have a really diverse group of people playing together.

The Otoasobi project say 'Each of the group members has a fairly different aim  - for example education, welfare, art and joy - so we share a belief that every member has their own ways of evaluation. The creativity energy arises from these discrepancies.'

That is very thought provoking.... the idea that everyone plays together, yet for a different reason... and that this makes creative energy. Wonderful.

Our blog on the Youth Music Network...

Finding a Good Room: How much does the space where you deliver your sessions actually affect your work? | Youth Music Network

Music For Alice

We love getting letters - they are quite rare these days, it's nearly always emails.
So it was doubly lovely that when Music for Alice sent a cheque through to us - their grant to AllStars for some new instruments - it came with a hand-written note on the back of a postcard.
This is the postcard :

Chet Baker and his band. How cool is that.
Thank you, Music for Alice.
Anyway, time to get shopping - we have a list ...