The SRYP conference

Last Saturday, we went to the SRYP conference in Bridgwater.
Here's Geoff, Emma, Josh and Katie, with Russ and Michael Eavis. Michael joined in with our warm ups though he wasn't to keen to play the drum that was offered him!

The HeartBeats team

Our instruments looked lovely in the new theatre

Youth + Music = SW conference

Count Me In are going to this music conference on April 23rd.
We shall be running some workshops where people can get a taste of what we do, and talking about our work.

There will be lots of other great SW organizations there too:
Wren Music - Action Track - Somerset Rural Youth project - RIO - Bristol Plays Music - Bath Festivals - Supreme Youth Project.

The guest speaker is local chap Michael Eavis.

Partnerships, meetings, Fast Forward Festival... a busy time

It's been a busy time recently - the last month has been full up.

We've been meeting our fabulous partners who are helping us to set up and deliver an excellent programme of music making. 

We've had meetings and hatched action plans with Wells Cathedral School, the Somerset Rural Youth Project, Elmwood and Penrose federation of schools in Bridgwater, and Spaeda in Langport.

We've run an arts week music day in Fiveways school, who loved our work and want us to come back and do more.

We've visited Fairfield Farm College in Wiltshire and fixed dates to do an evening session there, and an arts week day next year.

Alex and Jane have been planning out the Listening Lounge strand of the project, with a focus on mentoring and Arts Award - that's going to be exciting, a new departure for us. We're looking at creating a space where music therapy and community music can work together -  where we can listen sensitively and respond intentionally.

We attended the Fast Forward Festival 'Inclusive Excellence' conference at The Colston Hall in Bristol. This was a thought provoking day that ended in performances by Drake Music and the Paraorchestra.

We were asked to consider that 'The musical world discriminates against disabled people. If we don’t change this, we endorse it.
1. What must the music industry do to create a fair ecology?
2. How can music education change to prepare young disabled musicians for this new ecology?'
We went away with a head full of questions and ideas about access, ability, inclusion, and participation. We need more chance to meet and investigate these big issues together. It's  a vibrant discussion and there are so many angles.
AllStars offers an informal music education environment where our team do their best to provide a valuable, progressive experience for everyone, reacting to individual abilities and interests. We feel we can work with young people who wouldn't have been offered much in the way of formal musical education; we believe access to live music making is a universal right. Not sure if this is 'inclusive excellence', but it's always surprising and exciting, and goes further than we ever thought it would. One thing for sure, there's no discrimination here. Come and play music with us.

On Thursday Jane joined a conversation on SEN/D music education at the Wiltshire Music Centre. Again - lots of thought provoking questions were raised about music, excellence, and inclusion. One thing that emerged was that the AllStars project may be able to help with CPD and developing the workforce.

What we're looking forward to now is our next music session on July 16th. It's all very well talking about music, but you mustn't forget to play some now and again, too...
This seems to be a good time to say how good it is to be part of such a great team, in the SW, doing what we love best : making music!

Oh - and we mustn't forget Geoff: see you all on Thursday.

Sounds of Intent in Bristol

We're going to this conference in July. Alex is speaking - we promised not to heckle!

Embrace Create Connect

Russ and Jane have just returned from the learning disability arts conference in Leicester - Embrace, Create, Connect.
We went there in a team with our friends from Openstorytellers.
This was a really well organised event - stimulating, challenging, friendly, varied, exciting. We've spoken to so many people and connected with lots of ideas. There's a lot of dance and theatre-based stuff out there : not enough music, though - we'd love to run a presentation if this event happens again.
Outstanding for us was the crew from Sage Gateshead, representing their programme Community Music Sparks. This is a picture of Andrew and Michael, who had us dancing in the aisles.
Our dream is to pay them a visit - see their team in action, share some ideas, get some top class CPD.
Is Gateshead a long way from Somerset? mmmm.

Embrace Create Connect

We're going to this conference! Exciting!
http://www.embracecreateconnect.co.uk/