Making some joyful noise...

Last night, our taster session demonstrated how we work with themes.
This weeks theme? - well - seeings as we're here in Somerset, and it's midsummer : we held our own pre-Glastonbury 'festival'.
Reggae stage, folk stage, dance stage.

Emma looking cool.

Ryan and Russ waiting to hit the beat.







Geoffrey raising those BPMs.

And here's some of the crew that came

Recruiting - come to our taster sessions

This Thursday, June 18th, we have the second of our AllStars taster sessions.
Do you know someone who'd like to come?

At our first taster on June 4th we had a full room  - with a mixture of old and new faces. Lots of old friends meeting up, with plenty of giggling and happiness.
The Heart Beats crew showed the new people how things went and how we run the session.
We went from laughter to quiet listening; exploring all sorts of sound and enjoying the new instruments.

Ryan said 'It's nice to be see everyone back - and to have new instruments.' Everyone liked the sound of the harp and hammered dulcimer together.
Ellie said 'what a fantastic group.'
Bella said 'thanks for being so welcoming.'

Martyn brought his new guitar along.
Katie had her trusty ukelele, and Geoff, his melodeon.
Mark enjoyed playing the new dun dun.
Looks like we might have some fun coming up....

Three more tasters to come:
June 18th
July 16th
July 30th

- all at Wells Museum lecture hall, 6 - 8.
Spread the word.

all about AllStars

 And here we are - your music leaders :

Geoffrey

Ben

Russ

Alex

Jane

This evening

A sunny summer evening coming up, what better way to start our project than by gathering and playing together.
Wells Museum, starting at 6 : looking forward to it.

AllStars project begins

This is it - this week we have our first AllStars taster session - Thursday at Wells Museum, 6 - 8. Now that is good news.

See you there.

Some new drums for our AllStars project

Thanks to Youth Music and Radstock Co-op we have been shopping ....and thanks to Ben of Ghana Goods for providing us with thirteen really beautiful, carefully selected, hand made new drums for our project, which begins next week, on June 4th.

Call out for any All Stars out there! Join us soon

Those taster dates again : - 6 - 8 at Wells Museum :

1. June 4^th
2. June 18^th
3. July 16^th
4. July 30^th

PKN

PKN : will they win?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-32778559

You never know ...go, guys

Schmoozik

We've just talked to a hammer dulcimer player who's interested in coming along....duelling dulcimers ahoy

Partnerships for the AllStars project -working with Somerset Rural Youth Project again

We've got some support from local organisations for the AllStars Project.

James Brookes from the Somerset Rural Youth Project has given us a lot of help and support to run Heart Beats.

Now James and SRYP are going to help us run AllStars too.

Their Rural Music Network sessions in Castle Cary and Shepton Mallet are in our area so we are going to create an 'exchange of opportunities' for young people in both projects, which are both funded by Youth Music.

James says 

I look forward to supporting Count Me In with their very exciting new music project bid, that offers opportunity for two Youth Music funded organisations to continue to work together. Developing new and exciting methods of making music accessible in Somerset, while at the same time enhancing support for one another in the process.

One part of our partnership is that Alex, Geoff, Jane and Russ are going to work with Heart Beats star Mark J to run a series of 'Smoozic' (Shepton Mallet Music!) sessions together - everyone is welcome. These are integrated sessions for everyone, of all abilities and ages.

More news soon.