Joining In.....

Today there's a headful of ideas whirling around, that have been sparked off as we plan the final details of our 'Joining In' training day.
This Saturday, we'll be taking a load of ideas and showing how we turn them into MUSIC - why we do this - and why it's such a joy.

The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow....

Yesterday at the Listening Lounge, after we had done some improvisation together, we talked about the colour of music.
Some people ('synesthetes') see music as colours. We agreed this could certainly enhance your enjoyment of improvisation!
One thing we couldn't quite agree on - was the music we'd made green or yellow?

Here's a video of the magnificent jazz drummer Elvin Jones describing his experience of synesthesia. He says 'not everybody can reach the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow....' but just watching this clip of him enables us to think about music as enrichment. Wonderful.

Click on this link to watch Elvin describe his colourful world of sound:

Elvin Jones and Synesthesia

Dates for 2016

Thanks to our generous 'fund B' support from Youth Music, we are sailing right through this year with lots of music workshops.

We have dates booked up the summer break.
Venues and dates after that will be confirmed later.

AllStars East.
Heart Beats at the Lawrence Centre :

1. January 21st
2. February 4th
3. February 25th
4. March 10th
5. March 24th
6. April 21st
7. May 5th
8. May 19th
9. June 9th
10. June 23rd
11. July 7th

Listening Lounge in the Lawn Room, Wells Cathedral School :

1. January 14th
2. February 11th
3. March 17th
4. April 28th
5. May 12th
6. June 16th 

Outreach:
Our next outreach session is at Avalon School, Street on February 12th.
After that, we're at Fairfield Farm arts week on May 13th.
More to come.

AllStars West.
Dates for the sessions in Bridgwater are being confirmed.

2016

Plotting, planning - there's even a bit of doing, reviewing, improving.... the AllStars team are meeting this evening to get a feel for the New Year.

What's happening?
AllStars is in full swing ....
We've got training coming up : 'Joining In' on January 30th, which is run by us and is for associates, partners and other professionals ; and a CPD day especially for our team, with the wonderful Hugh Nankivell.

AllStars East is emerging from a seasonal break....
The Listening Lounge starts again next week, on the 14th.
Heart Beats music sessions start on January 21st.

AllStars West will see us back in Bridgwater exploring music education by encounter in our mixed sound sessions at Elmwood and Robert Blake College.

We'll be offering outreach sessions too, starting at Avalon School on February 12th.

If you'd like an outreach session to come to you, email us info@heartbeats.org.uk

We'll continue to ponder on what surprises us about music, and publish blog posts here and on the Youth Music network.
You can follow us on twitter too:  @HeartBeatsNews

Our funding from Youth Music will take us all through 2016, and on into 2017, when we plan something special to round up the AllStars adventure.

So - Happy New Year - and here's to a year of surprising and energizing sound.

Drake Music : top ten needs for Music Hubs and SEN/D music provision

A few weeks ago, Drake Music published a document listing the 'top ten needs' they've identified for music hubs and SEN/D music provision.

This list sums up previous research and leads into their new Think2020 project, which aims to increase musical opportunities for disabled children and young people through strategic and sustainable partnership work in the music education sector.

It's good list, and the reason we're blogging about it is because we feel strongly about the importance of  partnership working, skillshare and information exchange - especially in our area where it's rural, provision is patchy, and sometimes it is possible to feel isolated.

Here are some recommendations from the list:

- Practitioners working in SEN/D and music (or planning to) need to work towards, or maintain, a ‘hybrid’ set of skills in order to best meet the diverse range of musical and access needs

- Communities of Practice/ teacher networks are vital in order to ‘help teachers to help each other’ get better in their practice and to share ideas and resources. 

- Music Hub activities around learning an instrument – Peripatetic teaching and whole class instrumental sessions – need re-thinking and adapting in order to present an appropriate offer to SEN/ disabled young people. Priorities may well include: flexibility, creativity and performing using appropriate music technology.

We have some training coming up that focuses on exploring good practice for inclusive music. Our team have a wide-ranging experience of working in SEN/D settings and we're really keen to share this experience.

If you think our training can help you to increase musical opportunities for children and young people with additional needs, please book a place!
info@heartbeats.org.uk for more information.

2016 : cultivating ways for working with music and growing our ideas...

On the other side of New Year we have two events coming up that will help us to cultivate our musical ideas and grow the way we work .... we should emerge inspired, informed and ready to bloom.

On January 30th our team of music leaders - Alex, Jane and Russ, are leading a music inclusion training day for our trainees, associates and other professionals. We're calling this 'Joining In' ... exactly what 'inclusion' means to us.

The following weekend, we have an 'in house' training day with music leader extraordinaire Hugh Nankivell.

What a luxury!
If you know anyone that would like to come to 'Joining In' please email for details.

Heart Beats Music on the Sound Connections website

We were pleased to hear from Sound Connections after they read our words about inclusion on the Youth Music blog.
We gave them some information on how we work towards youth participation, and now we're listed on the 'Rewired' section of their website.
Being off in the sticks here in muddy Somerset, it's always good to know you're moving in the right direction, and can have a voice in the national debates and research into inclusion and music.
We feel we work hard to get it right, and part of that is knowing and understanding what other people are doing right across the country, in rural and urban settings. We learn from other people and it's good to have platforms like the Youth Music Network to share our ideas.

Listening Lounge tonight ... feeling seasonal

Tonight we'll be thinking about sharing... it's a seasonal thing.....

Playing music with other people gives us the opportunity to empathise, communicate, and share ideas.
By making space in group music we can welcome people in, inviting them to interact. We can affirm through our responses and participate in joint decisions - all without a word.
A circle of gifts. Magic!

Training opportunity with the AllStars team, January 30th

Joining in : exploring good practice for inclusive music

A CPD day for professionals with Count Me In.

This training day is for professionals who are looking for new ideas and ways to use music inclusively .

Join us for a creative and hands-on day in this inspiring setting to explore some different approaches to learning through music. This CPD opportunity is a day of practical exercises, playing, reflecting and discussion, led by the music leaders of the AllStars project, Alex Lupo, Jane Harwood and Russ Stanley.

We will investigate methods and techniques to fully include all children and young people with additional needs.

This training is for educators (mainstream and SEN), SENCOs, teaching assistants, musicians, music leaders and practitioners working in non formal settings.

Topics to be covered:

- enabling musicianship in mixed groups
- inclusion and communication through music
- incorporating interpersonal and therapeutic approaches

The training has a unique, experiential element. Attendees will be offered the opportunity to attend one of our ‘Heart Beats’ live music sessions, to co-lead a workshop with an integrated, inclusive group of young musicians.

Places are strictly limited.

Do bring your own instruments, though some will be provided.

Please bring some lunch to share. Drinks and snacks are provided.

DATE : Saturday January 30^th 2016

Location : The Lecture Hall, Wells and Mendip Museum, 8 Cathedral Green, Wells BA5 2UE

Time : 10.00-3.30                                                                                      

Cost : £40.00  (concs. available, please enquire) 

To book : info@heartbeats.org.uk     01373 813558

Another thought provoking blogpost!

Co-incidentally (or not - perhaps it so 'now' it's actually no coincidence at all) Siggy Patchitt has posted a blog on the YM network about inclusion, and what we're calling integration.
After many years of doing this kind of work, it's great to see it on the agenda.

Recommended reading, anyway.

What we are aiming for is simple. It’s a world where these two things happen:

1. A project is set up so that anyone, no matter what their needs are, can access it.
2. A Music Leader walks into a room and is able to work with any individual, no matter what their needs.

- See more at: http://network.youthmusic.org.uk/learning/blogs/siggy-patchitt/dropping-pennies%E2%80%A6or-jigsaw-pieces#sthash.LSJYcWEX.

What we are aiming for is simple. It’s a world where these two things happen:

1. A project is set up so that anyone, no matter what their needs are, can access it.
2. A Music Leader walks into a room and is able to work with any individual, no matter what their needs.

- See more at: http://network.youthmusic.org.uk/learning/blogs/siggy-patchitt/dropping-pennies%E2%80%A6or-jigsaw-pieces#sthash.LSJYcWEX.dpuf