creative facilitator

:::CREATIVE FACILITATOR:::

Employing my teaching experience and creative passions, I am an dynamic and supportive workshop leader and group facilitator. I am interested in deleting barriers and enabling people to manifest their creative expressions and potential. Technology can aid the creative and music education process enormously – alot can be achieved with a laptop and a microphone. I have alot of experience of project planning and delivery and strive to deliver a creative/learning experience that is engaging and empowering. I have co-run drumming workshops (with junk instruments), been a choir director and performance coach, produced and recorded a track with a group of young people including lyric writing and a music technology facilitator for young disabled people.

I can design a project working towards an outcome – whether it be a performance or recording or both – whilst ensuring a valuable and lasting user-led journey for all involved in the process. With counselling and mentoring training I have the communication skills to interact sensitively with individuals and groups to achieve the most enjoyable creative experience for all. I consider working with people and groups as a collaborative process (often in co-ordination with other artists, community leaders and project managers) and enjoy designing and delivering projects that engage, stimulate and empower the people as they enjoy expressing themselves and the opportunity to do so to a high standard. I carry out suitable and meaningful evaluation to monitor and improve my practice.

I also act as an informal mentor for women interested in starting out in music technology/audio engineering which has included giving advice on equipment, training resources, performance and confidence coaching.

Some examples of recent projects:

Radclyffe School, Oldham (Nov-Dec 09)
A Creative Partnerhips project, setting up recording facilities in the school and working with a selection of year 9 bands to record and mix their favourite cover version.

Band on the Wall, Manchester (Oct-Nov 09)
Was invited to co-facilitate soundscape and field recording sessions in the Northern Quarter as part of the “Soundroutes” project with a class of year 6 pupils from local schools. This involved group warm-up activities to increase awareness of sounds in the environment and then going out and taking audio snapshots of designated areas of the Northern Quarter to form a soundscape.

Art in the Park, Sheffield (Jul-Aug 09)
Designing and delivering open access art events, in co-ordination with Art in the Park staff and volunteers, with young people inviting them to explore the sounds of their parks and communities and use these sounds to create a live “soundrap” to be recorded and/or a sound sculpture. A rap with voice & body percussion was also composed and recorded for evaluation of the sessions.

Full Circle Arts (July 09)
As part of “Remix” week of arts activities, working with young people with disabilities to produce and record soundtracks for animation and explore creativity through music and music technology. This work was carried out in co-ordination with Sam Yates, also a music facilitator and provided as Drake Music.

Lowry Walkabout Project Final Event (Jun-July 09)
Arranged and directed choir (8-11 yr olds) performing a version of Dirty Old Town; also composed soundtrack to a film about Eccles with sounds and stories collected from local residents and landmark sites. I also facilitated the performance of live movements/sounds to accompany the film by a group of young men from the Eccles Yemeni Community Association.

Friends of Marshall’s Arm, Cheshire
Worked with Aidan Jolly and other musicians to create performance promenade piece by Year 6 pupils at Hartford Primary School using recycled instruments, budget instruments and the voice. The piece was performed at the opening event of the new entrance to Marshall’s Arm nature trail in Cheshire.

Inscape House, Manchester (June 09)
Carrying out a Creative Partnership funded enquiry, working with a puppeteer to create a puppet show with soundtrack with a group of Year 7-9 pupils on the ASD spectrum to be performed live and filmed.

Bridgewater Hall (Dec 08-Mar 09) – in co-ordination with another co-lead artist Sarah Atter, designed and delivered music workshops with five diverse community groups (Bosnian refugees, young disabled people, girl guides, a gospel choir and a group of elderly ladies) around the theme of Gather Round the Piano, culminating in a performance at the Bridgewater Hall.

Drake Music Project (Sept-Dec 2008) – designing and delivering music technology workshops for a group of young disabled people (11-16yrs) in a SEN school in Blackburn. Using Ableton Live and assistive technology like switches and Soundbeam. User-led one-to-one and group training working towards a performance/recording.

Lowry Walkabout – Salford Born (March-June 2008) – an unprecedented arts project with the Yemeni community in Eccles culminating in a recording at Blueprint Studios and performance at Lowry Theatre, Salford. I worked with a group of young girls (aged 5-12), directing and coaching their vocal performance of a Muslim nasheed.

Some feedback:

“The group really enjoyed the sessions. They enjoyed going into the studio the most and developing the lyrics. The group wouldn’t have changed anything about the sessions. Thanks again [to you both] for all your hard work.”

Rochelle Jones, Young Carers Development Worker,Manchester Carers Forum

“We learned to sing from our tummy and our chest”

Salford Born participant/performer, aged 6