News

“Some of the barriers the choir members have had to overcome in their lives is a testament to their resilience and determination and a positive example of what young people can achieve.”

The Choir that Breaks Down Barriers

By Renee Jackson, Creative Careers Academy Intern at Creative United

Orange Box is a state of the art centre for young people based in the heart of Halifax. Everything, from the building, to individual projects are created and driven by the young people who attend the centre.

In addition to four music rehearsal rooms, Orange Box has a visual arts room, skate park and a performing arts space.

The introduction of the Orange Box Choir in January 2018 has had a demonstrable positive impact on the young people involved. It was established in response to demand from local people. Under the leadership of Jamie Eagleton, the choir is opening its doors for young people in Halifax from all musical abilities. We spoke to Jamie about how music has become an outlet for the difficult challenges they face in their day to day lives.

What was the inspiration behind starting The Orange Box Choir?

I started The Choir as I could see there was a real need for an inclusive environment, where young people could express themselves musically.

The Choir is made up of children, young people, volunteers and support workers from Orange Box, Youth Works, Project Challenge, Next Step Trust, Young Foundations, Calderdale College, Ravenscliffe High School and other local services and schools.

The Orange Box Choir in performance

What kind of music making and performing opportunities are involved?

The music provision at Orange Box young people’s centre is provided by Square Chapel Arts Centre as part of their Community Engagement Programme.

In addition to The Choir, there’s the Orange Box Rock School, a fun, band performance-based music project for young people aged 11-16yrs. It’s so successful that Outreach Sessions are also delivered at other youth centres, in partnership with Calderdale Youth Service.

There’s an annual summer music festival called Routes, a family-friendly event where young musicians to perform on two stages (acoustic and bands). We also offer access to facilities at low costs, such as hiring out rehearsal spaces for people under 19 at only £3 per hour.

The aim for each, is to increase opportunities for young people to gain skills, collaborate, increase confidence and meet like-minded people.

How do the music experiences offered by Orange Box help young people?

It is so important for young people to have something in their lives they can focus their energy on. The Choir provides them with the necessary support and resources to build confidence, develop relationships and skill sets. The progress we have seen in the young people we have already worked with has been rewarding for them and their communities.

Seeing young people who are lacking in confidence, now being able to perform to their local community makes us all proud. Some of the barriers the choir members have had to overcome in their lives is a testament to their resilience and determination; a positive example of what young people can achieve.

How do you think the work you have done has impacted the young people you work with?

Some people in The Choir have never sung before, some have disabilities or additional needs, and may be experiencing difficult circumstances, but all are passionate about singing.

The Choir is a huge confidence boost for them and creates a positive experience in an environment in which they feel safe. We give them the opportunity to go out into the community and perform, boosting community cohesion and supporting other local causes.

Where can people find out more about Orange Box Halifax?

Here’s a link to the section of the website where more details on Rock School and The Choir can be found –  http://www.orangeboxhalifax.org/events.asp

More 

orangeboxhalifax.org

Jamie performing a solo in ‘A Change is Gonna Come‘ by Sam Cooke, with The Orange Box Choir

A list of other activities at Orange Box

Contact Jamie on 01422 433200 or via hello@orangeboxhalifax.org

“It is always advisable to play the actual instrument you are going to purchase”

How to choose your first piano

At Take it away, we recognise that buying a first piano is a big commitment, families or musicians may find it hard to know where to start. One of our piano retailers approached us with their guide for first-time piano buying, which we are happy to share with our audience here.

Clement Pianos in Nottingham, is now a third generation family business. Owners Mick and Andy Wilson, are both piano technicians, trained by some of the world’s finest makers. They have spent many years carefully selecting what they consider to be the ultimate instruments in each class and price category.

A piano makes a great first instrument for learning the foundations of music. Beginner pianists require an instrument with the same features that a more advanced player needs – there is no such thing as a beginner’s piano, so here is what Clement Pianos suggest you should look for when choosing your first piano:

Shop locally for tailored advice

Visit a shop and don’t be afraid to speak to staff. Try out a few different pianos, find what you like and get advice that addresses your needs and aspirations for yours or your child’s playing. You will receive as much technical information as you require. Build a relationship with the staff as they will help you when it comes to your piano’s maintenance and performance.

Support

A shop that offers technical support is essential. A piano is a complex piece of mechanics that may require some adjustments and attention to maintain optimum performance. Most dealers will provide aftersales services within their area, but few will travel 100 miles to fix a squeaking pedal.

Clement Pianos’ impressive Nottingham showroom

Age

Acoustic pianos naturally deteriorate over the years. Strings will lose resonance, felts and leathers wear, which may affect the performance of the action. The structure may also change due to the strains upon it.

With these factors in mind, it’s best to choose a modern piano where possible. There are far fewer manufacturers than there used to be, and on the whole, the quality of construction is very good. Even new instruments of the same make and model, built at the same time will vary in performance so it is always advisable to play the actual instrument you are going to purchase.

Sound

Some pianos have a soft or warm, mellow sound while others can be bright or have a harder sound. Decide which you prefer, and which sounds suits the kind of music you’ll be playing.

Touch

This is how the piano feels to play. The touch can be light through to heavy and more or less responsive to your touch. Feel is important as it affects your timing and your playing style.

Style

The appearance of the piano is important if you want it to match its surroundings. A piano is a piece of furniture as well as a musical instrument so consider where it will be used, whether it needs to be moved, and how it fits in with your lifestyle.

Piano teachers

Remember that finding the right teacher and choosing a good instrument makes learning and playing music fun, and no one gives up doing something they enjoy. Your retailer will often have many connections with local music teachers, so do ask them for recommendations.

More info

Find your nearest piano dealer by searching Take it away shops

Find a qualified piano teacher near you via The Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) and ask in your local music shop.

About Clement Pianos:
See Clement Pianos‘ showroom, displaying some of the world’s most amazing models by Blüthner, Kawai, Haessler, Irmler plus many more well-known brands, and find out about available maintenance services.

Contact Mick and Andy on +44 (0)115 970 1106 or at info@clementpianos.com

If I Can Do It, Anyone Can Do It

Tom Doughty is an accomplished lap slide guitarist, singer and songwriter. He has four critically acclaimed albums to his name, seamlessly blending pop, jazz, folk, and world music influences.

Tom began playing as a child and was largely self-taught, playing by ear and following other guitar players with early influences including Renbourn and Jansch, Martin Carthy, Nic Jones, Big Bill Broonzy and Led Zeppelin.

In 1974, Tom was injured in a road traffic accident which left him paralysed from the chest downwards and with impairments that also affected his fingers and prevented him from playing music. He recalls the frustration of creating music in his head but not being able to hear it in the air. In his own words “I was alive and life went on. An experience like being reborn, I commenced the rest of my life as a disabled person and started to get on with it.”.

Once he was home from the hospital, his family adapted a guitar for him to play on his knee and he improvised a slide on his finger and began to practice. In 1999, he took the plunge into full-time musicianship taking early retirement from a social work job.

Since then, with persistence and hard work Tom has developed his own truly unique way of approaching and playing his instrument, he’s written and released four albums, toured nationally and internationally and teaches lap slide teacher.

“My disability forces me to be a more creative and resourceful musician. I think out of the box and, if anything, my disability strengthens my musicianship. When I play the guitar well, the experience feels emotional, sensual, technical, controlled yet spontaneous”.

Commencing early in 2019, Tom will be undertaking a UK wide tour to each of the 12 Spinal Injuries Centres at London, Aylesbury, Salisbury, Cardiff, Oswestry, Southport, Sheffield, Wakefield, Middlesborough, Glasgow, Dublin and Belfast. The tour is funded primarily through the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester and will be in partnership with Korg UK, The British Paraorchestra, Creative United (Take it away) and Music For All.

Between February and September 2019, Tom will spend a day at each centre bringing guitars and equipment for up to 10 participants to teach. There will also be a local concert which could be public or private depending upon the wishes of each hospital. A second guitar and equipment will be donated to each centre, and Tom has recorded several instructional videos which will be permanently accessible through the internet.

This initiative will be the second such tour as Tom carried out something similar in 2012 which was funded by Arts Council England.

Forthcoming Tour
You can see Tom performing at Bridgewater Hall, 25 January 2019.

Additional thanks
With thanks to Alan White and the information provided in his interview with Tom.

How accessible is music making for disabled people, and in particular disabled children?

Creative United, in partnership with OHMI, Drake Music, OpenUp Music and Youth Music, are undertaking a major research project which aims to capture a detailed picture of the experiences of disabled people regarding music making. The findings will be made publicly available on the Creative United website and shared with educators, funders, and policymakers across the UK to inform the planning of future projects and investment.

If you’re a musician (or parent of a musician), a music educator or a music retailer, please take a few minutes to complete our online survey. 

“The main priority, before teaching them specific rapping techniques or immersing them in any kind of music, is to get them to realise they have unlimited potential”

How Lemzi’s Rap workshops help include everyone in music at school

Alex Lemom, aka Lemzi, is a Rapper/MC from Leytonstone, London, whose workshops at Burnt Mill Academy in Essex have helped pupils whose musical interests were a little more contemporary than the curriculum sometimes provides for, to write and develop a love of performing.

We spoke to Lemzi about his experience of delivering a different kind of music tuition in schools, through his Wealth Esteem programme. We also looked at his career journey from a University of Manchester Law and Criminology Graduate, to an artist with Spotify club nights and a solo album released earlier in 2018.

How did your relationship with Burnt Mill Academy come about?

I joined Essex Music Service towards the beginning of the year, following a small demand for Rap tutors in the county. Almost as soon as I was signed to Essex Music Service, Burnt Mill Academy expressed an interest.

I started with 2 year 9 students in January – who are now year 10 students, this grew into a group of 12-15 students. It’s been really great development.

Photo by Stephanie Kennedy, Music Mark. Lemzi teaching at Burnt Mill Academy.

What specific challenges did you feel the pupils were experiencing in getting involved with music in class?

Mainly a lack of enthusiasm from pupils that expressed little to no interest in traditional or classical music, and specific ways of communicating with them. There’s a lot more that the music students do in comparison to when I did music in school (around 2004). However, there’s still a chasm in getting pupils exclusively interested in contemporary music to engage.

How did you remove those barriers and get children writing and performing music in front of others?

The students all have the capacity to do great things, and I feel the main priority, before teaching them specific rapping techniques or immersing them in any kind of music, is to get them to realise they have unlimited potential.

Sometimes our sessions are entirely discussion or debate focused. Other times, I get the students to repeat the same few lines or song an obscene amount of times, just to try and get it right. Either way, developing a rapport with them, letting them feel free in their expression (they can take off their blazer and a couple bad words have slipped in) has really been the key so far.

Your goals for Wealth Esteem include creating a syllabus to give structure to the programme and to “help children awaken their determination and creativity”. What will the key parts of the syllabus be?

Mainly around creativity, developing a further understanding and boosting confidence. The music will be the main focus, as hip-hop leads to discussions on modern history, social dynamics, globalisation, art and many more aspects. Hopefully, this will be the impetus to navigate through these ideas.

If pupils struggle with learning music theory, how do you help them to approach writing and performing?

I don’t play any instruments myself or have any qualifications in music theory, some would say to my detriment, so we don’t touch on these aspects in sessions. A lot of people think there’s a “way to rap” which is completely false. There’s a way to make your sound, style and essence sound better, so we work on tailoring each individual’s style. I take them outside their comfort zone with new concepts and ideas – the skills, attributes and techniques that proficient writers use, and discussion or games to build creativity and confidence.

You discovered gigs and underground music at University. How did you move beyond consuming music, to doing it yourself?

I’ve written lyrics since I was around 9 or 10, and since the age of 14 wanted people other than myself to hear my work. Looking back, it’s probably best my music didn’t get anywhere at that stage!

During uni, I met a number of people that either enjoyed the same music as me or were seeking to be involved practically themselves. This meant a group of us would go around doing a few small shows or open mics. I even co-organised a charity event in Manchester with some local artists, so by the time I left Manchester I was ready to find opportunities back home in London. Writing music for a good 10 years that no-one heard was frustrating, so I’m just blessed to have the opportunity to share something now.

What’s your advice to teachers who may be looking for ways to get more children interested in playing or performing music?

Listen to the students and try and make them feel comfortable with making mistakes, as it is inevitable. Challenge their ideas and value their creativity. Put them on the spot where you can and implore them to collaborate, it usually eases the pressure a bit at first. I probably have no jurisdiction to say this to people who’ve been teaching much longer than me though!

Lemzi’s latest video, B.O.T.S. (Blood on the Streets) was released yesterday, 8 November 2018

More about Lemzi and Wealth Esteem:

Lemzi.com/wealthesteem

Essexmusichub.org.uk ‘Rap tuition with Lemzi at Burnt Mill Academy 18/07/2018

Yourharlow.com feature ‘Burnt Mill Recruit Their First Rap Tutor’ 05/05/2018

Guardian Series feature ‘Hip Hop Artist Swaps Career in Law for Music’ 15/12/2016

MusicMusingsandSuch.com interview 27/08/2018

How accessible is music making for disabled people, and in particular disabled children?

Creative United, in partnership with OHMI, Drake Music, OpenUp Music and Youth Music, are undertaking a major research project which aims to capture a detailed picture of the experiences of disabled people regarding music making. The findings will be made publicly available on the Creative United website and shared with educators, funders, and policymakers across the UK to inform the planning of future projects and investment.

If you’re a musician (or parent of a musician), a music educator or a music retailer, please take a few minutes to complete our online survey. 

This month, Monna Matharu, our intern at Creative United, writes about the wide-ranging benefits of making music against the backdrop of cuts to music education.

Monna began playing music from the age of eight. Whilst she describes herself as an amateur, the personal benefits of playing and listening to music have inspired a lifelong love and helped her greatly.

‘Music gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to imagination and life to everything’

-Plato

Imagine if we had discovered an activity which could improve our cognitive functions and our memory, helped us to moderate emotional states, learn a language, solve complex problems and be healthier?

What if that activity was music?

Music can express the way you feel, is an inspiration; the collaboration of sounds creating rhythms and patterns. It can be a soundtrack, a perspective, a voice. It gives life to what exists.

Research has demonstrated that music education improves cognitive abilities, enhancing academic achievement across many areas of the curriculum, such as mathematics, languages, history and science.

Music is incredibly valuable for the development of concentration, listening, language development, creativity, comprehension, communication and order thinking skills. Benefits have also been observed in the areas of emotional expression, self-esteem, citizenship and student engagement.

So, if music can improve thinking, learning and enrich so many aspects of life, why are there not more measures to protect music education for our future generation?

Whilst benefits are undisputed, vocational music is among the first programs, in many UK schools, to be sacrificed. In response to changes to the school curriculum – with the introduction of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) – tightening budgets and the reorganisation services, music education has less of an emphasis than ever before. This year, 2018, music was cited as the most common subject to be dropped from school curriculums and access to study the subject is falling year on year.[1]

Cognitive Development

Anita Collins, a musician and educator in Australia, recently delivered a study attempting to find connections between music education and cognitive development.[2] Neuroscientists have compared the brain structures and functions in musicians and non-musicians. Using MRI scans, they observed what was happening whilst participants completed different tasks, such as math’s problems, reading and puzzles. Scientists discovered certain areas of a musician’s brain would light up in ways unseen in non-musicians.[3] When the musicians listened to music multiple areas of the brain would light up at once, breaking apart melody and rhythm and putting them back together to make an entire musical experience. In addition, when playing music, they noticed how the brain exercised the three main areas; the motor, visual and audio cortices. [4]

The difference between playing and listening is the use of motor skills. Using motor skills in this way stimulates both hemispheres of the brain. It was observed that musicians have a larger bridge crossing both left and the right hemispheres of the brain, the Corpus Callosum. This uses more of the brains creative pathways and allows messages to travel across the brain faster, which in turns affects many other areas of the brain. [5]

Problem Solving

These cognitive functions may allow musicians to solve problems more creatively and effectively, in both academic and social settings. Additionally, making music involves crafting and understanding its emotional content and message. Musicians have a higher level of executive function, a category of interlinked tasks which includes planning, strategising and attention to detail and requires simultaneous analysis of both cognitive and emotional aspects. [6]

Memory

Studies have demonstrated that playing music improves memory and recall. Music helps raise general cognitive capacity.^[7] Neuroscientists now understand that music encourages high memory systems in the brain due to ‘tagging’. ^[8] ‘Tagging’ is effectively an association. Scientists learnt that when a musician makes a memory they create multiple emotional tags, conceptual tags or visual tags, allowing musicians greater recall and reliance on memory systems. This could be attributed to the acts of practising playing, working through mistakes, remembering rhythms, notes, scales, chords and tone.

Comfort

Music provides comfort. Comfort can be gained through listening to music or playing music. By comfort, we can also mean learning to work with your instrument. Practising, sustaining, or patterning a rhythm, repeating and consistently creating sounds that flow and match, takes commitment, stamina and composure. As you push through there barriers of discomfort, you find comfort. This can be applied in many other situations outside of playing music.

Music can help players and listeners explore this discomfort and test themselves in many situations. Music can be a solo pursuit and it can be a communal pursuit, being part of a band or orchestra. Through practice, it can bring confidence and pride. Studies have shown that children from areas of low arts engagement and underprivileged backgrounds, could benefit greatly from this.[9]

Connection

Further to this, neuroscientists conducted a study where eighteen mothers allowed their newborn babies, between one to three days old, to have an MRI scan. When mothers spoke to their baby they observed that the new-borns were using their music processing networks to understand their mother’s voices. Young babies could hear their mother’s voice as music.

We can understand from this that music and language processes are very closely connected in the brain. At birth, we need music to process the understanding of our language, at birth we are in fact all musical.[10]

Conclusion

Current research demonstrates the numerous positive impacts that music has on the brain and how it rouses our mental functions. Music education has incomparable benefits for the development of brain activity, it creates neural pathways in a way not encountered in other disciplines. The inner interplays and complex rhythms that make up the amazing orchestra of our brain, encourages curiosity, intrinsic motivation, resilience and creativity.

Music teaches our brains to talk to itself, this communication is key to how effective and fast messages will be. It helps create extraordinary memory systems and advanced categorising systems, tagging memories with a smell, sight, sound or even a contextual idea that inspires and affects so many different aspects of life.  many other areas of life, which develops later in life.

Music heightens concentration. It encourages pride (no-one wants to be the one that gets the note wrong in an orchestra performance). Motivation to learn and perfect intrinsic details is an irreplaceable, incredibly valuable attitude and skill to gain in life.

Yet this research is not widely understood, for if it was, surely, we would not be seeing such unprecedented decline in the numbers of students taking music GCSE and A-levels?

So, what can we do to get greater access to studying music and to get a greater understanding of the wider benefits of making music?

Take an interest in political policies in the country to ensure we are part of the changes that affect our future generation and the community around us. As parents and carers support your child’s love of music and know that it will be a valuable future skill to have. Be vocal, get involved, support your local schools and their campaigns.

There’s currently a multitude of organisations campaigning for greater to access to music education and making, in particular:

• Join the BACC for the Future Campaign and visit their resources page.
• Read Making the case for music on the ISM (Incorporated Society of Musicians) website.
• Read about the Musicians Union campaign to ‘#SupportMyMusicTeacher‘

We here at Creative United, run the scheme Take it Away. We are a not-for-profit Community Interest Company and are funded by Arts Council England. As a company, we support the BACC to the Future campaign.

Our aims are to increase access to buying musical instruments and equipment, whilst also supporting specialist music shops to remain an essential part of local music services across the country. Keep up to date with our news and check our twitter for the organisations, events and campaigns we support.

This coming October, we’ll be at Manchester’s Music and Drama Education Expo. It is Europe’s largest conference and exhibition for anyone involved in music & drama education. There will a range of workshops, lectures, debates and Q&A’s from award-winning practitioners, teachers and some of the largest music institutions and organisations.

If you have any comments or questions, email us and hopefully we can help, or take your suggestions to the expo info@creativeunited.org.uk

Footnotes and references

[1] Music Industries Association, http://bit.ly/miamusicstats

[2] Collins, Anita (2014)., TEDx video ‘How Playing an Instrument benefits your brain’ https://bit.ly/1ulBmve

[3] Gaser, C., & Schlaug, G. (2003). Brain structures differ between musicians and non-musicians. The Journal of Neuroscience, pg. 9240-9245

[4] Schlaug, G., Forgeard, M., Zhu, L., Norton, A., Norton, A., & Winner, E. (2009). Training‐induced Neuroplasticity in Young Children. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, pg. 205-208.

[5] Gaser, C., & Schlaug, G. (2003). Brain structures differ between musicians and non-musicians. The Journal of Neuroscience, pg. 9240-9245

[6] Hyde, K., Lerch, J., Norton, A., Forgeard, M., Winner, E., Evans, A. C., (2009). Musical Training Shapes Structural Brain Development. The Journal of Neuroscience, 3019-3025.

[7] Gaser, C., & Schlaug, G. (2003). Brain structures differ between musicians and non-musicians. The Journal of Neuroscience, pg. 9240-9245

[8] Gaser, C., & Schlaug, G. (2003). Brain structures differ between musicians and non-musicians. The Journal of Neuroscience, pg. 9240-9245

[9] Skoe, E., & Kraus, N. (2012). A little goes a long way: how the adult brain is shaped by musical training in childhood. The Journal of Neuroscience, pg. 11507-11510.

[10] Perani, D., Saccuman, M. C., Scifo, P., Spada, D., Andreolli, G., Rovelli, R., & Koelsch, S. (2010). Functional specialisations for music processing in the human newborn brain Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences pg. 4758-4763.