East Midlands..

Ok got that one of of the way.. What's been going on? Well I have been pestering the schools to take on sessions in both mainstream and special needs schools using SoundBeam as my introduction.. The result has been from July this year, so far:

7 Schools in Nottinghamshire have had on average 4 sessions each working with around 18 children in each school

4 day centres averaging 4 sessions each working on specific projects (including 'light and sound', 'Moved by Music')

Arts Week in Nottinghamshire: A week long activity including music technology for children with special needs making the week which stretched across 11 schools, accessible to all.

In other areas we have more or less completed an album with musician Harry Head, a project aimed at creating opportunities that has turned into a professional recording in a professional studio using professional musicians such as Jess Meek on Bass (Joan Armatrading, George Marinelli on Guitar (Bonnie Rait). We are waiting on some extra funding to complete the project but has been a huge success and a quality product as well as all the participants benefiting in a way they had never imagined such as Harry being trained to become an associate for Drake East Midlands.

Practitioners Day, 16th February in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council

A day to find out new and existing artists who will work with Drake on delivery in the region.'Skill Builders' will help us to seek out what's out there, and what training may be needed to work with people with disabilities. The day is funded by Nottinghamshire County Council

Leicester Cinemabilty Festival Drake East Midlands is working with the Pheonix Cinema Leicester and Richard Attenborough Centre to provide sessions as part of the run up to the film festival next March. This is to include music to film, archive and performance

Training for older children to deliver projects in the schools. We are providing training at Bluewater Studios, Ollerton to students from a secondary school in Nottinghamshire in how to use Soundbeam. They then will be able to deliver (with support from an associate) to other primary schools in the area. The training will have a certificate attached and go towards their final grades and has huge benefits in breaking down barriers.

More Schools are making daily enquiries to me about the work that Drake does in the East Midlands and I want to secure at least 4 regular schools before March of next year.. 

I could go on but just to give you an idea of where we are at in The East Midlands

Bye for now..