It’s the most wonderful time of the year! (almost……)
Banish that mid-November gloom by getting your tickets for the event of the year : the HMM Christmas Concert! Join our fabulous Spectrum Music and Transitions crews as they share a host of festive favourites, as well as a few original numbers. Refreshments, merch and games at the interval, with quiet space and room to move for those who need it. Wheelchair-accessible venue. Tickets are by donation via Eventbrite here.
In the words of our exit poll for participants, this year’s summer school was :
falbarghastin’ music-tastic
I would agree entirely. We had 24 participants, most attending every day for 5 days. The progress that you can make when you see someone every day is astounding. Monday starts with a busy set-up, rooms prepared, coffee brewed, inklings of songs, blank pieces of paper, toys and games and a plethora of possibilities!
For some participants, it was their first visit to our base in Cathcart. Monday saw new and returning participants getting used to the space, finding their rhythm, getting comfortable. For those who come to us in term time, coming every day can feel strange. It takes time to embed and understand the slightly different set up.
We are lucky to have a staffed, equipped, breakout space during our summer week. Nicole and Alice who ran the breakout space made everyone feel welcome and participants made the space their own. On Monday the first paper aeroplane was folded and took flight in the breakout space. The colour monsters were popular, as was the giant human dog bed. So comfy!
By Wednesday, magic had happened. Anyone who was unsure at the start of the week was fully with the programme. The paper aeroplanes multiplied and had turned into the start of a fleet with some epic designs. The music created was emerging and hard, focused work was happening everywhere in the building. Friendships were cementing and the sun had started to shine.
Our practitioner team – Ollie, Matt, Pippa and Cit- left the building each day on a high, full of inspiration from our participants. Being part of a process that enables brilliant young people to create music in a way that suits them as an individual is a total privilege and this was felt at all times throughout the week. From my perspective, I love watching our talented practitioners work together to provide the most nurturing space possible. We pride ourselves of our listening skills at Hear My Music and this goes all ways. Morag and I had the pleasure of sneaking in to take film clips, being part of some sessions, watching everything come together and I can highly recommend it as a way to spend a week.
Friday saw our sharing sessions. These were EPIC. Tears to laughter all round. Magic moments. For some of our participants, the sharing session doesn’t suit the way they want to engage. We hope that by providing the option and opportunity, participants might choose to share their progress in the space. If they don’t, we know that it isn’t all about the day. We had some brilliantly surprising shares: participants we hadn’t expected to perform did so with joy and pride.
What a week – Hear My Music is an inspiring place to be.
With massive thanks to Shared Care Scotland, for supporting the Summer Week through their Better Breaks fund.
We are looking for a Finance and Operations Officer to join our small team. This is a new role, with the flexibility to be tailored to an individual successful candidate.
You will be a key member of an eclectic and creative workforce, with the opportunity to make a real difference in the inclusive music world.
21 hours per week £19,874 p.a. (£33,124 p.a. FTE)
Hybrid working – hours are flexible between in-person and home
You will be responsible for the overall financial management of the organisation, working closely with the Creative Director to always ensure a clear, wider financial picture of the organisation.
You will have the opportunity to implement processes to streamline project operations, forecasting and budgeting. Operational responsibilities will involve project logistics.
It was an inspiring start to the month, with our inaugural conference taking place at the Social Hub in Glasgow. Many thanks to all of our presenters- Adam Ockelford, Mary Bell, Beth Black and, Struan Robb; and a massive thanks to our Transitions project musicians Struan, Marcus and Leia, for their brilliant performances.
We’re very grateful for the support of Creative Scotland, through their YMI CPD and Training Fund, to have enabled us to put on the event.
We’re already plotting conference No.2…..
The Little Book of HMM – get your copy!
Following on from our conference, HMM has produced a limited-edition resource, The Little Book of Hear My Music, containing thoughts on embedding equity into music provision, practical tips, activities and reflection for practitioners.
If you weren’t able to come to the conference and would like a free copy, please contact admin@hearmymusic.org.ukwhilst stocks last.
Countdown to Spectrum Summer week
Summer is upon us and our weekly music sessions have wound down for the holidays, however- the music doesn’t stop quite yet… We’re getting very excited about our Spectrum Summer week, which starts on the 7th of July.
In addition to our familiar music sessions, there will also be a return of the popular breakout space for all family members to enjoy, as well as refreshments and relaxation space for parents/carers.
Thanks again to Shared Care Scotland, who are supporting the week through their Better Breaks fund.
Thanks to Pippa!
Finally, a massive thanks to HMM practitioner Pippa, who raised a fantastic £548 for HMM at her recent album launch in Glasgow!
Pippa’s album, Common Thread, is now available to stream and download, and is a truly beautiful album showcasing Pippa’s unique voice. Get it now!
Join us for Hear My Music’s first-ever conference, centred around sharing inclusive participant-led practice through the Sounds of Intent framework.
Our patron, Adam Ockelford, will deliver the keynote presentation, outlining the Sounds of Intent framework, and sharing his insights on his work and research in inclusive music education.
We are also delighted to welcome Mary Bell, a disabled musician/practitioner and HMM board member, who has been a pioneering force in the development of music education for d/Deaf people.
There will be a variety of theoretical and practical sessions throughout the day, including an interactive livestream with the pianist Derek Paravicini.
The conference is open to anyone working within, or with an interest in, inclusive music practice and inclusive education.
The conference will be supported by electronic note takers, supporting d/deaf atendees and anyone who prefers to process information through visual text.
Ticket price is ‘pay what you decide’. We would suggest £10 – £30.
We will be operating a Travel Buddy scheme for anyone who might need a bit of extra help getting to the venue, and for anyone who would like to offer help. We can meet you at a nearby train station/bus stop, or if public transport isn’t an option for you, we may even be able to pick you up from your home address.
We’re delighted to be able to announce that HMM will hold its first-ever conference on Saturday, 7th June, at the Social Hub in Glasgow.
Join us for “Embedding Equity” – a day of presentations, discussions and performances, exploring and celebrating inclusive participant-led practice in music. Our keynote speaker will be our patron, Adam Ockelford, who will share his work on inclusive music education through the Sounds of Intent framework : we will also be joined by Derek Paravicini via livestream for a piano performance not to be missed!
New Music from our Team: Pippa Blundell and Peplo singles launch; Penny Black album
New Year, New people!
It’s been a lovely start to the session at our Spectrum Music projects: we have been welcoming back all of our regular participants, but we’re also very happy to be able to accommodate some new faces to both Spectrum and Transitions from our waiting list.
It’s always an exciting time watching participants and practitioners develop a rapport and start their HMM journey: we’re very excited to see what will emerge!
With last month’s news that HMM now has funding from Creative Scotland for the next 3 years, we’re making plans to consolidate our provision in Glasgow, and are also optimistic that we will be able to expand our Edinburgh project, which is currently heavily over-subscribed.
New Music from our Team: Pippa Blundell and Peplo singles launch; Penny Black album
Our talented team of HMM practitioners have been busy in their own musical endeavours this month-
First up, Pippa Blundell has launched the first single from her upcoming debut album- Sayshowcases Pippa’s gorgeous voice with dreamy, jazz/world infused accompaniment and is available on all streaming platforms. Watch this space for news of the album too!
Next, our multi-instrumentalist/singer Cit Lennox, with their band Peplo, launched their single, Love is Fun, just in time for Valentine’s day: it’s a super-melodic slice of indie rock/pop that will brighten anyone’s day…
Finally, a reminder that Penny Black launches her new album this Saturday (1st March) in Glasgow: contact Peny via her website if you’d like to attend- it’s free but with a nominal booking fee.
We are over the moon to announce that HMM has been successful in our application to Creative Scotland’s new Multiyear Fund.
This gives the organisation funding over a 3-year period, giving us much-needed stability to plan, develop and expand our programme -more details to follow as we get them.
We’re delighted to have recently been validated as an assessment centre for the Trinity College’s newly-launched Awards and Certificates in Musical Development (ACMD) – the awards are a groundbreaking new qualification specifically developed to be fully-accessible to people of any age with learning difficulties, autism, or other support needs.The Awards and Certificates enable those with learning difficulties across the whole spectrum of needs to achieve a fully regulated qualification via any music-making context.The ACMD awards are developed in association with Sounds of Intent, an inclusive framework of musical engagement pioneered by HMM patron, Professor Adam Ockelford. The framework is already embedded within HMM’s practice, and we’re very excited to be able to offer our participants the opportunity to have their achievements recognised. ACMD awards are fully accredited qualifications, up to Ofqual Level 3, which leads to the exciting possibility of musicians with support needs being able to obtain music qualifications up to the level required for UCAS points.
