With the Autumn and Winter season in full swing, the Community team have been very busy.

Criminal Justice

On 04 October, many of you joined us for the incredible performance at HMP Warren Hill which was the end of a week-long project at the prison. The men had worked to create a show titled ‘Voices’. Over the week, the community team worked with sixteen participants, all of whom came onto the stage to perform either as a musician or lyricist. We were delighted to have eight new participants working with us on this project. The Community team hope to have the music live on the website soon. We will let you know when it is available.

As part of Black History Month, on 18 October, Wooden Roots joined us for a djembe workshop. Twenty participants joined us to learn the history of the djembe, drum technique, and drumming pattern. The prison was filled with music for the afternoon that could be heard across the site.

Families

To kick off the October half-term activities, the community team welcomed a number of families to Family Music Makers session in Snape, led by Steph Wakeman and Charly Jolly, to enjoy an afternoon of music making.

The Red House got into the spirit of Halloween with family groups developing their own Spooky Suffolk Tale, using sound effects, Foley techniques and loop pedal technology. All children created their own sound effects kit and took part in a spooky sound trail around The Red House garden.

Later Life

Our Participate sessions have continued in all locations playing ‘musical consequences’ where the participants will work to create a graphic score for the next week's artists to interpret.

Over the past year, we have worked with a local filmmaker to create a film sharing the story of two of our Skylarks participants. The film was chosen to be shown at Riverside Cinema, Woodbridge on 26 October, as part of the ‘Suffolk Short: Connection’ film festival. The team said, ‘ It's a very tender film that does not feel intrusive, yet the warmth of the project radiates through.’

Schools

Across three days we collaborated with Britten Sinfonia’s Tiny Magic Orchestra to visit nine schools across Suffolk, in Bury St Edmunds, Lowestoft, and some local to Snape. Tiny Magic Orchestra is a performance designed to introduce live music and instruments to children to explore a range of musical genres.

In October, a variety of educational sessions took place at The Red House and in local schools:

2nd October: Year 5/6 pupils from Leiston Primary, Coldfair Green Primary, Saxmundham, and Summerhill School participated in an Able Writers day with author Robin Brice.

7th October: Stoke-by-Nayland Primary School took part in a Science of Sound workshop, exploring music and sound through experiments.

8th October: Otley Primary School engaged in a Music Through Time session, learning about Britten’s oldest collections and early music history.

10th October: Joe led workshops at Snape Primary School, covering early years music and an Art Award session for Year 1 and 2.

17th October: Wickham Market Primary School explored ancient music through a Music Through Time workshop, including Stone Age instruments and Britten’s collections.

22nd October: Stone Lodge Academy visited The Red House, learning about Britten’s sea connections, creating nautical instruments, and enjoying a performance by a harpist.

23rd October: Joe led Britten Childhood sessions at Leiston Primary for Year 1 students, focusing on Britten’s childhood, his music, and creating rhythm performances.

24th October: Joe delivered a Science of Sound session at Bawdsey Primary for Year 4 students, who conducted experiments and completed their Science Passports.

Throughout, teachers praised the sessions for being engaging and educational, with students thoroughly enjoying their experiences.

Group A

Group A Leiston are continuing to enjoy their weekly after-school sessions. This half-term they have been learning some new songs, including 'California Dreamin'' by The Mamas & The Papa. They have also been exploring creative song writing focusing on the themes of souls, childhood & the secrets of the forest.

Creative Health

• Music to Die for had a half day residency this month. This was a project that came out of a ThinkTank on the role of music at end of life, which we held earlier this year.
• We hosted a further meeting to initiate a Wellbeing for Musicians Equity Alliance.
• Angie spoke at the Norfolk and Suffolk Culture Board Summit on Creative Health.