.jpg) |
| Uniting Local Communities | Transforming lives through music |
Community
Music in Action (CMIA) is a local charity founded by members of Beckenham-based
community choir FUNdamentally GOSPEL. The choir launched the charity in July
2011 when they realised how the benefits they had gained from making music
together could be passed back to their local community.
The
aim of CMIA is to fund and run at least three music projects a year in Bromley and neighbouring
boroughs, targeting vulnerable and disadvantaged groups of
people. The projects are led by experienced musicians and professional workshop
leaders along with volunteers from the choir and are tailored to each partner’s needs and requirements.
Funds
are raised primarily by the choir’s three annual concerts which feature an
uplifting mixture of pop, soul, gospel and world music. As the choir’s
popularity has grown within the community, they have also been invited to sing
at festivals, private functions & other community events. This year they
also received funding from the Concertina Trust.
Exceeding
their own aims in the first year, CMIA delivered 4 projects with over 100
individuals benefitting from their work.
They
ran two separate Gospel Singing projects with Marjorie McClure
Specialist School
A
third project saw them employ professional rapper Myles Dhillon to work with sixth-formers
with severe or profound learning difficulties at Riverside School in St Mary’s
Cray combining lyric-writing and digital music production.
Keen
to benefit a broad range of members of the local community, CMIA’s other
project of 2011 was for Bromley Alzheimer’s Society. The charity used funds
donated by the Concertina Trust to employ Kim Perkins, professional Community
Musician & Workshop leader to lead a series of music therapy afternoons at
White Gables Day Care Centre.
The charity is proud to
announce that 2013 has already got off to a flying start with a project that
has not only benefitted children with special needs in the short term, but also
will leave a lasting legacy at Glebe SEN School in West Wickham, Bromley and is
their largest & most ambitious project to date.
Over 8 weeks, the
charity welcomed back experienced music workshop leader Kim Perkins to
set up & run a new school choir, for the students. Assisted by
FUNdamentally Gospel choir member and volunteer, Sarah Richardson, Kim run
weekly lunchtime choir sessions and recruited members to join through a series
of singing taster sessions with different classes across the school.
Named Cool Voices by the students involved, the
choir grew to a regular 20 members, with other children joining in on a more ad
hoc basis each week. At the end of the 8 weeks, Cool Voices had become the
largest attended extra curricular group the school have ever run. The choir
performed a concert in the final term assembly to their parents, carers,
friends & members of FUNdamentally Gospel Choir.
Volunteer Sarah Richardson said
of the concert and project, “…then came the grand finale! The whole hall
joined in with a 'Singing in the Rain/Under my Umbrella' mash-up and our
wonderful resident MC Ryan, rapped over the top. It was just splendid and
wonderful to experience. What a superb end to a fantastic 8 weeks, the students
clearly enjoyed every minute and did themselves proud. Whilst the project is
now completed, the choir will continue to be led by the Head of Music and we'll
return later in the year to see how they're getting on”
So far the charity has been funded entirely by the
activities of FUNdamentally GOSPEL, but the vision of Musical Director and
Chairperson Fiona Bolton is one that sees lots of different kinds of local
musical groups from the local area uniting towards a common goal. “It’s
been wonderful to see the choir grow, but even more exciting is to see people
from all walks of life uniting through song and pouring their collective energy
into a greater purpose. I would love to see Community Music In Action become an
initiative that had orchestras, wind bands, choral societies and steel pan
ensembles, coming together to work towards the common aim of sharing the joy of
music with those less fortunate than ourselves.”
Musical
groups from the local area are urged to get in touch to find out more about how
they can get involved with CMIA, whether it be through fundraising or
volunteering on a project. CMIA would
also love to hear from organisations who feel they may benefit from the work
they do and who might like CMIA to run a music project for them.
Whilst
we are currently a small charity, we have BIG ideas, aims and plans. We are
currently seeking funding from various different music bodies and organisations,
we are also on the hunt for a celebrity patron. Next year we would like to run
a summer school and are currently scoping our plans for this, in addition to
the three projects we have already committed to delivering.
enquiries@communitymusicinaction.org.uk
www.fundamentallygospel.co.uk | fiona@fundamentallygospel.co.uk
Feedback from our partners in 2011:-
“The pupils loved the gospel sessions, sang
with great enthusiasm and were able to express themselves through their music.
Tina led them beautifully, inspiring them to perform better and challenging
them with difficult harmonies – the result was fantastic!”
“The
young people gave me all their ideas and we tailored and moulded them to fit
with the music. This kind of music allows young people to express themselves
verbally in a way in which they would not normally on a day to day basis. It
also encourages them to think creatively in the way they speak or craft their
words. It is so cool that CMIA have got together to raise funds for these kinds
or projects. It’s great that they actually do something creative and fun in
order to raise money. I hope that some of the young people who are involved in
the project will be inspired to take part with the choir in the future, to show
the benefit and impact of the money being raised within the local
community."
Myles Dhillon, Rapper & Project
Leader
”The
purpose of this
fabulous project was to include people with dementia in community music and it
has certainly been met enthusiastically by our clients. Music and singing
provide great stimulation and are a powerful memory tool, all participants
really enjoyed their afternoons with Kim”
Anne Diamond, White Gables Day Care Centre
Manager
“Thank you CMIA for such
a great project. The students had a wonderful time and gained so much out of
it.”
Claire
Tillotson, Music Therapist, Drumbeat School
No comments:
Post a Comment