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Winter 2017 Newsletter
We would like to share some highlights from this year
with you, and tell you a little about our plans for 2018. We have had
a wonderful year celebrating our 20th Anniversary with a series of
special events, whilst delivering a programme of educational events,
projects and workshops. Please read on to find out more...
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Our Highlights of 2017- Events
2017 saw a series of special events as we celebrated
our 20th year.
Towards the beginning of the year, we hosted the
wonderful Yorkston, Thorne & Khan at Ramsgate Music Hall. The
trio inspired us with their fusion of traditional Indian and UK folk
songs, proving that music really does operate without borders.
We brought the Songlines Newcomer of the Year award
winners, Kefaya to the Lighthouse in Deal. The band
brought their versatility and energy to the gig, introducing us to
their new album "Radio International".
In August we hosted our annual festival, Global
Sounds. We were very lucky to have a host of incredible artists and
workshops, as well as the sunshine! We saw some fantastic
performances from all over the world, starting with Canterbury-based
band Arlet, Senegalese master Kora player Kadialy Kouyate, Cuban Son
and Salsa from Sarabanda and our headliners of the day Kefaya, who
wowed us with their take on contemporary world fusion. We also
offered audiences some wonderful global workshops, run by Music for
Change artists. Ling brought us a colourful magic performance and
ribbon workshop, and Emmanuel Okine got us all moving with the UK
African Acrobats performance and workshop.
This October, we co-produced the Canterbury Festival
Parade, working alongside the festival and
bringing Kinetica Bloco's colourful and noisy parade
to Canterbury. Pupils from St Peters Methodists Primary School,
Whitstable Juniors School, St Christopher's School, St Nicholas
Special School Canterbury, Barton Court Grammar School and Fulston
Manor School all took part in the parade and pre-parade workshops.
From April to September we continued our work with
Folkestone Harbour arm, providing a summer season full of world-class
acts ranging from Kadialy Kouyate to Young Waters,
from U'Zambezi to Yamaya .
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Our highlights of 2017- Workshops and Projects
This year we have continued to run a diverse range of
workshops and events in community and school settings.
In 2016 we began working with Skillnet to run the
Composed Project. This project, lead by Oliver Seager and Yiannis
Zaronis, has allowed young musicians to develop skills enabling
them to play instruments, compose music, write lyrics, rehearse as a
band, record their music and play in the local community. We are
pleased to say that this project will be continuing into 2018.
2017 saw the start of our music-making sessions at
Westgate Hall. Led by Oliver Seager, musicians of all ages and
backgrounds have come together to write songs, form a band and
eventually perform and record together. If you feel like joining in,
this free workshop is also continuing into the new year, every other
Tuesday from 3:30 pm- 5:00 pm at Westgate Hall Canterbury.
Every Tuesday from 7:45pm-9:15pm we have been running
the Cliftonville Community Singers Choir in Margate. The group is a
friendly open choir and free for all to attend, so if you fancy a try
at singing, do come along!
Our work with Music
in Detention continues to provide detainees in
Immigration Removal Centres with enjoyable and stress-relieving
musical activity. This year we delivered 66 music-making
workshops across 4 centres, and began the Artist in Residency
programme, which will continue into 2018.
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Our Plans for Next Year
Along
with the Composed project with Skillnet, our Westgate Hall music
making sessions and the Cliftonville Community Choir, we are running a
series of workshops and events in 2018.
In
the spring we will be starting a project in Margate's Turner Contemporary
(funded by Youth Music) for disadvantaged young people to encourage
community cohesion through music.
We
will also be working with Homeless charity Porchlight and the Co-Op
Community Fund to run therapeutic music-making workshops across 2018,
to reduce stress and improve well-being in one of Porchlight's
Canterbury hostels.
And
of course there will be more exciting events, gigs, workshops and
projects in the new year. Stay posted to find out more...
All
the best for 2018,
The Music for
Change Team
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