February 2010
1 post
Funding, funding funding
Have secured the SingUp project, working with looked after children of primary age. More on this later.
Have submitted a joint bid to Youth Music with GMF and Music Makers for music based mentoring work with “young people in challenging circumstances”. Both organisations were invited to apply. We decided to work together and I landed the fun job of doing the bid. I was really...
January 2010
1 post
Update on last bit of 2009
Too busy to Blog!
Attended SW Music Forum meeting in Exeter at end of Oct on behalf of George as he was not available. Lots of interesting stuff bubbling up around the region.
Various meetings, telephone discussions and visits to venues to try and make progress on getting regular good quality youth gigs in the Forest. Included meeting Forest Youth Forum, the Youth Forum exec & Music Makers...
October 2009
1 post
Music opportunities as secondary schools are...
Having got a bit of national profile for SoundSpace, Music Maker’s new building, I was asked to join a working party looking at music aspects of the Government’s initiative to replace and renew the numerous badly designed, worn out and tatty secondary schools in England. As a freelancer it is always difficult to find the time to get involved in things like this, but I was very keen to contribute...
September 2009
3 posts
French residential visit to Music Makers
Most of August was taken up with me leading a visit by 11 young French musicians to Music Makers, residential for 8 days with 10 local young musicians, creating music together at SoundSpace in the day. Ages 15 to 23. Very hard work and a lot of responsibility, but also very interesting with some great moments including an excellent acoustic gig with all the young people playing. A highlight of...
August 2009
4 posts
Royal Forest of Dean College
I had a meeting with two of the main music staff at Royal Forest of Dean College on 13th July. Kevin Grey who leads the Music Technology and music courses and James Camp who teaches on the courses (and plays keyboards with Peppermint Hunting Lodge).
They are keen to be members of GMF as soon as the web site is up and running and to be fully associated with GMF. They are also very...
Heywood school fun day
The SoundSpace team from Music Makers organised an acoustic stage with some of the Acoustic Night Live people. Mostly teenagers playing, including Richard Knapman a great young singer/songwriter from Gloucester who had been referred by the Pupil Referral Unit to record with Music Makers. Final set from Derry Brownson of EMF with his brother Lee who manages SoundSpace rehearsal sessions with Dan...
What a month!!
I never, ever want to move house again in my whole life (my lovely and patient wife frequently reminds me that I am prone to exageration!). Moved out of old house on 15th July, did not get into new until 21st July, house still full of builders. At that stage we still did not have a working cooker, a bath or shower or an inside loo BUT the double bass was safe and snug in its purpose built...
July 2009
2 posts
Lydney Music School
Had a great discussion with Trevor Davies who runs Lydney Music School tel. 01594 843365. I had some contact with him when they first set up a few years back, having moved here from London. He does a lot of guitar teaching in school over quite a wide area as well has getting other teachers in to work at their base, the old police station in Lydney. They are organising some workshops,...
Redknock School.....(Dursley)
zacfroud:
After meeting with head of Music Jason Andrews last week, Redknock School have found themselves in a great position of growth within the music and arts departments… With major developments in progress and building coming to a finish Redknock’s music department is flourishing.
The introduction of Music technology into the schools curriculum has seen a great increase in the interest for...
June 2009
5 posts
The French are coming
Forest of Dean Music Makers have secured European funding for the first stage of an exchange with a group of young musicians from a similar Bordeaux. The theme is “our music - places to rehearse, peform and record - our place in society”. The visit will take place from 10th to 17th of August this year with a 19 French and English young people creating music together, discussing issues...
A bit more catch up
The first people I met in the GMF role in April were Nick Penny and Mary Coupe who have recently formed a Community Interest Company called M.I.S. (Music Industry Services), who had been trying to meet me for ages. Both of them have links with Switched On and have been involved in the Coleford Music Festival. They had met with George a few weeks earlier.
Their aims include setting up an...
I didn't do all this today - just got behind with...
But what I did do today was meet with Lee Brownson who runs acoustic night live at the White Heart in Cinderford. A great little venue and great sessions, always packed out when I have been there. Check them out at www.myspace.com/acousticnightlive. They have got thier own PA kit now, having started out borrowing stuff from Music Makers.
Lee also manages evening and weekend use for rehearsals,...
Young People's Services in Forest of Dean
Had a good long chat with Graham Spearman, who has some elaborate title, but basicly works for the County Council, managing the youth service in the Forest of Dean (which he has been doing for ages) and now managing Connexions as well. Graham has been consistantly supportive since the time I was trying to set up Music Makers nearly 10 years ago. He is the senior link person for the Forest Youth...
No arts officer for the Forest.
Our District council in their wisdom have axed the post of arts and events officer - however …. the officer, Amanda Smith is still in post for a few more days. We had a long chat about the work she is doing with “Switched On” a community interest company that has grown out of the Coleford Festival. Vicky Thornton is the other main person in Switched On. They are running a ...
May 2009
1 post
Six weeks passes so quickly
Hi all,
I am Mark Bick, Music Development worker for the Forest of Dean.
My background is in community music and youthwork, with a lot of programme development and training thrown in. I set up Forest of Dean Music Makers 8 years ago and continue to work for them freelance. See www.fdmm.org.uk for more info. I lead two courses every year for Birmingham and other West Midlands Music services to...