My approach to working with people:
When I lead creative projects, I follow participants’ interests and ideas and together we make soundscapes, songs and text for performance. I often record these outcomes.
For example, it’s a real joy to be able to share the work of an elderly person with dementia with family members so that they can hear how engaged he or she has been in the creative process.
Soundscape and song made with the original pre-pandemic Breathing Space group, which comprised people with a range of health and wellbeing needs, carers and volunteers.
It features Wordsworth's I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud, which one of our older participants recited from memory when we were chatting about Spring flowers.
Dramatic soundscape created with a group of Year 6 children with moderate learning difficulties, during the course of a year long residency in a Derby school.
We created a character called Locky - a spirit of the earth and woods, and then we all went searching for her in a cave.
Song making for individuals and groups:
Firefly was written for Hannah, the youngest member of our choir, and edited together from recordings made on
singers' phones during lockdown '20.
“I got my copy of the CD this weekend… What a pleasure it was to be able to play and enjoy your work!!! Many, many thanks to you for your efforts in [my granddaughter] Hannah’s memory. Would you please pass on my sincere thanks to the choir members who took part - it is VERY much appreciated.”
Molly Pickles
Full Fathom Five, originally written for our promenade production of The Tempest.
Training and Reflection
I also offer training to staff in education and community settings to boost their confidence in delivering their own activities. I particularly like to work in partnership with professionals from different disciplines who bring their own skills and viewpoints to the process.
I have an interest in creative methods of reflection and evaluation and I incorporate these into my projects whenever possible.