Making Time for Music - March 2011

Hi everyone
looking forward to seeing you at the session tomorrow:
MERLIN THEATRE
10 -12

You bring your instruments and drums, we'll bring the tea - coffee - biscuits - ideas.

Spring into spring.

round sounds .... an apple day afternoon

Who would have believed it could be such a perfect afternoon in October?
So sunny that we were outside for the whole session, watching the sun trace the curve of the hilltop, mingling the sounds of birds / animals / distant trains and passing tractors into our music.... As the sun dipped down and the chill rose up, a perfect V of migrating birds passed overhead.
Apple pie and spicy flapjacks, hot mugs of tea all round. Winter coming!

Diversity

For the second year running, Count Me In have delivered workshops for Heathfield Community School to tie in with Global Citizenship day. Students from year 7 worked hard together to create bands for the Intergalactic World Cup of the Future. Each class created their own planet and then presented what was best about their world to the other contestants, through music, rhythm, song, dance.
Exhausting fun!

Wells Cathedral Junior school

An arts week activity day based on 'opposites' .... sound, silence : monkeys, millipedes: elephants, sloths: three part rhythms : jungle soundscapes, grassy cricket lawns : chocolate and vanilla cake !
Looking forwards to more fun with Year 6 on Friday.

Relaxin'

Well, we do work hard at Count Me In meetings ....... but sometimes that music makes you feel ..... pretty ....relaxed.

Jane's training day, Feb 5th at Ilton

I wanted explain the reasoning behind the exercises last friday.
The session was about responding with sound – communicating – initiating with confidence :
Listening -
Intuiting -
Reacting
The warm up exercise was about physical response – i.e. 1 to 1 communication.
The soundscape was about listening, and responding with confidence .
The musical postcards were about describing or painting with music and sound. – introducing fun activities and finding ideas.
The descriptive passages were about ability to create atmosphere – or change atmosphere.
And the final 'drumming on chairs' was about inclusion, noticing, watching and listening. Team work.

Oh - a bit of fun thrown in too.

Open door session One

A great day was had by all. It was really nice to welcome guests, and see old friends from ArtsXchange days.
Nearly 60 people in a room - who could imagine this would work with everyone playing at once? But it did! Lovely gentle sounds, lots of listening and playing together.
Great leading by Ash, Shirley, Adam, John, Phil, Gail.....did I miss anyone?

Looking forward to next week.

what we did in 2009

Here is a map of what we did in 2009



These things included: business meetings and development; fundraising ; partnerships with other arts organisations; education / school sessions; performances in theatres ; regular music sessions ; meetings ; training for staff; networking; parties; workshops for Mencap; recording; writing and arranging new music; several long lunches. And the 'odd' Christmas party.


Ideas for 2010 include tasters; sourcing new partnerships and areas of work; an outdoor music picnic; developing and funding a new project; follow up meetings with trained staff; work on the website; finding a new space to meet in; building on existing partnerships - perhaps with dance and story.

Geoff would especially like to do music for pantomimes, see friends he has made through music, work in an orchestra pit , and travel abroad - to Ireland and Slovenia for example, to teach people drumming.

We all want to remember - it's worth Making Time for Music

next training day coming up chaps

Nov 6th : Ilton village hall ...... 10.30 - 2.30

Music leading and facilitation skills with Mike in the morning.

Finding musicality, with Russ, in the afternoon. (Where can it be? where did he leave it? - behind the curtain? In the cupboard?)

Tea cakes and jollity all day. Don't forget your lunch.

Heavy Load (again)

If anyone is going to be at the Mencap day at Millfield School on Saturday (June 20th) - Heavy Load are playing at 3.00.

Oh - and Count Me In are running music workshops all day. Not one to miss.

Count Me In / no limits

Here are some of the Crew at the Bridgwater Arts Centre - providing the groove for the No Limits /Take Art day of dance and music. Looks like business!

Count Me In Music retreat (holiday)

Here we are at the Coda music centre for a Music and Psyche retreat day.
It was sunny and enjoyable and relaxing - a good day.

Heavy Load's website

Anyone passing by this blog, have a look at Heavy Load's website ! Prepare to stay up late.