Sounding Board has been a wonderful opportunity for our staff, associate artists and young people to learn about telling stories through music. Music has always been a big part of our theatre devising process but since January we have been putting music in the spotlight, creating original songs in a fun and collaborative way with our youth theatre groups and Ensemble Young Company. In 2023, we were awarded Youth Music Trail Blazer funding to help us incorporate music making into our co-creation practice, projects and because our young people, told us they wanted to do more music related stuff at Mortal Fools. Across 2024, Calum Howard has been working with us as a guest artist, helping to demystify the music-making process, using his broad experience as a Composer, Producer and Live Musician to create an open and experimental space for our members to learn new skills and explore their ideas. He’s been working directly with our young people via various workshops, and ran several CPD sessions, with our practitioners, sharing practice. Our Theatre Practitioners and young people have approached this new challenge with enthusiasm, working together to grow their musical knowledge and skills and taking full advantage of Calum's expertise. This has been a particularly exciting project for our Practitioner and Coordinator Scott Wilson, who has previously taken an active role in creating music to enhance our performances. As a keen musician himself he understands how music can help people find community and express their feelings. Read on to hear more from Calum Howard and Scott Wilson: Why do you think it's important for young people to have access to music-making? Calum: Music is a magic potion that boosts mood, increases emotional intelligence, bonds groups, instils confidence and determination, helps us endure challenges and adversity and improves memory while aiding self-expression and personal growth. The word ‘music’ doesn’t come close to summing up the magic that happens when humans get together to play with patterns of sound, pitch and rhythm! Scott: I love using music when working with young people as you can see different pieces spark their imagination in ways that images, writing or questions don't. I'm sure everyone has experienced hearing a song that evokes a memory, or a piece of music that brightens up their day. Seeing our young people getting to create their own music has been an excellent experience. How have the different groups you’ve worked with approached the theme? Scott: Some have been focusing on creating underscoring for their theatre pieces with digital and live instruments, some have been writing and composing songs and music videos, and others are using music to help them create new characters and stories. You can be so creative in how you bring it into your work! Calum: Not only has each group chosen to use music differently - but all of the young people were instrumental in creating the music itself. We recorded ourselves singing, wrote chord progressions, and basslines, experimented with arrangements, and used group decision-making to come to a result we were all happy with. Calum: Not only has each group chosen to use music differently - but all of the young people were instrumental in creating the music itself. We recorded ourselves singing, wrote chord progressions, and basslines, experimented with arrangements, and used group decision-making to come to a result we were all happy with. How has this project helped to develop our Youth theatre members' skills? Scott: It's been great to see members who have never played an instrument before and those with more experience working together to learn from each other and develop their skills playing musical instruments. Our youth theatre members have always impressed us with their imagination and writing skills and getting to work on lyric writing has pushed them to play with meaning, rhyme and rhythm. How do you think music has enhanced our members' ability to express themselves creatively? Scott: Sometimes it's hard to express how you're feeling through words, but we've seen members being able to find a piece of music that just fits a scene or character. As the audience watching the piece, you don't have to be told how to feel, but the music can help guide you. I've also loved seeing our members being able to take the lead on telling our practitioners what they need for their pieces. I've seen their confidence grow whilst working on Sounding Board! What’s been your favourite part of the project so far? Calum: By far it’s seeing the growth in confidence that comes with recording the young people. When I put a microphone in the middle of the room and tell them that, by the end of the session, they will be queuing up to sing their favourite lines into the microphone, there is usually some apprehension! But with group encouragement and hype it’s rare to see anyone opting out! The realisation that there is no ‘correct' way of singing - you can shout, scream, whisper, croon, express yourself however you feel in the moment, and you can be as silly as you want, knowing the group is going to celebrate whatever you do. We have seen some lovely moments where the shyer participants found their niche, to the delight of the rest of the group! Has anything surprised you in the process? Calum: There is no shortage of surprises working with young people! After many attempts, there was one group who were still reluctant to sing as a group. We were starting to think it wasn’t for them, but once we split them off into pairs and small groups, they amazed us by suddenly telling me to start the track, and then they sang their hearts out! It was such a massive win. It takes courage to sing through your inhibitions. Scott: There have been a few times when I've been hesitant about whether teaching a group a piece of music will work. But every time I've been blown away by how they’ve embraced it and I've seen young people picking up instruments for the first time in their life and by the end of the session, they've come up with a melody to play or have made something as part of a group. It's proven to me that young people are so much more capable than we realise!! Do you have any advice for practitioners who want to introduce music-making to a group in an accessible and fun way? Calum: Use what you know and use what THEY know. It’s a collaboration. Don’t be prescriptive or top-down, they spend their whole lives being told what to do! Allow creative freedom and embrace wildness! Always emphasise that everyone has something musical in them, however small it seems. Learn new musical skills yourself! The best teachers are always learning too! How has the project helped develop your skills as a Musical Facilitator? Scott: It's allowed me to explore "actor-musician" theatre making, in which the cast plays the music throughout the show. This is the kind of work I love watching and have always wanted to create. Getting to work on this project has allowed me to learn and develop the complex skills that are needed to direct both theatre and music at the same time! I'm so glad we've been able to run this project and I'm excited to keep developing my skills. How has the project helped develop your skills as a Youth Theatre Practitioner? Calum: We have used CPD days to share games, creative activities, ideas and feedback among the team, which have left me with a treasure trove of tools to use in my practitioner work. I have so many new ideas about how to tell stories with music and the enthusiasm of the creative team and young people alike has been a constant inspiration. Thank you to Calum and Scott! This has been a fantastic collaboration which has given our youth theatre members the confidence to explore different modes of self-expression. Sounding Board Digital Sounding Board Digital is a collection of short films and music videos created during this project, filled with bold, thought-provoking lyrics, catchy tunes and creative soundscapes! These films are perfect for young people, parents, carers, families, youth workers and teachers. We will also release a resource pack filled with fun creative activities to help you explore the themes of the films with your young people. We will be releasing the films early November, and you can enjoy them online, for free. Keep an eye on our socials or join our mailing list to find out when the videos get released. As a team, we are so impressed with our youth theatre members who have put so much passion and hard work into these, and we just know you will love them! Youth Music Trailblazer fund We couldn’t have made these films without funding from the Youth Music Trailblazer fund. It has enabled us to support children and young people facing barriers to make music through working with Mortal Fools. Youth Music is a national charity funded thanks to the National Lottery via Arts Council England, players of People's Postcode Lottery, and support from partners, fundraisers, and donors. Youth Music believe that every young person should have the chance to change their life through music. Their research shows that many can’t because of who they are, where they’re from, or what they’re going through. Their insights, influence, and investment into grassroots organisations and young people themselves mean that more 0–25 year-olds can make, learn, and earn in music. You can find out more about Youth Music here: Youth Music Home Page | Youth Music
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It’s that time of year again when schools, families and youth workers are all busily preparing for the new school year. It’s an exciting time, filled with new possibilities and many young people can’t wait to get back and see their friends once again and return to the lessons they enjoyed! But getting back to school can also bring big changes and anxiety. For young people transitioning to a new school or college, it can be particularly tough as they need to navigate the new lessons and expectations of what is often a larger and more complex setting, find their place and make new friends. This is a topic that comes up a lot in our youth theatre and has been a particular focus of our Stage 2 Ashington Youth Theatre group for our recent Sounding Board project, so we wanted to share some insights we’ve gathered from our young people and staff and some top tips and resources to support young people facing a transition! Our top tips 1. Do something fun! Make time to do some fun activities with young people; something enjoyable that helps build a connection through play and a shared experience. We’ve found that it’s so much easier for young people to talk freely and honestly about what they are feeling when they’re absorbed in an activity, whether that be writing, drawing, playing a game, baking or simply going for a walk. If you’re looking for ideas you can find many free creative activities on our website and YouTube channel: Creative Wellbeing Micro-Workshop for Children was created by Mortal Fools Associate Animator Sheryl Jenkins and Associate Writer Danielle Burn. This mini-workshop encourages you to get out and about, take a moment to relax and try out some easy creative activities. Click here to check out the Creative Wellbeing Micro-Workshop for Children Our Creativity for Wellbeing activities have been created by guest artist Sofia Barton. They are relaxing, playful, simple and fun, encouraging self-expression. Click here for the Creativity for Wellbeing activities. 2. Have a few go-to conversation starters up your sleeve: Every good conversation starts with creating a supportive space where it feels comfortable to share. Our Youth Theatre practitioner Kate recommends having a few go-to questions that you can use to start a conversation about their new school and their feelings around it. Many young people moving schools are involved in a transition day or induction day so this can be a great place to start. You could ask about what activities they did, whether they met any new teachers, whether they are in any of the same classes as their friends or whether they made any new friends. And if you’ve got a young person, that struggles to talk about their feelings and experiences, you could create a visual collage to represent their transition day – featuring words, colours, textures, pictures that help represent their experience on that day. “By creating a safe and supportive atmosphere and exploring the positives you often find the conversation that follows is much more fruitful!” – Kate, Youth Theatre Practitioner 3. Focus on their interests: Think about what makes them happy, talk to them about their favourite lessons and support young people to explore their interests. You may want to chat about how their new school can help them learn more about their interests and meet like-minded people who are equally passionate. Lots of high schools have a wide range of after-school activities from fun sports teams to creative art, theatre and film clubs that they may want to look into when they are settled into their new routine. Sometimes young people, just need a little helping hand to go over the threshold to engage with something new, so providing emotional support and a safe space to figure some stuff out can help in enabling that to happen. “At Mortal Fools we describe our work as “person-centred” recognising that young people, just like us adults, are their own individuals! When having open conversations with young people try not to censor their thoughts and feelings whilst keeping the space safe.” -Kate, Youth Theatre Practitioner 4. Validate their feelings: Moving schools is a big change, and it’s important to let them share the reality of where they are at and try to let go of any preconceived ideas; it’s completely normal to feel a whole range of emotions or conversely to feel totally ready! It’s important in these moments, not to use a sweeping statement like “it will be fine” or to jump in and try to make it all better for that young person. Sometimes just holding space, acknowledging the feelings and guiding them through processing their emotions, is the key! Let them know that whatever they are feeling is okay. 5. Get organised It’s a good idea to work together with young people to prepare as much as you can before the school year starts, to remove some uncertainty. Creating an action plan with the young person can be so helpful, and identifies tangible steps in “getting ready”, so your young person feels like an active participant in their own life. You might want to try out their new route to school together, look together at any information on the school’s website for new students, create a getting ready for school playlist together and if needed get in touch with the SENDCO at their school to make sure they have the right support in place. We’ve created a Getting ready for school playlist as a starter for ten.......you can listen to ours here! Resources that might help: We have lots of films, resources and activities available on our website which are brilliant for supporting young people through times of change: Melva is an award-winning mental health intervention that can help young people manage all sorts of changes in their lives through a creative, fun and approachable digital platform. School licenses can be secured for free for many schools in the North East whilst families can access the MELVA interactive game for just £9.99. Click here to find out more about Melva. My People is a series of short films created by Mortal Fools Ensemble Young Company, following a group of young people navigating the reality of friendship in the modern world. Click here to watch the My People films. Our Wellbeing Resource was co-created with young people and includes a wide variety of wellbeing and mental health support organisations, friends of Mortal Fools, inspirational influencers, courageous activists and colourful content creators. Click here to access the Wellbeing resource. Keep your eyes peeled for our Sounding Board Digital launch this autumn with vibrant films, catchy songs and fun activities, to encourage you to express yourself and make your voice heard. Find out more about Sounding Board by clicking here "if you work through fear you realise you can do anything!" - Youth Theatre Member on Sounding Board Digital Despite the uncertainty, it’s important to remember that moving schools presents some really exciting opportunities; young people often have more freedom, meet new people who they really connect with and develop their interests with a wide range of classes and after-school clubs. We’ll leave you with these encouraging words from our youth theatre practitioner Kate and her group: “We explored how transitions feel in our youth theatre groups who described it as both “terrifying and wonderful” at the same time! We reflected on the times we have overcome these changes, including many young people already moving schools, and we want to remind people that “it's scary at first but once you get used to it it's really fun!” -Kate, Youth Theatre Practitioner |
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