Currently I am applying a lot of my teaching artistry with inclusive music and dance organisation, Paragon Music. Paragon are passionate about using music and the arts to raise people's aspirations, promoting positive self-image, teamwork, communication and learning.
More about Paragon:
Play On!
Play On is a fun, inclusive way to learn a musical instrument and meet new friends. Young people (6-20 yrs) with additional support needs can access this unique opportunity to learn a musical instrument, make up their own music in a group and play in performances. Aspiring students who want to take their interest further can learn at a more advanced level. Whatever their interest or ability, Play On gives students the chance to be immersed in high quality music training. Family members of any age can join in too and experience the fun of playing music in a supportive and fun atmosphere.
I design and lead the Junior Group every week at Play On (6-8 yrs) - we create brand new music each session in response to a number of themes and ideas. More recently, I am running a group workshop for new band, The Dark Destroyers:
“Jack is much more comfortable in front of people - his school has actually said that to us, where he’s actually spoken to the whole school in an assembly. Now he just takes it in his stride...”
Horizons
Horizons is a one-to-one mentoring programme that allows young people and adults who have aspirations to "get their own music out there" to experience exactly that. I lead sessions that include songwriting labs, sessional recording, rehearsals for gigs, advice and more.
Cup O' Kindness
Paragon Musicians ran a series of workshops in Glasgow with Sense Scotland and Artform with a performance in the Centre for Contemporary Arts on Burns Day 2015. A second series of workshops were held in Dumfries with Loch Arthur Community and Dumfries Choral Society and performed as part of the Big Burns Supper.
Being part of the Dumfries project, inspired by the life and works of Robert Burns and intertwined with new music, was a rich and moving experience, coinciding with the positive messages Burns offered to our friends around the globe – offering them a Cup O’ Kindness from Scotland.
M3 (Make Music Move)
M3 (Make Music Move) is an inclusive dance and music programme aimed at teenagers with additional support needs, where the aim is to encourage movement, creativity and more importantly to make friends and have fun.
These workshops encourage all participants to contribute to the creation of a new piece of contemporary dance and a brand new music composition, concluding with a public performance. For more information, follow the link below:
http://paragon-music.org/events/m3-summer-week-of-workshops/
Beat It
Beat It gives adults the opportunity to ‘jam’ and learn to play musical instruments whilst socialising and meeting new friends in an inclusive setting. Workshops are designed to support participants in experimenting with music and instruments and build confidence in their own musical abilities, with regular performances throughout the year.
Workshops take place on a weekly basis, encouraging experimentation, participation and connection with others. Compositions include songs about food, holidays, our names and more recently a piece of hip-hop about identity called "Give It Up."
