Press Release - MusicSPACE at Home

  

                                                                                                                        

Drake Musician Abi Sinar with participant George Riddell

PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday 22^nd August 2012

No Place Like Home to play music for people with autism!

This week sees the roll-out of MusicSPACE at Home, a collaboration between Drake Music Scotland and Places for People Scotland Care & Support. It provides a fantastic opportunity for people with autism and other support needs to learn to play music - in their own homes! This highly innovative project, funded through the Scottish Government’s Autism Development Fund, will bring a Drake Music Scotland musician round to ring the doorbell for their regular weekly music session.  Both organisations are based at SPACE, Craigmillar’s Social Enterprise and Arts Centre in east Edinburgh and came up with the joint project when they found they shared the common aim of tackling social exclusion and isolation of people with support needs in the local community.

As well as providing the professional musicians with their specialised expertise and resources such as Figurenotes which enables people to start learning to play music, MusicSPACE at Home will build participants’ confidence and they will be encouraged to go along to SPACE to join in with group music- making activities, reducing the isolation and lack of opportunities often experienced by people with autism. 

Several of the participants have already demonstrated talent and keen enthusiasm, surprising some of their carers and family members with what they have already achieved through a pilot carried out over the last few months.  Drake musician Abi Sinar, from Edinburgh, comments:  ‘When I first went to see this client she seemed to enjoy playing and tried a couple of simple tunes.  She was quite incredible.  I put the sheet music for ‘Oh When the Saints’ in front of her and she played straight through accurately and at a very fast speed.  We tried a few other tunes with similar results.  She would be able to learn 2 parts with 2 hands and would quickly progress onto more complex music. Figurenotes is a good place to start in order to motivate her and build her confidence.’

The project will continue  until the end of the year, working towards a special event when participants will be able to share their music and perform for their friends and families. 

  

Drake Music Scotland Chief Executive Thursa Sanderson says, “We are delighted to be working with Places for People Scotland Care & Support as we both share similar aims.  We provide music-making opportunities and they have also used the arts to provide fun as well as meaningful, progressive learning opportunities for service users.  It makes absolute sense for us to work together to bring the best resources to this group who have limited opportunities for participating in local community life, but often have special talents and a lot to offer.  Figurenotes  - a music notation system based on colour and shape - is new to Scotland, but has already proved to be a fantastic way for people to play instruments and learn simple tunes and chords, which can lead on to playing in a group”.

Places for People Scotland Care & Support’s Director Rhona Murray says, “The Scottish Government’s grant offers a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with Drake Music Scotland. Combining our skills to enable people with autism to learn to play  music, will provide each individual with lots of opportunities through 1:1 and group work, to develop and improve their confidence, social engagement and self worth. This is a project that will make a real difference to participants and their carers.

Notes to Editor

Drake Music Scotland

Drake Music Scotland is a registered charity in Scotland making music accessible for people of all ages with disabilities and additional support needs.  Based in Edinburgh, they work across Scotland using new music technology and Figurenotes notation to enable people with disabilities to play, compose and perform music as independently as possible.  Since 1997, they have

• delivered their Switch On to Music programme to over 6000 children in special schools

• given 2000 adults with disabilities the chance to make music for the first time

• trained over 300 teachers to use new music technology and Figurenotes

They produce a range of concerts, conferences and collaborate with a range of arts and music education organisations such as the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Sistema Scotland and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Places for People Scotland Care & Support (PfPSC&S) is a voluntary sector social care provider and a subsidiary of Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association and both companies are members of the Places for People Group.  They provide support and care to 300 people in Edinburgh and the Lothians, including housing with support, care at home, outreach services and day services. They provide services to 56 people with autism and complex needs, enabling them to lead lives of their choosing in their own homes in the community.  Many have limited verbal communication and behaviours that can challenge.

The organisation’s aims and objectives are to provide accessible, responsive and high quality care and support to vulnerable and excluded individuals and their families, through direct delivery, enhanced partnership working and enhanced opportunities for social inclusion and personal development.

Contact:                 Thursa Sanderson

Tel:                            0131 659 4766

Email: info@drakemusicscotland.org

www.drakemusicscotland.org

Drake Music Scotland

SPACE, 11 Harewood Road

EDINBURGH, EH16 4NT

Microscopic Dances – rehearsals underway - Pete Sparkes

Friday’s rehearsal at City of Edinburgh Music School was the first run-through of Technophonia in its final 12-minute version. Oliver has created a series of interlocking movements called Microscopic Dances inspired by the “tiny movements and processes” that are involved in all musical performance. This was partly inspired by the tiny muscle movements that Chris is using to control Notion 3 through Brainfingers.

 The short pieces draw on all kinds of musical influences with echoes of rag-time (Secluded Charleston) New Orleans street bands (Secret Cakewalk), intricate and atmospheric sound collages (Portable Polka) and even a re-imagined Scottish reel (Concealed Reel). Other movements are: Clandestine Waltz, Atomic Jive, Invisible Fandango and Veiled Saraband.


I am very impressed with the professionalism and attitude of all the young people involved in this project. The young musicians from City of Edinburgh Music School are enthusiastic and talented players and they have responded really well to the challenges in the score. Chris (playing Notion 3 through Brainfingers), Stephanie (Skoog) and Antony (Soundbeam and Roland Handsonic) have never had the opportunity to be part of an ensemble before and they are quickly learning to follow a conductor and play their own part in the piece.


This project has presented many new and interesting challenges for Drake Music Scotland as we work to ensure that music technology is integrated effectively as part of the whole ensemble. There is a lot of work to do between now and the performances in June but it is very exciting to be in the home straight of this unique project celebrating creativity and ambition as part of the PRS New Music 2012 Initiative.

Performances:
Friday 15th June, Queen's Hall, Edinburgh
Friday 22nd June, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow
Sunday 15th July, Hayward Gallery, South Bank Centre, London

Technophonia - Pete Sparkes

Great session today with Oliver Searle who is busy drafting musical ideas for our Technophonia commission.(http://www.drakemusicscotland.org/what-we-do/projects/newmusic20x12/)
Oliver is working on new music for a specially created ensemble including acoustic instruments and music technology played by high school pupils.
Today he brought in some sketches of his first ideas for the piece, to be a suite of 'microscopic dances'. The working title for two of the pieces are "Clandestine Waltz" and "Secluded Charleston". We spent the morning listening to bits of the working score and trying out different ideas using Skoogs, Soundbeams and Logic software.

The piece is beginning to take shape now and we are looking forward to a workshop session this November to get the young musicians together to try out the first version of the music. It will be an exciting day for everyone.

Technophonia will be performed in the summer 2012 - Edinburgh (15 June) Glasgow (22 June) and London (15 July)

Look forward to putting some snippets of the music as it evolves!

My Work Experience at Drake Music Scotland - Chris Jacquin

This blog is about my work experience at Drake Music Scotland. This is my third time doing work experience and it has been a great experience. This year has been more active than the rest because I have been using new skills. This has been good because even though I have no set plan for my future, Drake has given me skills for everyday life.

On the first day at Drake I spent a day with Pete [Sparkes, Artistic Director] setting up the studio for some children from Braidburn School who were coming in the next day. Pete and I set up the Skoog with drum sounds. In the afternoon I created a bass line using four notes and creating different riffs.

On Tuesday, Pete and I continued to set up for the Braidburn session. We added some more equipment such as Soundbeam and switches. The session started at 3pm and lasted an hour. There were six children taking part and I recorded each one individually and as a group.

The next day I spent the morning with Caitlin [Mulgrew, Associate Musician] preparing a second episode of the video that we made previously.

I met Oliver Searle the next day. Oliver is a composer who is working with the Technophonia Project. I had to play my exam pieces live to him and I was nervous but it went well. Oliver wanted to hear my compositions and I showed him two of them. Then I met a man called Phil Lee [Trainee Studio Engineer], who is developing a new piece of performing software.

In the afternoon Cath [Sewell, Education and Training Manager] and I went to the Reverb Scotland meeting. Reverb Scotland is about musicians with any disability entering the professional music industry. It was a good experience because the meeting revived my inspiration to do a career in music.

Friday morning was quiet and I spent the morning creating this report. After I finished the report, Hamish [Bamford, Studio Engineer] played some of Audibility’s new tracks which are very good! In the afternoon David [McNiven, Associate Musician] and I did a session with a girl who is autistic and played the bass line on a djembe drum. At 2.45pm David and I started to write the score for “Californication” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers which I will be performing for my Higher Music Exam.

New Music 20x12 - Technophonia

Composer Oliver Searle answers some questions about New Music 20x12...

1. What impact do you think your involvement in this unique, UK wide initiative will have on your work?

I am always intrigued by projects that I have never been involved in before, and enjoy the challenge of having to re-invent the way I work as a composer every time I begin a piece (I always think that if you are finding composition easy, it's not worth doing!). Every time I begin a new process (or complete it), it has a profound effect upon future ways of working and this project in particular, will no doubt alter my approach to musical performers and the way in which they are integrated into an ensemble.

2. Tell us the story of how and why you joined forces with the performers you are working with on this project.

I had heard a lot about Drake Music Scotland in the past, but had never met any of the individuals involved in the organisation. I was interested in being included in a project such as this, due to my research with cochlear implant users around the world (most recently I have been touring a piece of music theatre for young, deaf children), and have long been intrigued by creating an environment in which people who often do not get the opportunity to listen to music, and perform, are able to do so.

3. How are you going to approach creating your new work? What kinds of creative input will the performers and community you are working with have on your work?

The performers in this work will have a direct role in the creative process, as I will be working with several individuals directly, quite some time before the direction of the overall piece is decided, to develop what they are able to do on each of their chosen instruments, as well as to encourage improvisation as a means to create blocks of musical material. This will feed into the fnal composition, influencing the ultimate direction, structure and soundworld of the finished piece.

4. Who do you hope to reach through the creation and performance of this work and what do you hope they'll take away with them?

The plan is to perform this work in several cities, thus reaching a wide audience of people. Also, due to the very nature of this work and its performers (using instruments such as Brainfingers and Skoog), we hope that those who experience it live will rethink their attitudes towards the nature of musical performance.

5. Where do you draw your inspiration and influences? Which creator - musical or otherwise - do you most admire?

Writing music for me has always been quite an introspective and personal experience and I am unsure how I would approach writing music which acted as a direct response to another, external artwork. Instead, I am interested in realising my own response to external influences (which often relates to my own life experience), which might include an idea sparked by an emotion raised while listening, reading, or viewing material. However, I also listen to a vast array of music and would like to think that some of this turns up in my work from time to time; anything from jazz to heavy metal and beyond!

6. Which Olympic and/or Paralympic Games will you be seeing in 2012? What was your best/favourite sport when you were growing up?

I would be happy to see any of the Games next year, as I was involved in a lot of sports when I was younger (unfortunately, time issues now restrict my involvement in quite so much!), such as squash, tennis, swimming and cycling. I still find the time to swim, which I love (as a lunchtime break from composing!), so this would probably be top of my list to witness live!

John McAdie

At last, the chance for all my sound technician training skills - from the Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh in 1988 to Channel Four Television in London, from 1993 to '95- my aspirations, ambitions, hopes and dreams of gaining proper employment as Studio Engineer has finally come to fruition, and what a lucky guy I consider myself to be.

At the fine age of 41 and despite being physically challenged with a mild form of Cerebral Palsy, affecting my right arm and leg, the wonderful team at Drake Music Scotland offered me the post of Studio Engineer for the "5 Songs" project which is now underway in the brand-new, purpose-built, state-of-the-art music and sound recording facility installed at Drake Music Scotland's premises in Craigmillar, Edinburgh.

To brush-up on my studio engineering skills, I attended a 2-day intensive training course on Drake's new installation back in June and have been using the the studio whenever it has been available, performing tasks such as self training on the new "Logic Pro" software, which is a high-end, industry standard computer music recording package to record my band Audability's new album. I like nothing more than using my talent to record, edit, mix and master any type of music and produce excellent quality audio recordings which will be acceptable for air play on radio, television and online, mp3, mp4 High Definition or DVD and CD.

By the superb standard of leadership in providing music accessibility for all, without exclusion, which Drake Music Scotland have set, I am so excited and looking forward to a wonderful and rewarding working relationship, both musically and technologically speaking, I will use my studio engineering skills to ensure that Drake Music Scotland are at the cutting-edge of music production by disabled and able-bodied people alike, the average listener will be amazed at the fantastic sound which will be created by the participants.

Thank you to all the team at Drake Music Scotland, prepare you ears for an audio logical feast!!

John McAdie

Chris Jacquin

15 year old Trinity Academy Pupil Chris Jacquin has made history by sitting the music performance module of his Standard Grade exam using an instrument which he plays with his facial muscles and brainwaves.

His journey to the exam was recorded by his music tutor David McNiven who describes the many obstacles, from physical access to other people’s attitudes, which Chris successful surmounted to achieve his A grade pass.

Chris (15) who has Cerebral Palsy, decided he wanted to make music when he was in primary school in Fife, Scotland. He would not be able to take music at the secondary school in his catchment area so his family moved to Edinburgh.

Enrolling at mainstream Trinity Academy, Chris learned the basics of music on a one-to-one basis with me for his first two years of school because as a wheelchair user there was no access to the music classrooms, which were on a mezzanine level without a lift.

Chris chose Music as a grade subject at the end of second year. In order to achieve this he would have to attend the regular classes with myself as Learning Assistant. This choice presented us with several difficulties, the first purely physical. His solution was to learn to walk with the use of a walking frame.

The second problem was within the structure of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) exam system. Music exams consist of three modules - Listening (music concept recognition and identification), Invention (composition/song writing) and Performance. The first two posed no problems. Chris listens to a wide spectrum of styles and was already a competent composer using music technology by means of a joystick connected to his laptop. The Performance module requires pupils to sit exams playing a first and second instrument.

With somewhat naïve optimism I submitted Chris to sit his performance exams on Laptop and Djembe - we had regular African drum sessions. He uses one hand only but never dropped a beat. He was also creating complex music sequences on computer. The response was negative. The only ‘single drum’ acceptable in Scottish music exams is the pipe band snare drum using both drumsticks. Laptops were a major no-no.

Undaunted, we enlisted the help of Drake Music Scotland who provide music facilities for people with special needs. After an in-depth session at Drake Scotland’s studios in Craigmillar, Edinburgh, they gave us copies of Notion software. Notion is a composition/performance programme which allows music notes to be selected from a pallet and dragged onto an on-screen score using a joystick connected to a laptop or desktop. The piece can then be performed by tapping a large switch which plays the notes on the score as your read the music.

Chris quickly became adept with this programme using it to compose, perform and complete class notation exercises. Drake also introduced us to Brainfingers. This cyberlink ‘mindmouse’ system, the creation of Dr. Andrew Junker allows computer control from sensors in a headband connected to an interface in a control module then into a laptop. The user can perform on screen tasks by ‘brainwaves’, or facial muscle movement depending on the signals the module is set to receive.

In 2009 we invited two members of the SQA to come along to hear Chris’s compositions and watch him perform two pieces on his laptop. We played two of his songs on CD, Diego Armando Maradona and Cara. Chris performed Over the Rainbow and Raindrops on Loch Katrine (his own composition) using switch and laptop. It was then agreed that he could sit his Intermediate 1 Music grade exam performing with Notion as his first instrument. He would also be able to sit a MIDI Sequencing module in place of his second instrument.

Chris had always expressed a strong desire to use Brainfingers to perform his music by clicking his teeth. His parents had banned him from drumming on the car headrest with his fist in time to the music on the car radio. He substituted this practice by secretly playing complex rhythms by ‘dental drumming’ in time to the music. However Brainfingers was still not able to control Notion software and it looked like it might never happen.

On May 7th 2010 I had a home visit from Rick Bamford, Music Technology Officer and resident percussionist with Drake Music Scotland. They had received a new version of Brainfingers hardware and a new version of Notion (Notion 3).

The two systems were compatible. Would Chris like to use them to sit his performance exam? Yes! The catch? Rick was only available on May 12th-the exam date. All the setting up of parameters and rehearsals would have to be done in the morning and hopefully I would record Chris’s performance in the afternoon.

At 9am on May 12th Chris (wearing headband), Rick and myself sat looking at an X-ray of Chris’s skull, his brain in bright red pulsing within, and his Alpha/Beta waves dancing along the bottom of the laptop screen. We were all aware of the deadline. If we failed to get the system up and running Chris would fail the exam.

Much adjustment was needed to eliminate signals coming from other muscles in his face, head and latterly his whole body. Fortunately Rick was able to give Chris a crash course in yoga, enabling him to relax from the neck down, and we finally received the signals from his jaw muscles alone at 2.30pm. At 3pm I hit the record button and Chris’s two performance pieces were complete.

Since then Chris has had an online tutorial in Brainfingers with Dr. Andrew Junker in Yellow Springs, Ohio before using it to record with Drake’s in house band Audability.

August 5th 2010 Chris was awarded a Grade A pass in his SQA Music Exam.

David McNiven
Music Practitioner
August 2010


Footnote

Chris Jacquin is also Scottish Champion of the Paralympics sport Boccia and has played tournaments throughout the UK and Canada with teams from around the world.