Young people with disabilities in the district will enjoy live music activities this summer thanks to Ilkley short breaks charity Moor Time.
Moor Time’s holiday club runs at the Scout and Guide HQ in Ben Rhydding every weekday throughout August. It provides fun and accessible activities for young people with complex additional needs, while their families enjoy a respite break from providing care.
Among other activities, it will feature music therapy sessions with the charity Jessie’s Fund, a samba drumming workshop with Keighley’s Jamba Samba troupe, a DJing and music production workshop with Bradford organisation Allstar, and an interactive percussion workshop organised by the charity AIM.
Moor Time’s project manager Jane Connop explains that the club’s live music programme this summer builds on a project that has been running at Moor Time Saturday club and holiday club sessions for a while:
“Many of the young people who come to Moor Time love live music and respond well to musical activities. We have an annual trip to Jam on Top recording studio in Keighley for our secondary-age young people for a Christmas party, so you can see what big fans they are!
“So over the last year with a lot of help from local charity AIM (Accessible and Inclusive Music), we decided to set up regular interactive live music workshops involving classically trained student musicians from two Leeds University societies, the Leeds University Union Music Impact in the Community Society, and Leeds University Union Music Society.”
“The students were fabulous with our young people and introduced elements like scarves, streamers and percussion instruments to motivate everyone to join in, play along and interact with each other and the music. They also encouraged everyone to touch and feel the instruments they were playing, which was particularly helpful for the children who come to us that are sight and hearing-impaired”
In addition to the workshops organised by AIM, local groups including the Hot Aire brass band have come along to play for the young people. Moor Time chair Jane Elliott thanked all the musicians and organisations who have been involved:
“We’re very grateful, especially to AIM, but to all the different groups that are currently helping us develop our musical activities. Music is a useful tool in connecting and interacting with our young people with the most complex needs. It can help them to develop communication skills, and to feel calmer and more emotionally regulated.
“It’s exciting to be building on our project and to now have a musical summer to look forward to! A big thank you as ever to the funders who make this possible – CNET, who got our original project with AIM off the ground through a Local Friendship Support Grant for sensory impaired young people, and our ongoing funders The National Lottery Community Fund, and Bradford Council, through the HAF Scheme and Short Breaks Grants.”
Moor Time is closing its summer of music with an event at Ilkley Bandstand on Sunday 1st September from midday to 2pm, featuring local favourites the All Together Now community choir, who have chosen Moor Time as one of their charities of the year.
Everyone is invited to come down for a dance, sing and sign along to the music with All Together Now and Moor Time. Free to attend but donations to Moor Time are welcome.
For more information, please visit: Moor Time - moortime.org.uk AIM - accessibleinclusivemusic.org.uk All Together Now - facebook.com/atnsing
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