soundLINCS Annual Report 2018-19

Annual Review 2018 - 19 EVENT KEY

Performance

Festival

Regular Workshop

Single Workshop

Other

Introduction Glenn Tinsley, Chair As ever, the ability of soundLINCS to bring comfort, stimulation and education through the power of music has continued through this, our 20th Anniversary year. It’s therefore appropriate to issue a vote of thanks to all those people who have made soundLINCS work over the past two decades, from the staff at our Lincoln HQ, to our music facilitators, our partners and not forgetting our Board members.

And of course, all those people who have made use of our services.

The charity sector, like many others, is a challenging environment from a funding perspective. But the will to deliver a quality product to people who really need our assistance is a constant driving force which will see us hopefully celebrate our ruby anniversary in 2038/39 – now there’s a thought! Enjoy the annual review and happy anniversary soundLINCS!

Nikki-Kate Heyes MBE, CEO Welcome to soundLINCS’ Annual Review 2018/19. I cannot believe it is our twentieth year; I still remember that historic day 20 years ago on the 1st June 1998 when it all began! The past year has been remarkable with us spreading our wings to the beautiful pastures of Azerbaijan, expanding the reach of our community work at the ISME conference. There have been plenty of projects, partnerships, activity, and awards to keep us energised and refreshed! Hopefully, the extent of the work that we do will leave you wanting to visit www. soundlincs.org to find out more!

We have launched some amazing toolkits and academic research that we hope will be informative and thought-provoking. Our social and musical impact continues to be delivered to a diverse and inclusive range of people, from older adults and hospitalised children to hearing impaired and SEND participants. Our social media statistics suggest this is the best year soundLINCS has had with more people than ever getting involved across our platforms. We can’t wait to keeping smashing records!

Year in Numbers

7,460 Cumulative Participants

979 Sessions Delivered

30 Employed Music Facilitators

149 Countries visited the Website

41,604

Website Page Views

347,128 People Reached Online

Happy Birthday To Us! We celebrated our 20th Birthday on June 1st 2018. For a small, not-for-profit charity we’ve made a huge impact.

Read the soundLINCS story here.

The past 20 years have taken us on a journey, touching the lives of many different people from all backgrounds.

It is the perfect time to emphasise that anyone can unleash their potential through music, which we have encompassed in our new branding.

Community music is now being taken seriously at an elite level as we continue to make a social impact. We were invited to write chapters for academic books; Nikki-Kate and John Stafford both featured in published works, Dr Pat Beckley’s The Philosophy and Practice of Outstanding Early Years Provision and Professors Lee Higgins and Lee Willingham’s Engaging in Community Music.

“I do hope that you keep inspiring the people of Lincolnshire (and now even further afield) to find the joy that music brings into their lives. What could be more worthwhile?” - Elizabeth Padgett “I have been truly honoured to have been a really tiny part of the delivery of fantastic music experiences across the County, especially for those little people making their First Notes.” - Penny Lee

20th Birthday Message

“Those early years had their tough times but they were life changing for many - including myself ...we formed some amazing partnerships and you were up there with the best.”

-Jaci Gill, Former Employee of CFBT School Improvement

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ISME Conference and Information and Sharing From 10-20 July we were invited to Georgia and Azerbaijan for the Community Music Activity Pre-Conference Seminar and ISME 2018, the 33rd conference of the International Society for Music Education.

We were invited to present our own investigations as a not-for-profit charity and shared them on an international level with over 800 like-minded individuals from around the globe. We value music learning and believe resources are a vital part of what we can do to benefit people, as well as hearing different social impacts from a multitude of cultures.

Sharing our knowledge at a world conference is important, but we also make sure we are making an impact back in England. SoundEMission continues to roll out every month with insightful and helpful articles on developing yourself along with sector news headlines and more.

This year, musicLINK, the East Midlands Information service, received new branding that gave it a sleek and modern design and renewed energy. It has seen new membership categories created, as well as a brand new design for the monthly diary and annual directory. It continues to reach up to 1000 people every month and remains a vital part of the music community, listing events in the monthly diary.

Toolkits and Reports

Our Toolkits enhance music-learning and give us an opportunity to work with different people and challenges. The toolkits help us to understand how we can improve the way we impact lives with music.

Make sure to click the images to find out more.

This year has seen the launch of the Good Vibrations Toolkit for adults working with deaf and hearing-impaired children and young people, and the Groove and Grow Report, supporting the social interactions of young parents in challenging circumstances. The Fusion report, a study of the value of music as a resource and intervention for Children’s Services Practitioners in Lincolnshire, also launched this year.

The toolkits not only remind us of the social impact we are making but also of the academic partners that we work closely with. These include York St John University, Nottingham Trent University, and Bishop Grosseteste University. They continue to allow Community Music to grow into an emerging and serious field.

“[Good Vibrations] should be used nationally to encourage making music with deaf people and I am delighted to recommend it.” - Paul Whittaker OBE

“[Good Vibrations] is such an excellent toolkit, hugely helpful, and will be a great resource.”

-Dame Evelyn Glennie, Professional Percussionist

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New Tricks Our three-year programme, New Tricks, has been a complete success. The programme focused on music-making opportunities in a variety of styles for people over 50.

Over 3 years, 15 groups have been created and consist of 3 Rhythm and Blues groups, 3 Acoustic Ensemble groups, 2 Orchestral groups, 3 All-Abilities Singing groups, 3 Ukulele groups, and an Indian and African Hand Drumming group. Over 6450 cumulative participants have attended over 900 sessions. This is a fantastic achievement from all involved.

The groups have had a successful time performing at the Silver Sunday events, with videos gaining up to 100 views. Tracks have been recorded by the groups and uploaded onto the soundLINCS website, whilst digital impressions have exceeded 250,000. The positive impact and appreciation by New Tricks participants and its audiences have been truly staggering.

The social impact and health benefits of New Tricks cannot be overstated and a full list of the groups which will be continuing can be found on our website. It has been an overwhelming success!

“Meeting with Johnny, the group leader, was a revelation. Not just about playing, he talked to me about music possibilities in general.

Just a few weeks later, and my life has changed considerably.” Participant “I don’t know if you know how valuable these sessions are, it’s such a brilliant experience to be able to perform with such a large group on a stage with an audience cheering you on.” - Participant “It has been wonderful to see the group grow, with so many friendships being made” - Venue Staff from a New Tricks Event

Children and Young People During this year we worked extensively across five sites of Springwell (Pupil Referral Units) with young people excluded from mainstream education. We had particular success with young people obtaining arts award in Mablethorpe.

The nationally recognised Frequency project continues to run with funding from the Coastal Community Challenge. Pupils in Mablethorpe and Sutton-on-Sea wrote songs using iPads and music software. The songs are featured on SoundCloud.

Residential and respite care settings in Boston, Lincoln and Grantham have enjoyed music-making and workforce development as part of Lincolnshire County Council Music, Drama and Arts Service for Looked After Children. soundLINCS’ Making Noise at National Centre for Craft and Design in Sleaford is now 10 years old. Happy Birthday!

Young people at Lincoln St Christopher’s School are using laptop computers and iPads to create their own music whilst St Francis School are hosting the first ever Open Orchestra in Lincolnshire, a partnership project with Lincolnshire Music Education Hub. Other Special Educational Needs and Disabilities projects have been provided to St Bernard’s School and Riseholme College.

Next year, soundPLAT4M will create new music-making opportunities for children and young people.

FAB! 2018 Video

“I have [Garageband] on my mum’s iPad so I can write songs when I am at home... I really enjoy it.” - Frequency Participant “Today was fun and taught me a lot. It also inspired me... Me and my peers have really enjoyed it and had a lovely time.” - Participant from a Residential Children’s Home

“It was great fun working with the team to make this possible. I’m so happy I had the chance to sing for the FAB! Awards, and after being able to produce something like this, I know now I want to proceed with a music career in the future! Thanks to soundLINCS see what it was like to sing and I got to 7 produce something with a great team around me.”

- FAB! Participant

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