We want to place mindfulness and wellbeing at the heart of primary schools’ day to day activity, using the music and PSHE curriculum as open and inclusive access points for all children and teachers. Over the past few years, we have carried out extensive work in this field: in 2021’s Island of the Self project, a creative music and mindfulness project with award-winning ensemble Engines Orchestra , music and wellness experts Mindful Music, and composer and educator Raph Clarkson, and last year’s taster Music and Mindfulness workshops which ran in nine of our Neighbourhood Schools, and which explored techniques for children to maintain wellbeing and resilience in a shifting world.
This year’s Music and Mindfulness work offers schools a menu of activities and options to choose from:
Music and Mindfulness Taster Workshops:
The workshops are led by musicians and wellness experts Martha Wright, Raph Clarkson and Joe Holtaway. The aim of a taster workshop is to introduce and explore different techniques for children to maintain wellbeing and resilience in a world that has often seemed insecure to them over the past couple of years. Over the course of a workshop, each school will explore mindfulness and wellbeing using a mixture of mindfulness methodologies, mini meditations and singing.
Music and Mindfulness Songwriting Course:
A four-week creative song–writing programme which can be individually tailored to school PSHE curriculum objectives and the well-being needs of particular classes and individuals. Classes will work with one of the project leaders to explore different mindfulness and wellbeing activities, before using mindfulness practice and creative composition to create new pieces / songs based on the emotional learning gained through the workshops.
If you are interested in signing your school up for a Music & Mindfulness taster workshop, or the songwriting course, please contact Alexandra Jackman: ku.gro.cisumsdleiflatips@namkcaj.ardnaxela
The Neighbourhood Schools project is generously supported by The SHM Foundation, The Victoria Wood Foundation, The Derek Shuttleworth Educational Trust, The Henry Oldfield Trust, The Three Monkies Trust and the generosity of a number of individual donors.
