Let’s be honest 2020 was a tough one and we are all glad to see the back of it despite being ‘another year older and deeper in debt!’ For me it’s onwards and upwards as things like steady employment and gigs aplenty go out the window and modern life takes a strange macabre twist. Never mind the working week, the working day is changing as I speak and may never be the same again and as for the weekend, whatever happened to that? Hmm that reminds me of a song from somewhere … cue dust down a copy of my first venture into vinyl.
So I am taking a positive approach and looking at new ways of working. The making of my solo EP ‘Hope Street’ was a first big step in that direction calling on some very talented people to collaborate with … from a distance! Thank heavens for home studio technology … I have learned an awful lot over the last few months and big thanks to Dave Maughan and Rob Meek are in order here. I am keen to do more and not just with musicians, working with artists from across the spectrum appeals, it’s scary but challenging. An idea for an illustrated book of short stories based on some of my songs has been brewing for a while now.
I really enjoyed the ‘Together Songs’ project at the tail end of last year and there is more of that in the pipeline. When working with young people you are never quite sure what will happen next or what ideas they will throw at you and I love that interaction. Musical inclusion will remain at the heart of my educational practise whether it be through direct delivery or from a planning and strategic perspective, the voices of all young people should be heard and listened to.
