Live Music Now NE musicians Maia visited Craven Pupil Referral Service in Skipton recently, for a session which staff called a “roaring success”.
Craven PRS students at the session
Craven PRS provides full and part-time education and support for children and young people, aged 11-16, who, for a variety of reasons, are unable to access mainstream education.
“The students benefitted from LMN’s visit in so many ways”, said Hannah Chesterman, Art Teacher at the school. “Our students can often put each other off taking part in anything that could be considered expressive, but by the end of day they had clearly laid aside any feelings of embarrassment and were united in making music.
“One student who wrote and sang his own song, could not have done this without the musician’s encouragement and guidance. He has since applied for a place and been accepted at a music organisation in York called the Jam Factory and we wait eagerly to see him topping the charts!”
Hannah thanked the group, saying “All members off staff at the PRU were unanimous that the day was a roaring success and we look forward to seeing you again.”
“Hannah from the school commented she had very rarely seen the students express themselves as part of a group”
– Will Fletcher, LMN Musician
Will Fletcher, drummer in the group Maia who lead the session said “The more shy characters in the group gained confidence and started to experiment with some of the different instruments we brought along. There was a turning point when one of the participants requested we play a Coldplay song – followed by a fantastic moment where the whole group played together to Yellow, improvising interesting patterns on percussion and joining in with the singing.
“One of the students had written a beautiful song about a close family member and until now, never had the opportunity or encouragement to perform in front of anyone. Tom (guitarist and singer in Maia) spent some time with them and gave them some help and tips on performing. When they returned they shared their song with the group and over the next hour allowed the group to add percussion and other instruments.
“It was incredibly powerful to see the teachers reactions and hear their comments after the session. Hannah from the school commented she had very rarely seen the students express themselves as part of a group.”
