We are very grateful for funding from Youth Music and Arts Council England, Co-op Community Fund, Hastings Opportunity Area, Hastings Borough Council, The Magdalene and Lasher Charity and the continued support of Hastings Lions
We are also grateful to the many people and organisations who helped to make this happen. It takes a community.
Anna Page, Ed Boxall, Annie & Gaston Goliath, Kym East, Andrew Mersh, Claire Burford, Roz Adie, Dee Kelvin, Georgia Burgess, Mandy Curtis, Lily Kym, Sarah Corrie, Mike Willis.
YiaYia’s Recording Studio, Badger Inc Recording Studio, Tree Tunnel Video & Animation, Isolation A Town Explores A Book, Isolation Station Hastings, St Leonards Festival, SenSoftPlay, Montague Armstrong Print Studio.
If we’ve missed you out let us know and we will add you to our extraordinary list.
SongSeeds
Songseeds is a project developing young people and songwriting in Hastings. We specialise in collaborative and inclusive work, as well as supporting individuals. Collaborative songwriting develops skills and frienships and is inclusive of young people who are neurodiverse. Collaboration is so important in life: no person is an island.
There are 5 main elements to the project.
- Run an afterschool club
- Train primary school teachers
- Reach out to home educated young people
- Participate in community events
- Give WOW recording studio opportunities
We run our club and training as discrete themed projects, linking wih direction from young people and/or community events.
Like many projects across the country, this 2-year project was affected by COVID-19.
“This is the best day of my life!”
Recording a song in a professional recording studio.
TIME
Women Scientists
This was a brilliant project working with Hastings Storytelling Festival, The Hastings Academy and Robsack Wood Primary Academy. It began the idea of SongSeeds.
Women Scientists
Women Scientists
This was a brilliant project working with Hastings Storytelling Festival, The Hastings Academy and Robsack Wood Primary Academy. It began the idea of SongSeeds.
Christmas Songs
Songs for Christmas
We ran teacher training in two schools: Guestling Bradshaw, and Robsack Wood, who both produced Christmas Songs. The after-school club – which had online due to Covid – also focused on producing a Christmas song.
My class absolutely loved the song writing sessions! We really enjoyed the training, both as a class and as teachers (myself and my TA). Ed was brilliant and made sure that everyone could get involved – encouraging scribes etc. to support and model for other children in the group. All children could access all activities and it really encouraged their creativity. Since the workshop, we have seen a real increase in interest towards song writing and poetry which has been lovely to see!
Nonsense Gardens
Songs for A Town Explores A Book – Nonsense Poems by Edward Lear
We joined with A Town Explores A Book. Nonsense Poems by Edward Lear was an excellent book for young people to explore This was a fun project working with Silverdale and Christ Church primary schools, and individual young people, to create fun collaborative and individual songs. The fun basis created so much learning. We are so grateful to Isolation Station Hastings and Lily Kym for hosting a celebration of songs and films for us.
Sea Of Dreams
Sea of Dreams
Sea of Dreams followed on from discussions with the after-school club which arose during the Nonsense Songs course. The young people had explored Freud/Jung, the subconscious, and dreams as part of their wide-ranging exploration.
Nature
Songs inspired by Nature
This project also grew out of the Nonsense Gardens course, with individual passions for the environment taking centre stage. Another influence was local Victorian singer, explorer and artist Marianne North. The theme influenced Hastings Thrives Songwriting Competition. The course had 8 dedicated songwriters and Christ Church and Robsack Wood primary schools writing songs to the theme.
Beacon of Light
Beacon of Light
The summer programme ran workshops covering different aspects of creating a song and storytelling between generations, culminating in a safe performance space at The Beacon.
“It was so much fun.”
SuperHeroes
SuperHeroes
We worked with SenSoftPlay (www.sensoftplay.co.uk) Saturday Club to create a song about Superheroes. We hope to do more work with them in future.
Protest Planet
Protest Planet
Climate anxiety is a strong presence with young people. Some young people from the regular club collaborated, to form a song and give voice their fears. The song is still in production.
The Diddakoi
The Diddakoi
We joined with A Town Explores a Book which looked at: The Diddakoi by Rumer Godden. We only managed one completed song. Written and performed by the wonderful Twinkle on Kings Road, St Leonards, outside Montague Armstrong Print Shop.