LEYMN network meeting — Music with mothers, parents, carers and families.
LEYMN network meeting — Music with mothers, parents, carers and families.
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About the session:
Join us for tea, coffee, chats and inspiration at this session exploring music with mothers, parents, carers and families. Hosted by Sound Connections Early Years Lead Vanessa Stansall we’ll hear from Jane Williams, Founder and CEO of The Magpie Project, Namvula Rennie about her project Tuned into Motherhood, and Tara Franks and her project VoxSling, singing workshops for pregnant and new mothers.
Session Plan:
4.15 - 4.45 Arrivals, tea and coffee, and time to browse the space
4.45 - 6.15 Presentations - we’ll hear from 3 guest speakers with time for questions
6.15 - 6.45 Further browsing and chatting
Speakers:
Jane Williams - Founder and CEO, The Magpie Project - https://themagpieproject.org/
The Magpie Project provides a safe and fun place for mums and pre-school children suffering in temporary or insecure accommodation. They believe all children have the right to a secure, safe place to play, healthy food, engaged, informed parents, and access to support, no matter what their family circumstances.
Namvula Rennie - Tuned into Motherhood
In this session, Namvula will offer insights into how Tune Into Motherhood is designed to keep mothers at the centre, and why spaces such as this are important to include in the landscape of early years music offerings. She’ll share part of the process of creating a piece of writing with mothers, and a song that has been enjoyed by mums and little ones alike.
Tara Franks - VoxSling, singing workshops for pregnant and new mothers
Tara will talk about her new project - VoxSling - A new weekly series of nurturing and creative singing workshops for pregnant and new mothers with part harmony songs, gentle movement and breathwork.
Browsing space:
There will also be work available on the walls for you to browse while you arrive, chat and grab a tea or coffee. This includes words and images from the speakers’ projects, as well as those created by Vanessa Stansall (Sound Connections Early Years Lead) and mothers in her PhD project ‘An Exploration of the Meanings of Music for New Mothers’.
Namvula
Namvula is a multi-faceted singer and songwriter whose artistic journey is an exploration of cultural intersections and heartfelt storytelling. She is also a music facilitator and community song leader. Passionate about the power of song to uplift and as a vehicle to navigate, express and understand narratives and realities, she set up Singing our Beings for mothers to explore narratives of motherhood through vocal improvisation; runs community singing groups; and is the lead musician on Tune into Motherhood, a collaborative music-based intervention for mums experiencing symptoms of postnatal depression.
Tara Franks
Tara is a performing cellist, composer and creative project leader. She plays and writes string duo Balladeste, and regularly collaborates on cross-arts projects including creating the sound for theatre, dance and visual arts installations. She has led creative community projects for organisations including Barbican, Royal Opera House, Aldeburgh Music and Kobe University, Japan. Tara studied cello performance at Leeds University, and later undertook an MMus in Leadership at Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Having also trained and worked as a KS2 teacher. Tara combines her skills, experience and beliefs in SoundsCreative Projects, to develop quality musical experiences.
Instagram: tara_soundscreative
Location
Fitzrovia Community Centre, 2 Foley Street, W1W 6DL