Making musical connections in the community
This year saw the launch of the Sustainability Community Arts Project; a new approach to community engagement using the creative arts to promote sustainable communities and good health and wellbeing. In November, students from a range of disciplines (music, art, design and theatre), submitted proposals to deliver a series of six workshops and produce a creative piece for exhibit with our community partner, the Elders Connect group at Cardigan Community Centre. A team of four year 1 BA Music students, Jocelyn Chappell, Isabelle Caley, Sarah Hobson and Ella Stillhart were successful. They bravely embarked upon what would turn out to be an enlightening journey of connections and creativity.
Our community partner
Cardigan Community Centre (CCC) was founded in 1990 by residents and councillors to support local organisations and communities. Every Tuesday, CCC hosts Elders Connect, a social group for over 50s to socialise, attend excursions and participate in a range of activities from crafts to Pilates. After working with our students last year on our Window Box Project, the group were keen to work with students again on an exciting, and experimental, new venture.
Developing skills beyond the curriculum
The project had a focus on developing professional skills for student volunteers. Student volunteers attended a training session on project planning and embedding inclusive practice. Additionally, they were mentored throughout the workshop delivery by expert arts practitioner Claire Hills who guided students with workshop design and creative facilitation.
Connecting through music and creative expression
For the first workshop, the group focussed on exploring and sharing musical identities through discussion and listening exercises. In this session, an eclectic anthology of music was shared including Ravi Shankar, Harry Belafonte, Metallica, and Abba. Whilst listening, participants drew, doodled and sketched in response to the music producing a series of collaborative art pieces. As the group grew in creativity and confidence, the workshops progressed to include movement, percussion and voice including the conception and performance of an original song by Elders Connect group member Angie.
Building community
A key achievement of the project was demonstrating the power of music to bring people together, share memories and build unique relationships over just a few weeks.
Volunteering with the project has helped me feel much more connected to a broader community at the university and Leeds as a whole.
- Ella Stillhart, student volunteer
The workshops were very entertaining, meeting people, socialising. Older people should mix with the younger ones because they learn what is happening today and the younger ones can learn from the past, which I think they do appreciate.
- Mary, Elders Connect group member
Celebrating Impact
To bring the project to a close, Elders Connect visited the School of Music to attend a student showcase lunchtime concert. For some group members, it was their first visit to our campus. Our volunteers presented prints of the artwork and a video capturing some of the magic from the workshops. In addition, an original piece of music featuring vocals and percussion recorded during the last workshop was produced by the volunteer team.
Watch the video here:
Get Involved
The Sustainability Community Arts Project is just one of many opportunities to develop skills through volunteering with the Sustainability Service. For more information visit our volunteering page or by get in touch with Sustainability Project Coordinator Chris Bowie [email protected].
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
We use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework to guide our activity. Our work on the Community Arts Project is linked to the following SDGs:
- Goal 3: Good Health and Wellbeing
- Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Find out more about our impact on the SDGs.
