Past Projects and Events …
Journey Songs
In the Autumn term we worked with Seaton Primary school to deliver a songwriting project on the theme of ‘Journeys’. Inspired by explorations of Seaton Tramway and Seaton Wetlands, the Year 3 children worked with B Sharp Music Leaders to write their own original songs.
We were also able to invite the wider local community to get involved, with free workshops in songwriting and lantern making at Seaton Wetlands.
The children then performed their songs at a performance evening for family and friends, at Seaton Tramway – supported by a local community choir Seaton Acapella The final performance was a heart-warming experience that showcased the children’s creativity, teamwork, and musical talent.
Musical in a week
In August, young people in Dorset aged 11-16 were given the exciting opportunity to create their very own musical theatre production during a fun-filled, four-day workshop.
Throughout the week, participants worked together as a team to write, rehearse, and perform an original musical theatre show. From brainstorming ideas to stepping into their roles on stage, the young people brought their vision to life, learning new skills and building confidence in a supportive, creative environment. Read more …
Busking Festival 2024
Our successful annual B Sharp Busking Festival took place on Saturday 6th July 2024 along the beautiful seafront in Lyme Regis.
We had a great day, with performances from all our groups from the little 5 year olds at Seaton Starz, to our young adults in our Houseband group. Our groups were proud to share their work with an audience of family, friends and supporters, as well as Lyme Regis visitors… Read more …
Little B’s Boogie
Little B’s Boogie is an interactive performance for children aged 0 – 8 and their families. Our highly skilled musicians blend early years favourites and current and recent pop classics to create an accessible and inclusive opportunity for children and their families to enjoy live music. See here to get a flavour of the experience! Sign up to our mailing list to be notified of future Boogies.
Music for All
B Sharp’s Umbrella Music Centre project (2021-2023) delivered open access, inclusive, creative music-making/composition groups, one- to-one production sessions, outreach, mentoring and supported progression, family music-making, young leadership traineeship and workforce development. B Sharp worked with Dorset Music Hub, and other partners to establish new ways of working across West Dorset, such that a wider group of young people could access music-making, whatever their barriers to participation. The project was supported by Youth Music.
Listen Up! #iwill
B Sharp’s Listen Up! Project, aimed to transform young people’s anxiety about climate change into an active campaign through original song-writing. The young people worked with climate activists and writers from the Bank of Dreams and Nightmares, as well as poet Louisa Adjoa Parker to develop their lyrics. Tom Hughes, and Make Space UK helped with music video production. The young people presented their songs and manifestos for change through live performance, alongside a screening of ‘Can I Live?’ a work by international touring theatre company Complicite, as well as in a social media campaign.
The project was funded by #iwill, via Dorset Community Foundation.
Creative Nurture Groups
In 2022 B Sharp led a series of creative nurture groups with primary schools in East Devon. Each group was for 8 – 10 children, who took part in a series of 6 sessions of creative musical activities designed to build confidence, and self-esteem and to have opportunities for self-expression. The children described that the groups made them feel -happy, joyful, relaxed, fun and excited.
The project was funded by Devon Music Education Hub.
Music for Video Games
We ran a Music for Video Games Club in August 2023 as part of Dorset Council’s HAF programme. Supported by a team of music leaders, and young Trainee Music Leaders, Coders and Graphic Artists the young people created an original video game concept – called Etheria – designed the characters, and composed and recorded the music for every aspect of the game.
B Sharp Takeover @ Waffle House
The Waffle House in Axminster provides regular performance opportunities as part of Waffle Live to B Sharp. Our young participants have enjoyed these Takeovers, and benefited from performing both as groups, and in solo open-mic slots. Everyone has also enjoyed the delicious waffles!
Young Creatives
Songs of Here;Songs of Now
Songs of Here; Songs of Now was a musical performance by B Sharp and local community participants in May 2022 celebrating young people’s original songwriting.
The performance expressed the young people’s response to the landscapes, places and times in which they find themselves living and growing up – including the landscape, and natural & built environment of the Jurassic coast and Lyme Regis.
Music for All
B Sharp’s Music For All Programme (2018-2021) aimed to engage children and young people in West Dorset and East Devon, including those in challenging circumstances, in music making activities, delivered by a supportive and high quality established and emerging workforce of music leaders, so everyone develops personally, socially and as musicians. The project was supported by Youth Music.
Read our project evaluation here
Music Futures
B Sharp has now delivered two MusicFutures programmes since 2021 – an exciting new initiative to support aspiring musicians aged 15-25 who are interested in a career in music.
The young people met monthly in Bridport to play and compose together, as well as learning about the industry through meeting local professional musicians, and taking part in industry workshops and panel events. They also received individual mentoring from local professional musicians.
Please see here to read the project evaluation
Spring Awakenings
B Sharp worked with Activate inclusive youth performance companies Remix and Premix in Spring 2020. Working alongside artist Jo Simons of Dorchester Youth Theatre, our music leaders supported the young people to create and perform a musical piece – Spring Awakenings.
Watch Spring Awakenings here
B Sharp Radio Show
This term we’ve been working hard towards our own B Sharp Radio Show – a great way for our young musicians to get their music heard, while we can’t perform live.
Tune in to hear original music interspersed with a little Christmas fun! One of our Trainee Music Leaders has also been able to interview local folk musician, Seth Lakeman, who talks about his music and growing up as a musician in the South-West.
Tune in here to hear our Radio Show on Sunday 13th December at 6pm
Lost Words Songwriting Project
We delivered an exciting environmental and creative project with 120 year 3/4 children from Axe Beacon schools funded by the East Devon AONB sustainable development fund. Inspired by the research behind the beautiful book by Robert Mcfarlane and Jackie Morris, ‘The Lost Words’. Read more…
Fossil Festival
B Sharp has worked in partnership with Lyme Regis Fossil Festival for many years. We have worked with local schools to support young people to create their own original music around themes of geology, earth science, climate change and the local environment. We also have created opportunities for young people to perform their work as part of the festival. In 2020 we supported the creation of a range of music resources for primary schools https://earthsciencefestival.com/b-sharp-fossil-festival-songs/
Dohl Foundation
iWill Programme
The iWill fund (formerly known as Youth Social Action) was developed to help increase youth volunteering and social action. B Sharp worked from 2018-2020 with young people who wanted to gain work experience and build confidence in planning and running a series of events based on their own ideas. Young people put on events for their peers and their community including samba drumming performances, youth band nights and busking events.https://www.
Big Mix
B Sharp has produced 4 large scale community youth music festivals – Big Mix. These festivals have been run and delivered by young people working on all aspects of event production, mentored by a team of industry professionals. The Big Mix has showcased a diverse range of professional guest bands and musicians as well as local young talent. The event has been a fantastic success and we believe it developed a positive culture of live public music in a rural seaside community. Keep your eye out for our next large scale community event …
See more about Big Mix here …
ONE
B Sharp Singing 2016 – we completed a high quality, large scale, collaborative programme of singing to engage, progress and inspire.
See more about the One project here …
B Sharp Ltd.
St Michaels' Business Centre,
Church Street,
Lyme Regis,
Dorset, DT7 3DB
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info@bsharp.org.uk
07947 334138
- B Sharp is a Registered Charity. No.1149237
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