Summer arts for Grenfell children
Earlier this month, I ran a music workshop for children in the area affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower.
My workshop was part of a programme assembled by Jake Walker (a composer affiliated with Artists for Grenfell) and Grief Encounter – the nation’s leading bereavement counselling service for children. The programme was hosted by The Playground Theatre on Latimer Road.
The children who participated in the session were very young, ranging between two and six years of age. The main purpose of the workshop was to write a song. Based on a theme of a monster skulking around underground, we did some word association brainstorming and came up with a scenario and song lyrics based on the monster lurking in the tube station.
Using some group improvisation techniques, we eventually created a song. I took a digital recorder with me to the session, so we were able to record the song, after practising it several times.
Based on a theme of a monster skulking around underground, we did some word association brainstorming and came up with a scenario and song lyrics based on the monster lurking in the tube station.
The children were very keen on hearing the recording and were also pleased to learn that I was going to send it to the programme organisers so they could get access to it as a souvenir. I saw the fire gutted tower on my way back to the station. I hope the neighbourhood will find peace of mind and comfort in the near future.
