testimonials
John is quite simply a master of communication! His formidable experience of working with literally thousands of people, young and old, in addition to his innate musical talent and intellect, brews down to the essence of a unique facilitator. John takes a very human approach to his workshops, he is relaxed and humorous whilst always being sensitive to the dynamic of the group, drawing out the strengths of participants and inspiring them to experiment, make mistakes and grow through the process. With John at the helm, I feel our workshops have no limits and we are all assured of a high energy, informative and empowering experience…..children and adults alike!” Ellen Velazquez – Octagon Theatre, From Strike a Chord
www.octagon-theatre.co.uk/strike-a-chord/welcometostrikeachord/
“It’s been fun to work with professional musicians” “(i’ve learned) you should always try to listen to each other’s ideas and try them out to see if it works” “I’ve found it really interesting, I’ve never done anything like this before” “Amazing, fun and inspiring” “(best thing was) the freedom to contribute ideas” “It was very easy to work with them and fun too” “(I learned) how to play a chromatic scale on the guitar” “(best thing was) working in groups and using our ideas to put the piece together” LPO’s New Horizons project working with GCSE students
Student Feedback
“(i’ve learned) how to use simple melodies and make them creative” “(best thing was) getting to play with the London Philharmonic Orchestra” “(i’ve learned) to be brave and speak about your ideas” “(i’ve learned) how to cooperate with others” “I really enjoyed working and learning with them” “I found it different and interesting and fun” “It was motivating and helpful” “Great – really encouraging and friendly and FUN!” “Working with professionals (so exciting!)” LPO’s New Horizons project working with GCSE students
Student Feedback
“I have learnt how to perform confidently” “I have found it fun and interesting and i have never been able to do this before” “The best thing was being able to work with professionals” “(I’ve learned) how to stay in time in a group” “The people were nice” “I enjoyed it because i played instruments I’ve never played before” “Best thing was performing at Royal Festival Hall LPO’s New Horizons project working with GCSE students
Student Feedback
A Musical Sketchbook Wigmore Hall and Mid Wales Music Trust project – collaborating with children’s illustrator Karen George
“For Year 2 class the realization that music is accessible to all, that it is a response to feelings and thoughts and it can be molded to reflect whatever you want was an important outcome.” (Teacher)http://karengeorge.net/ A Musical Sketchbook Report – Devon Wales
One child, who had challenging behaviour and had been very resistant to participating in any group activities at the beginning of the project said wistfully during the fourth workshop “I wish we could keep doing this”
“I didn’t expect the outcome to be so amazing!” (Teacher)
“I learnt that even if you are doing something you don’t like, it can actually turn out pretty fun, and you like it.” (pupil)
“It was lovely to watch the children flourish and respond to others and have others responding to them.” (Teacher)
“I liked it because it was our own creations of the songs and we could just sit there with each other and have fun” (pupil)
“I liked name and action because you could do your own action” (pupil)
“I learnt that it’s better to work as a group than it is to just keep it all to yourself (pupil)”
“They developed collaborative working amongst themselves whilst observing the excellent working partnership of the adults around them.” (teacher)
“I learnt about the whole thing because we haven’t really done that before in reception or year one” (pupil)
“In our whole life!” (pupil)
“Because no one’s actually come in from far away just to teach us stuff” (pupil)
“I learnt a lot because not many people have actually experienced that” (pupil) “ I didn’t realise writing a song could be so easy, e.g. lyrics, melody on glockenspiel. Great!” (Teacher)
“This project has really helped me to develop my teaching practice. It’s been great for the children and I’ve learnt so much too.” (Teacher)
Awards and Qualifications
Qualifications: BA(Hons), Mmus, Dip(RAM), ABSM
Awards: ARAM, HonBC
iOrchestra, on which I worked as a consultant, composer and trainer, was awarded an RPS award in 2015
http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/news/rpsaward
Work on Create’s Inside Stories project at Rochester Prison highly commended in 2014’s Koestler awards
Shortlisted for the Britten Sinfonia’s Opus 2013 Prize
