Healthy Abingdon Associate

Activity

Abingdon Music Centre Trust was established to make music available as widely as possible within the local community for both adults and children. The trust runs music classes and workshops throughout the year and provides opportunities for local music makers and teachers to use its premises for music making.

Weekly groups and classes

• For babies/toddlers: 13 of baby and pre-school classes per week
• For school-aged children: 1 Mini Music Makers class (general musicianship), 4 recorder and musicianship classes, guitar club, plus 6 half-term workshops
• For adults: Abingdon Community Orchestra, 2 Ladies' Choirs, Singing for Pleasure, ACCord (Abingdon Community Choir),
  3 guitar classes, 1 ukulele class, 1 recorder ensemble
• Hosted groups: Jazz course, Abingdon Strings, Kodaly Summer Course
• 1:1 instrumental lessons
• Contributions at community events: Christmas Extravaganza, Fun in the Park etc.
• Performances within the local community: Schools, Care Homes, Passion play etc.
• Outreach work for adults: Singing groups/courses at: six care homes and community centres in and around Abingdon
  General musicianship 'Black spot' courses (with a specific Dementia focus) at: Abingdon Health and Wellbeing Centre and four care homes.
  Singing groups at workplaces: currently two locations
• Family Learning:
  4 Family learning (parent and toddler ukulele) courses at The Berin Centre (Berinsfield), The Hub (Stratton Way)
  Family Learning festival: Easter time
  Family Orchestras (in partnership with primary schools)
  Monthly Intergenerational sessions at Bridge House (All Together Now), one Saturday per month, free
• Supporting Larkmead students
  Summer School for new Year 7 intake at Larkmead
  Weekly Lunchtime club at Larkmead, currently 'Music Lab' in response to student interests, supporting learning keyboard, song-writing, school concerts.

We help

We run activities for all ages: currently 12 weeks to 100 years old. We have activities targeted specifically for dementia sufferers. We aim to enhance health and well-being through engagement with music. We focus on participation but aim to improve skill levels as well.

Safeguarding

All our teachers are DBS checked and the check covers children and vulnerable adults as relevant to the activities. All teachers undergo safeguarding training. A trustee is nominated to act in the event of child safeguarding concerns and to make referrals to the local authority's child protection team.