Calcot Schools were very fortunate to be able to run a series of pilot workshops looking at how music can support mental well-being.  These specifically focused on raising awareness of good mental health and well-being, particularly for our children who are part of the BAME community (Black, Asian and minority ethnic).  This was an opportunity where the:

Children could express themselves through music and learned how music can impact on their mood and change their mood.

• Children took part in a fusion of Asian/African/Caribbean music workshops include Tabla/Djembe/Pans as a platform to express themselves, listening to professional musicians.

• The sessions took place over three consecutive Thursday evenings at Calcot Junior School and were supported by Youth Ambassadors and counsellors from the Time to Talk team.

• Here are some of the views from the children who attended:

• What did you enjoy the most about these workshops?

• The different styles of music, talking about how we felt and singing.

  Everything! Seeing everyone else drum and playing with the musicians who visited

  I liked that Karlos was teaching it and that we got a chance to express our feelings rather than just having to listen all the time or just play music.

  The rapper coming in and I liked playing the drums

  What is one thing you learnt about mental health by attending these sessions?

• It's good to talk about your feelings.

  That different people listen to different types of music when they are in different moods

  That music can help your mental health as well as just sounding good. You aren’t just limited to the space you are in, you can be anywhere in your mind.

• Below are some are clips from the final workshop from both the musicians, Time to Talk  and the children.