This year our training courses will be rather different in format, but they’ll still be full of fantastic ideas and techniques for making music with children who have complex needs. There will be two courses, both delivered online, led by our expert team of tutors: Mark Withers, Cathy Ibberson and...
This year we took part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge for the first time. Having been promised a ‘matching pot’ of funds, online donations received between 1st and 8th December were doubled, thus raising even more money for our new programme of music therapy for babies on neonatal wards....
We’re delighted that Maxine Peake presented our Lifeline Appeal, shown on BBC One on Sunday 25th October. This 9 minute programme gives you a glimpse of how we help children to communicate through music, and you can watch it here. You’ll see Caleb, who has his own way of dancing...
This is what Jessie’s cousin Katy (right) and her friend Una look like after running a half marathon at the end of undertaking 40 runs in 50 days! They set themselves a modest target of £300 and were overwhelmed with the support they received for Jessie’s Fund, raising £1,250. Needless...
It will come as no surprise that our events celebrating our 25th anniversary had to be cancelled due to the pandemic, but we are delighted that the performance of The Messiah directed by Trevor Pinnock has been postponed rather than cancelled. Originally to have taken place on 17 October in...
Our ‘lockdown’ videos, recorded by our musicians in their homes, are aimed at helping children, their families and teachers to make music, wherever they are. About 20 minutes long, and free for all, they offer an opportunity for playing along, listening and moving about. All the pieces have been designed...
We’re delighted to announce our partnership with Gear4music, who are supporting our work over the next 12 months. Gear4music is a large, well-known retailer of musical instruments and music equipment, and, like Jessie’s Fund, is based in York. They have customers ranging from beginners to professionals, and sell not only...
We’re very fortunate in having lots of supporters who not only love music, but are also good at playing it! Cathy Ibberson is a music therapist who works with children at Martin House, the hospice which looked after Jessie. She’s also raised funds for us through her music, most recently...
Thanks to NADLAB UK and Masqonn we now have plenty of face masks available to keep our musicians and the children we work with as safe as possible once we can make music face-to-face with them again. Mike Sherwood, from NADLAB UK, says ‘We are donating masks to welfare charities...
Mabel Prichard School is a community special school for children and young people with complex needs from the ages of 2 to 19. The school says ‘We believe in enabling every student to discover who they are and to realise their full potential. Our curriculum offers a broad range of...
