A grant of just over £2,000 from the Oaktree Fund has helped Drum and Brass to run an incredibly fun and unique project involving music sessions for babies, toddlers and their parents.
Drum and Brass run the interactive sessions once a week using real instruments. A child centred approach is used to promote bonding, attachment, sensory play and musical experiences. The sessions support the development of the toddlers and babies, especially social and communication skills through the enjoyment of action rhymes and songs together. The key learning objectives are taken from the Early Years Foundation Stages (EYFS) curriculum and these sessions are proven to have a remarkable effect on their readiness for starting school at the Foundation Stage.
The project is run in an inner-city neighbourhood with a high proportion of rented accommodation belonging to a wide range of ethnicities. One of the major outcomes of these sessions is that parents and children develop language skills together. This project has been running for a few years now and has made a positive contribution to the local community by improving community cohesion and enhancing language development.
Drum and Brass started in 2013 as a collaboration between Julie Maxwell, brass specialist, and Hari Trivedi, tabla teacher and performer. It is a social enterprise and an arts organisation and their mission is to use the arts as a medium for improving positive wellbeing, learning and community cohesion.
If you’d like to support local charities and groups by setting up your own fund with us, please contact Katy Green at Leicestershire & Rutland Community Foundation on 0116 262 4804 or email: katy.green@llrcommunityfoundation.org.uk
