Since 1999, ASMF has been delivering projects to empower people who are or who have been homeless through music-making. Working with day centres and frontline homelessness organisations, our musicians work alongside participants to create and perform new pieces of music.
People experiencing homelessness live in a variety of circumstances – some might be living on the streets, others could be sofa-surfing or living in temporary or insecure accommodation. The individuals we work with experience many challenges and everyday life can be a struggle. Our activities focus on empowerment, taking a gentle approach to building trusting relationships over time to allow participants to flourish. The specific benefits of our approach include:
- Psychological and mood impacts, increasing participant’s engagement with other recovery and resettlement support;
- Increased trust in people and feeling of community;
- Increased motivation by giving participants a sense of purpose and feeling of positive contribution;
- Increased skills in communication which are essential for work;
- Space to feel calm and focussed, building resilience for daily life.
‘The music group is really wonderful for everyone’s spirit. When you’re homeless you can end up so low and the music group is one of the main things that changes how I feel and gives me some motivation.’ Participant, The Connection
We currently work with organisations including The Connection at St Martin’s, The Outside Project and C4WS. If you’re interested in working with us, get in touch.
Posts
Read our players’ reflections on their work with people experiencing homelessness.
Making Connections Fountains of Creativity
Projects
A City Full of Stories (2024)
A City Full of Stories is an immersive audio experience, created alongside people experiencing homelessness. Created and shared as part of the Marriner 100 Celebrations, it is free to the public, and is best experienced using a smartphone and headphones.
Listen to this big mess
This relentless chaos –
See something you’ve never seen before…
Find out more about the project here.
Never Failed Me Yet (2019)
On 12-13 April 2019 the Academy brought to life a new version of Gavin Bryars’ iconic work Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet – a piece centred upon an unknown homeless man’s vocal refrain.
The performance involved professional musicians and more than 60 people with experience of homelessness performing together throughout the night at Tate Modern: it was the most accessible concert we have ever done, and more than one thousand people attended it.
“Having the opportunity to perform is very important, because it allows us to rebuild our self-esteem. Problems and trials in life knock you down all the time and being able to perform has allowed me to recover and to have the confidence to speak my mind.” Germaine Nyack, performer with Streetwise Opera.
“It’s such a privilege to be part of this, you have no idea how it’s made me feel. I haven’t done anything else with meaning since having kids, who I don’t see.” Workshop participant
Never Failed Me Yet was produced by the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in partnership with Gavin Bryars, Streetwise Opera, Tate Modern, Southbank Sinfonia, The West London Mission and The Connection at St Martin’s. Additional partners include WIth One Voice and the Museum of Homelessness.
Generously supported by Arts Council England, The Big Give, Jerusalem Trust, Patrick & Helena Frost Foundation, Sir Neville Marriner Fund and Albert Hunt Trust.
