ASMF have been working together with The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields since 1999, delivering projects to empower people who are or who have been homeless through music-making. On 28 November 2024 we saw the culmination of their Autumn Term playing, devising and composing together alongside students and Fellows from the Royal Academy of Music’s Open Academy department, with participants sharing the work that they have developed with an invited audience, along with Errol McGlashan and John Rees.
Juliet Welchman, ASMF Cellist, was one of the musicians involved in the project, in this article she reflects on her experiences.
As a culmination to this autumn’s series of music workshops at the Connection for those experiencing homelessness, the music group gave a performance at Stone Nest, a music and performance venue a few minutes walk from St Martin in the Fields. Stone Nest is a converted domed old Welsh Chapel, squeezed between buildings just off Cambridge Circus. You might hardly notice the blue entrance door around the back and inside is a beautiful pared back domed space, not too large and ideal for smallish, intimate and informal performances.
The music group all walked up together from The Connection for a fairly intensive afternoon rehearsal and 6pm performance. None of us knew quite what to expect as this was a first time venture, and I felt it was with a brave spirit that those who came along threw themselves into the rehearsal, bringing the pieces together under the expert guidance of Jackie Walduck who leads the workshops. It was a joy to be part of the group experiencing this new place for the first time. The event was wonderfully organised by the social purpose team. The invited audience included professionals in education work from other arts organisations, students, and friends of the Academy and Connections, about fifty people in all. They had thought of everything, from lighting and stage managing to bringing in a photographer who themselves had experience of homelessness. Hot drinks were provided for everyone (it was a cold November day) and pizza for the participants between the rehearsal and performance was an inspired idea!
This warm, informal gathering provided an ideal space and time for the group to perform two pieces that had emerged out of the weekly Monday sessions. The group inevitably fluctuates in size over the weeks, and among those that came to the Stone Nest were people that have become regular participants and some that have only just started coming along. They were joined by staff and leaders from Connection who also attend the sessions and contribute their skills, along with Academy of St Martin in the Fields players and students from the Royal Academy of Music as part of the Open Academy. The first piece was based on a West African rhythmic song which gave ‘C’, a committed member of the group and an expert drummer, a chance to shine and for everyone to join in with simple improvisations and flow around the ‘groove’. The second piece was a quieter reflective song about the ocean, written and sung by ‘M’, another invaluable member of the group. In this piece his verses were interspersed with duets between himself and the harp, played by Anna, an Open Academy fellow. Anna had been working with the group for the whole series, bringing an empathetic ear to the sessions. There were also beautiful solos from Eric on French horn and and Tianao on cello, who are both also on the Open Academy course training in social purpose work.
The performance ended with the spoken word artist Errol McGlashen performing three of his powerful poems, with the last one underscored by four of us musicians trying to catch and support the rhythm of his wonderful poem – about rhythm! As part of the purpose of the evening was for all of us to gather and meet and exchange ideas, it was a lovely end to the evening to chat (with more tea and cake) and get to know people a little better. Of course, the music workshops are not just about a final performance, but are an ongoing process that gives people a valuable safe space to come and share music together; to listen, observe or join in, feel part of the group and enjoy expressing themselves through music
