Inclusive Folk
Our Inclusive Folk programme aims to improve access to folk music and dance education for learning disabled young people. The project puts particular emphasis on working with young people with learning disabilities and complex needs (individuals with multiple and unique health and social care needs that affect their ability to participate in mainstream education and arts activities).
The project is funded by John Lyon’s Charity and supports activities in nine boroughs in West London (Barnet, Brent, Camden, City of London, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster).
Key Strands
Inclusive Folk has several key strands as outlined below. Please contact the EFDSS Education team to find out more about any of these strands ([email protected]).
1. Workshops in SEN/D schools
The Inclusive Folk team deliver creative music and dance workshops over a series of weeks at SEN/D schools in the John Lyon’s Boroughs. We work with teachers to plan workshops that will work for them and their students. The workshops are fully funded by John Lyon ‘s Charity and are free to schools.
Tutors were very engaging and had activities for all abilities
2. Folk Festival Days at Cecil Sharp House
SEN/D schools that we work over the term get the opportunity to visit Cecil Sharp House for a folk festival! They will meet other young people to take part in folk music and dance. The festivals often end with a ceilidh!
3. Folk Unlimited
We run fortnightly creative, inclusive, multi-sensory music and dance workshops at Cecil Sharp House on Sunday afternoons. The workshops are for learning disabled young people aged 12 to 30 who live or go to school/college in one of the John Lyon's Charity boroughs; Barnet, Brent, Camden, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Kensington & Chelsea, and the Cities of London and Westminster. The workshops are open to all abilities and levels of experience and are great fun!
Autumn Term: Sundays: 22, 29 Sept | 6, 20 Oct | 3, 24 Nov
2.30 – 4.30 pm
Term fee: £36 per term (advance booking required)
We always look forward to coming to the sessions – parent
4. Work placements at Cecil Sharp House
Each year we offer up to three learning disabled young people the opportunity to complete five to six weeks of work experience with us at Cecil Sharp House. The young people gain experience in several departments.
5. Free SEN/D teaching resources
Explore free, downloadable materials from our award winning Resource Bank about using traditional folk song, music, dance, drama and other arts in your teaching and learning.
6. CPD events for educators working with young people with SEN/D.
We deliver CPD for educators, led by our highly experienced Inclusive Folk team. If you are a school/college/music hub and you would like to discuss training on a particular topic, please get in touch: [email protected].
We also offer a freelance traineeship each year for a musician wishing to develop their skills in folk music education and working with learning disabled young people.
In addition to these strands, the project is supporting EFDSS’ work to make our wider education programme and our venue more inclusive and accessible for all people.
Read more about accessibility at Cecil Sharp House here.
Meet the Inclusive Folk Team
Emmie Ward (pictured left) holds a PG CERT in music and special needs using Sound Of Intent with Roehampton University. She is a folk musician and works as a freelance music and folk arts practitioner and teaches a range of classes for people with learning disabilities. She specialises in using a multi sensory approach to storytelling and music. Emmie has worked in a variety of settings including Day Centres, FE colleges and schools where she has worked as a teacher for many years. Projects have included “Everybody Dance Company” a millennium funded dance project with performers with complex needs and working on the show “Weighting” by Extraordinary bodies an inclusive, touring circus.
Nicholas Goode (pictured centre) has been a professional musician for over twenty years. He studied for a degree in music at Anglia University and then gained a PGCE in SEN/Music at Roehampton, London. He has taught and led workshops across the age range from early years to adults and worked with students with a wide range of complex needs. Nick’s main instrument is the fiddle and he also plays mandolin, banjo and accordion. As a musician, he has performed at gigs and festivals with a number of bands and artists including Sam Lee and Helen O’Hara. He has participated on recordings for a number of artists, performs regularly at ceilidhs and leads two weekly sessions. In addition to his work as a musician and educator Nick also works extensively in theatre as a composer/arranger, as musical director and as an actor-musician.
Roary Neat (trainee, pictured right) is a folk singer-songwriter who has always been interested in championing inclusivity in the folk world. As an autistic and non-binary queer person, they take pride in altering traditional folk songs and writing new ones which explore the narratives of minority groups often ignored by mainstream media. They perform under the name Roary Skaista and have released two EPs of original songs on which they sing and play guitar. Also a keen rapper sword dancer, Roary sits on the Morris Federation Committee as Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) representative, as well as on the Joint Morris Organisations' EDI panel. Having previously been part of a couple of different groups at university who take music and theatre to SEN/D schools and residential homes on a voluntary basis, Roary was thrilled to become involved with the Inclusive Folk project and combine their previous experience of SEN/D with their love of inclusivity in folk!
Evaluation Report
Read our latest Evaluation Report (PDF, written by Andrea Spain in July 2023)
Inclusive Folk is funded by John Lyon’s Charity.
If you have any questions about our programme for learning disabled young people, please get in touch: email [email protected] or call 020 7241 8953.
