And Now Just Arrived At Brooklyn Museum..... Looking Forward To Looking Around :)

Learnt all I know about how to have great learning interactions in museums. (My montessori training coming in handy too!) Can't recommend highly enough.

And one more - a Dino with questions and interpretation :)

Victoria Park Memoryscape Trail

Victoria park - and the journey there…. some extracts of my thoughts….

I see an appropriately named pub, which lets me know I am at least in the right area…

I passed lots of green spaces on the way

An interesting looking church, of a style I don’t recall seeing before…

It’s muggy

It feels like another zone of London from where I live and I link it with Leytonstone, not too far away, where a friend lives, something about the open green spaces and the natural association I make.

A larger building - Victorian in style but higher than I am used to in Crystal Palace.

Wow Victoria (Park) has an impressive lead up - roundabout and impressive gates.

Trendy cake and coffee type cafe (which looks like it does proper food too) with a vibrant atmosphere - I enjoy a conversation I overhear by the people working there - it helps add to the happy atmosphere there! I also liked the fact a bottle of water cost £1 and not more as it often does in cafes!

The sun shines on the lake as if on time to see the sculptures and the pretty fountain in the lake looking splendid. It reminds me of what I think Crystal Palace Park (CPP)nneeds - a fountain as a reminder of Paxton and those he had installed in the park – I have not thought about before, which surprises me, but I hadn’t thought before that there are no fountains in CPP.

I see the long park roads – a cyclists paradise and my thought turns to Hyde park or even Prater in Vienna - which in the summer I quite often cycled through to work, as well as over the Danube – all in a half an hour cycle…

The audio trail is really enjoyable and I like the talk about the myths of the dogs and hearing the different opinions – leaving it open to interpretation with us.

The narrator is someone who has lived in the area of Victoria park for nine years I think it was – and this draws you in by knowing that the person clearly has a relationship with the park.

No one person speaking for a long time – it’s nicely broken up with different voices. It’s a good clear recording and the speaking is calm and nice to listen to.

It’s am amazingly surprising beautiful evening, having set out with it being much duller – it’s a beautiful route – and the canal an added bonus for me.

I felt a bit out of place to begin with - but now I feel at home as if I am walking near me in the evening - doesn’t feel like a Sunday evening in some ways to be so far away from home but it others it does with the calm atmosphere

I made some more sound recordings and have decided to do at least one on every project related trip out.

Background sounds create an atmosphere. It’s hard to differentiate some times between the sounds on the recording and the sounds in real life! I looked around when I heard the sound of the loud canal boat on the mp3 file while walking down the canal. I wondered if this kind of thing would annoy me, but I love the playfulness of this, I think it makes me more aware ….

I’m inspired to listen to some of my own favourite tracks in between listening to the trail mp3’s and this as well as making the sound recordings and listening to the trail really helps me listen to the sounds around me.

The trail map is easy to use and follow.

The trail encourages you to interact in the sense of inviting you go and get a drink and find somewhere to sit and listen to the trail.

Cafe owners talking on the trail too – it seems they are talking about what they wanted to achieve and also about the visitors they have.

I wonder what happens when trails get really out of date. They are still a memory of the point in time when they were made, but maybe something needs to change?

I did about half but not half of the distance. Will happily return to do the rest….

I like the feeling of travelling when navigating streets and journeys alone. There is some level of fear of being far from home, but also a feeling of freedom and anticipation. Sounds obvious I know, but true!

Mental Wealth

September 2016

Emmie, Keith and I (as Sound Tracks) had a great time leading a workshop at the 2016 Mental Wealth Festival. The festival was held at City Lit, Covent Garden and was jointly hosted by City Lit and Beyond Words. We had the opportunity of meeting a variety of professionals in the world of learning disability and presented some of the ideas from our new sessions: Around the World in 80 Minutes.

Keep an eye out for it next year - as I am sure there will be lots of interesting talks and workshops at no or a low fee.

https://www.mentalwealthfestival.co.uk 

anticipating the crystal palace overground festival...

Hello all who is following!

I am grateful for your following and reading!

Apologies for the lack of recent updates, but the reason is purely that I have been spending my time on other work and with more of the organising.

I made a few classmates speak and be recorded by the audio recorder, which went well I think and I now feel ready to go with the proper recording. Forms all done and little ad's to give to anyone I meet who might want to take part. There has been a bit more social media advertising as well - through some people kindly offering to post my ad further on other local forums. I've ordered a few more books to look into and done a bit of an essay plan - for when I read the books! I am also going to listen again and carry out more audio trails in the coming week or so!

This weekend is the Crystal Palace Overground Festival - which I am quite excited about! I shall be trying to catch as much of it as possible and also again will always be on the lookout for new recruits! I am attending a reminiscence session tomorrow - with an unknown amount of attendees, but will be interesting all the same, regardless of if I meet anyone who would like their story recorded! I just love hearing anything new about Crystal Palace history! (Well any history to be honest!) I'll also be possibly helping out the LAS Theatre people, who I've never met, but seem to be creating something really interesting at the festival... they are creating a cabinet of curiosities and have variety of performers of science and more!

I've also been as before been observing all I can about the world around me - especially when on London buses - much more interesting that other forms of London transport - even from the sense that you get much more of a sense of scale of all around you! I am the nosiest traveller as well - looking at all that is going on outside!

I might upload a couple of quotes and/or pics to add some more bright to the blog!

A few images from the poetry and soundtracks event in what I think could be a great little venue in the station! Bit like a crypt type thing! Oh and finally seen the Paxton plaque - for the crystal palace photo collection!

Here and now at The Cloisters on a tour of the gardens.... very interesting

A Couple of Sensory Stories

November 2016

Hi there again...

Fresh from my day of music and storytelling sessions I thought I would share a couple of stories with you. My version of the Gunpowder Plot Story, which we worked on for the past couple of weeks and and The Highwayman story that I created today.

The Gunpowder Plot story I have to say thanks to the people on Joanna Grace's Facebook page who shared their stories and ideas for Bonfire Night sensory storytelling. The Highway Man was a bit last minute today as needed to fill in with a story last minute. So I could call it my ten minute Highway Man story... gather what props you can and random props you have with you. I got most of the ideas from when Keith Park, Emmie Ward, Coralie Oddy and I did our Great North Wood Storytelling - The Highwaymen (and women) was one of our themes. But both were sort of creating the story around props I already had. Thanks Emmie for a few of those on display in the tweeted pic :)

The Gunpowder Plot

Now we gather around the fire and remember, remember the 5th of November! (fire on ipad and candle scent)

A long time ago In 1605, there was man called Guy Fawkes. (chime)

A long time ago In 1605, there was a King called James 1. King James was not very popular with Guy and and his friends. They were annoyed about the King and his government. (Wear crown and say ‘no we don’t like you!’ but can also say we don’t like you as King but we like you as .... say their name)

So, Guy Fawkes and his friends decided to have a plot, the gunpowder plot. They wanted to blow up the parliament. (Popping candy on hand/eat)

They filled 36 barrels with gunpowder! They planted them under the cellars of the Houses of Parliament - ready for a big explosion. (Cedar wood scent for barrels) (can emphasise the secret through quiet voice)

However, there was a traitor in the group! One of Guy Fawkes friends! He got worried about all the people who would get blown up. He sent a letter to his friend warning him! (Big Ben chimes on Big Mac)

So the police, the guards of parliament arrived – on their horses (clip clop) they went down the stairs (walking sound) and crept slowly (shhhh) and….. bang! The plot was rumbled! The plotters were arrested, tortured and executed. (Bang on the drum)

Now we sit and remember remember the 5th of November. We light a bonfire (fire on iPad and bonfire scent candle)

And sit and watch fireworks (fireworks torch and sounds or app)

Then go home for a nice cup of tea (have a cup of tea/tea break)

The Highwayman

It was Autumn in the woods and the leaves were gently falling

(leaves in a basket – can handle them or drop them on people/the floor)

The leaves were red, yellow, orange, green, brown

(say whatever colours you find – show the colours – can spread them between different people rather than person by person)

Animals were looking for food and the wind was rustling in the trees

(rainmaker or shaker or similar sound)

There was a damp smell in the wood - after the rain

(cedarwood or similar smell – it sounds a bit like the musty leaves, but you could also get musty leaves)

Then suddenly!! The sound of horses hooves

(clapping sticks/pieces of wood – we have some round slices of wood – we had enough for everyone to make the sound who wanted to - we also sung ‘Horsy Horsy don’t you stop because it is a favourite song of one of the people in the session)

It was a carriage with wheels going around!

(rolled hoop – saying ‘and the hoop rolled past….’ And gave a chance to push if people wanted – if not you can find anything that goes around as a visual stimuli)

There were rich people inside the carriage, enjoying looking at their jewels and money

(glass nuggets, money, or anything jewel like – we had a lot of baskets to hand so I handed a basket to everyone and then put the nuggets in each persons basket and encouraged them to look through them and be interested in them J)

But they didn’t know that someone was waiting for them! There was a swish of a cloak!

(piece of material – or a cloak if you have one – the material I grabbed was quite light so I swished it past people and over some people and gave the chance to feel)

And the brim of a hat

(feel a hat – I found a straw hat which was not really a highway man but did the job of being a hat)

The Highway Man was waiting and he said “Stand and Deliver! Your Money or Your Life!”

(encouraged people to repeat the words ‘stand and deliver’ and sung that bit of the song)

He took all their money and jewels

(one person had a cloth bag and asked people for their money and they tipped their nuggets into the bag)

Then he rode off

(clip clop sounds)

And the animals continued looking for food and the leaves rustled in the wind

(rainshaker again – or whatever you used)

I also added on a bit about the highway man sitting by a fire and had the fire app on the ipad and also the scent of a bonfire candle – but that might make it a bit too long)

I then did a bit of call and response with ‘The Highwayman’ poem.

Some images of the creativity that is taking place in L’Arche London - a craft workshop for adults with learning disabilities in South East London.

Who wouldn't want to take a bus to Pleasantville? Just so long as or isn't a Sunday... I came to upper state new York instead though for the big day tomorrow :)