Sounds of Creativity is back!
“I’ve been struggling with my mental health, and this was a breath of fresh air. I felt a world of inspiration and delight open up for me. It's a rare opportunity to allow the creative flow to take over and make marks without any sense of judgement or fear or failure taking hold.”
Sounds of Creativity, our pioneering workshop series bringing together music and art to support people experiencing mental health challenges or social isolation, returns in October, building on the success of the initial project last spring. HIP pianist Dida Condria (a competitor in the 2024 competition, now studying with our Artistic Director Professor Vanessa Latarche at the Royal College in London) will once again play for the sessions, providing a meditative and therapeutic musical soundscape while artist Sophie Malpas leads participants on a creative journey through activities such as collaborative canvas painting and bilateral drawing: a technique where both hands are used to draw simultaneously, engaging both brain hemispheres.
The initial sessions benefitted no fewer than 73 participants who had been signposted to them by local social prescribing and mental health organisations.
Alongside the aim of promoting wellbeing, HIP’s Learning and Participation Coordinator Rosa Amor set out to offer an accessible introduction to classical musical, and from participant feedback, 95% said they now felt more confident to attend a classical music event. Rosa commented: “At previous community events people told me they don’t feel classical music is for them and can’t imagine themselves attending a concert. My goal is to introduce these people to the beauty of the classical music and dispel the myth that it isn’t for everyone!”
These free sessions have been made possible thanks to generous funding from the Lawson Trust and the Arts Society. If you’d like to come along to one of the sessions, or know someone who you think might benefit, just sign up below.
“For someone who can be hard on themself and a bit of a perfectionist, having permission to just create without any defined goal was incredibly freeing. I could feel my mind relax throughout the process, which was definitely helped by the beautiful music and sunset.”
Next sessions
Sunday 19 October, 4-6pm
Sunday 26 October, 11am - 1pm, 4pm - 6pm
White Rock Theatre, Hastings
