It has almost been 3 and a half years since I participated in the Candlebird project in St Andrews, Fife in 2016. It was an extraordinary experience thanks to the workshop leader @luke_crookes and@mcs42 @SCOmusic‘s associate composer) for making it such a memorable experience.

 April 2019.

Just wanted to say a huge thank you for the amazing work you did with our children for the past two days. To see them so engaged and interested in every aspect of the project was a delight and I can safely say they will look back on it as being a highlight for their time in Year 4. 

School teacher. June 2019

Wind trio concert

Just wanted to pass on our thanks to you and the rest of your trio for your performance at Laureate House today.

I found your music very moving and you may have noticed that it reduced me to tears.

This vascular dementia illness is so cruel, it robs individuals of their memory, their personality, their character and it’s so distressing.  However seeing the time and personal effort your group went to helps to restore our hope that people are genuinely kind and want to do their bit to support.

Audience member  June 2019

Not only is your sensitivity to the dance amazing but the fact that you seem to produce it in short time. Liz Patrick, participant.November 2018

Thanks to all for a truly remarkable project. Thanks to the amazing foundation work completed by Emily and the enthusiasm of Dierdre, Jenny and Ian, plus the infectious talent of Luke and Marc, we did it! …… I truly can’t thank everyone enough.

How would you describe the project to other teachers?
“A fun, engaging, fully inclusive and multi-sensory history story; perfectly pitched for students with complex needs, led by a highly skilled musician and supported by sensitive and experienced museum staff. The project gives space for students to express their own creativity by allowing them the space to play and explore around its history-based theme. The facilitators draw on proven and effective methods for engaging students with complex needs (including Attention Autism and Intensive Interaction) allowing the story to unfold each week based on the students’ own terms.”

Museum of London & Riverside Special School

School teacher. March 2018

“Thank you so much for the Riverside project. It’s been incredible”.

Project manager. March 2018

“I would like to say a big thank you to you all for a fantastic day with the learners. The whole event that was organised by yourselves was very creative and innovating. Learners experienced something they have not previously, they engaged well and enjoyed all aspects of the session.”

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Sense it! Rousseau painting

Teacher

“One group mentioned how much they appreciated being part of the performance, that the opportunity to respond made the music ‘easier to enjoy and understand’.

Feedback from the families and groups that attended.

“Thank you so much again. It really did go brilliantly”.

The British Museum porcelain

Orlagh Muldoon
Programme Manager: Wolfson Project
The British Museum

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“it’s the depth of thinking that goes into a moment, of true student centred learning, that can then appear to be so easy when it is facilitated so well (by you).”

Collaborative workshop artist

“Many thanks for coming in today, the learners enjoyed their session with clear interactions happening”

Barnet and Southgate College special school teacher

“Just to say it was absolutely magical – to see how the painting became alive through the careful selection of detail and then interpreted through music, singing and movement and back to painting – all of it was wonderful ! I met one of the pupils yesterday and she was talking to me about “the baby” ( signing actually). the speech therapist that she was with said the class team said it was the best trip they’d been on.”

Deirdre O’Flanagan

Deputy Team Leader – Expressive Arts
The Village School
London Borough Of Brent

“A very inspiring project that led to real creative freedom and an end result that was entirely the students.”
Teacher, Candlebird Creative Composition Workshop, 2015.

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“Dan, Caitlin and Paul were singing the song all the way home and today we listened to the opera! It was so amazing and transported us all to the land of imagination and collaboration you made!” Parent.

“I love your ambient evocations! Full of mystery and joy. I think Turner’s paintings have this quality, visually!”

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“I just wanted to say another very sincere ‘thank you’ for Tuesday evening. It’s breadth of appeal was quite striking because there were some very different characters in that room and it was great the way you drew them all in and enabled them to express some of their feelings about our great new enterprise of Senior Cohousing”

“Thank you for last night. I really enjoyed it and found it very compelling……. a visual treat. Loved the bassoonist…..live music just adds that extra magic!! Venue worked really well and I left feeling very uplifted!! “ ……..audience member Pauline Gibson

“with all your creative input. I personally think you your bassoon playing and wondrous methodology have provided a magic wand that has given this project flow and coherence, and raised the bar, for us at the National Gallery, creatively”

“Your musicality, professionalism, collaboration, communication, team work & dedication is such a joy & pleasure to work with.”

“Thanks for the workshops – they were great, pitched perfectly, engaging and fun!”

Paul Morrow. Lead Practitioner of the Creative Arts.

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It is such a pleasure to work with such a wonderfully creative, instinctive and self-reflective practitioner such as yourself. Thanks for your wonderful work and enthusiasm.

Daniella.

Head of Nursery Charles Dickens Primary School.

“Thank you for your thoughtful and inspiring workshop at our artist sharing this week. I really enjoyed the day and I thought your workshop with Chloe set the tone beautifully for a balanced exploration of practise and content”.

Michael Sells Senior Project Manager.

Create – transforming lives, inspiring creativity.

Wow! Brilliant as always! Thank you so much for delivering such amazing workshops! Project manager August 2017

“it was really interactive….. it got my child to sing in different ways to what he would normally do, using different tones and intonation. It was really interesting” Parent

“I really liked the use of the body as a paint brush, it worked very well because they could more clearly understand how it was relating to music” Project manger

“Outside I saw some children from the earlier session being a tree and doing the noises with their parents. I thought it was a good extension from the gallery into the wider world” Project manger

“Thanks a lot Luke. It went even better than I expected – and I had high expectations! You were excellent as presenter, and the rest of your team were absolutely brilliant too.”

“The most innovative and effective team building activity I have experienced. Luke was a dynamic and inspirational leader and our group really responded positively and cohesively. We went from not having touched an instrument to being part of an orchestra in three fun and productive hours.”

Best Regards, Simon O’Sullivan. Regional Director – Northern Europe Intercruises Shoreside & Port Services

“I liked Luke’s playfulness and imagination, his wonderful love for and playing of the bassoon and information and anecdotes, and his fearless and relaxed approach to what might be an unusual topic! The singing bit makes me tearful. Such a lovely process!”

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“Just a quick note to say that the Year 3/4 teachers were really pleased and impressed with this week’s workshops. I didn’t ask them for feedback but they came up to me to tell me how great it was, as did one of the 5/6 teachers who was walking through the hall at the time. They said that the teaching points were very clear and well demonstrated with examples for the children to listen to. Additionally, they were impressed by the level of work that the children produced. Welldone.”

“He makes music fun lets put it that way.”

Dear everyone at Promslearning

I just wanted to thank you, and all the musicians involved in the Family orchestra event on Sunday 12 August, for the wonderful time which my relatives -Morgan and River Sawchyn and their parents- had. When they returned from the event, and the concert afterwards (yes, we went with them to that, and that was exceptional too), they were buzzing with excitement and delight. Thank you so much for all the effort you must have put in to create such a successful outcome. Could I also please ask you to convey special thanks to the musician who led the workshop. I’m sorry that the children didn’t tell me his name, but they described him as “awesome”!

Thank you very much indeed. Best wishes, Judith Lamb.

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“Luke was a real inspiration to the children. They warmed to his non-stuffy, personable approach to classical music.” – Veena, Yr. 6 Teacher

“Children are now interested in composing using ‘symbols’ as in the project” – Jo, Yr. 6 Teacher

“The children are much more confident about performance, sharing and taking risks. Some less able children became really engaged and more confident” – Veena, Yr. 6 Teacher

“It helped me to understand that without the wonderful music a play is not complete” – Sejal, Yr. 6 student

“The best thing about the project was meeting Luke and Fiona” – Sejal – Yr.6 pupil

“When you think it’s getting boring, they pop up with something fun!” Aman, Yr. 6 pupil

“The music acted as well” Radhika, Yr. 6 pupil

Philharmonia Orchestra

Baringa staff corporate orchestra feedback

“The best corporate event I have been to since working for the company and probably the best I have been to since starting work 11 years ago. Brilliant!” 

“Fantastic performance and engagement by Luke.” 

“By an absolute mile – the best ‘teambuilding’ event I have ever done throughout my career”. 

“Totally and completely exceeded my wildest expectations!” “As a whole company we achieved something which felt pretty incredible!”

Comments from Baringa staff.

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Royal London hospital

Andrew Wieland. Hospital Teacher

Barts and The London Children’s Hospital School (THPRU)

“Facilitators clearly understood the wide range of our students needs. They included all the students throughout the soundtrack work. Allowed students to respond/interact in their own time which is so important for SEN students.

Highlight for me was they way they empowered a very withdrawn student to lead/conduct the session. This was massively positive for him and subsequently has changed his attitude to school in hospital.”

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“loads of useful tips given in a fun and interesting way”

“fantastic way to involve young musician. Inspiring”

“inspiring leader”

BBC Proms family orchestra feedback 2012

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The Philharmonia Orchestra visit to the Phoenix Centre

On Friday 27^th April 2012, three men from an Orchestra came to visit us at the Phoenix Centre. Gideon was playing the violin, Phil was playing the trombone and Luke was playing the Bassoon and was also the main spokesperson talking about the instruments and explaining what they do and how they do it.

They came in with bright smiles on their faces and immediately started talking to us and asking what our names were. Then they played some tunes whilst educating us on the music and the instruments. After that, they got us involved and gave us a cello and a violin to play and pass around, showing each of us how to play the instrument and when to play it so it would go in with a piece of music they were playing. They played many theme tunes Eastenders, Doctor Who, Star Wars, and Wallace & Gromit and they also playing The Bolero.

I, and many other patients found the lesson very enjoyable and we would recommend it to anyone else. It was truly fun and we would love to do it again. They were very good because they got us involved and cheered us all up.

By Sophie

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Feedback from inset teacher training day designed to inspire whole school to feel confident doing music.

“Super session, lots of great ideas to use throughout the school. Thanks Luke”

“Very enjoyable session, lively, suitable for all abilities and groups. Lots of really good ideas for nursery. Thanks”.

“Lots of content”

“Good ideas for warmup/games”

“Good ideas about composition”

“Child led activities”

“Everyone involved- good for kinesthetic learners! Good for children who don’t particularly like writing things down-oral!”

“Opportunity to experience activities”

“Overall very good for new ideas”

“An excellent creative musical workshop”

“Loved the exciting warm-ups and games”

“Good to explore planning in a more free way”

“Inspired us to spice up planning, make it cross curricular and explore a range of musical elements in one lesson, thank you!”