Jane Harwood

I am a performing musician, a music teacher and leader, a committed community musician and an experienced project manager. In my work, I aim to include, empower, and enable. I believe that music enriches, enhances and changes lives. I seek to offer a permissive space where creativity is easy – to challenge conceptions and remove misconceptions – to allow others to be bold with sound and take ownership of their potential – to focus confidence and disregard obstacles: to listen, communicate, and play with music.

I began to develop my passion for playing, improvising and creating music into leadership skills in 1999. My work with the Chard Foundation for Women in Music as a band facilitatorallowed me to use my skills and experience as performer, arranger, band manager and promoter to lead music sessions, workshops, teach stagecraft and composition, and help others with career development.

In 2001 I trained with Access to Music as an Instrumental Music Facilitator, which supported me in a 15 week placement in Clarendon school, Trowbridge, working in the music department. Further training was with the ‘Creative Factory’ (Guildhall musicians) at the Wiltshire Music Centre and with Dr Rod Paton, from Chichester University. I recently trained as Artsaward adviser and will be working in this capacity for SPAEDA in summer 2008.

In 2001 I began delivering music courses and dayschools for Bath University (Lifelong Learning) – aimed at adult musicians who were new or returning learners. This is ending this term as the department is closing.

In 2002 I started ‘Count Me In’ with drum facilitator Mike McElya – a drumming project aimed at learning disabled adults. This has grown and grown and we are now in the process of becoming a community interest company. We specialise in improvisation and inclusion, offer staff training, and have disabled music leaders working with us. We have just completed a two year project called ‘ArtsXchange’ delivering workshops across the county of Somerset. We will be working with Kaleido to deliver ‘Arts Advance’. Our work now extends into schools and the ‘mainstream’ sector, including corporate events.

In 2004 I created, delivered and managed ‘Frock Idols’ a Youth Music project aimed at young women musicians. This was a huge and exciting project with trainees, workshops, band sessions, recording, videos and a ‘big gig’. All music played in this project was new and original.

Through organising a launch and delivering a series of workshops for the JUMPS project I came into contact with South Somerset Mind. I now deliver community music skills training for their in-house musicians and act as consultant and evaluator on their music projects. I also co-deliver their young peoples’ sessions.

I have an active interest in storytelling with the learning disabled community. I worked as project assistant for the ‘Unlimited Company’ of storytellers from 2004 – 2007, creating and delivering new accredited courses, and developing skills as a communicator and eliciter of narrative. This work was within the adult community, in special schools and in social service staff training. I now manage the ‘story sharers’ project across Somerset, with adults who have profound and multiple disabilities. I am member of ‘Sweetbriar storytellers’ and provide live music for storytelling.