Good things come to those who wait, apparently! Well, it's true! Recently we were buoyed by the wonderful news that Behringer part of the Music Tribe had chosen the Songwriting Charity as one of dozens of non-profit organisations working around the world who provide music making opportunities to children and young people, particularly those who experience disadvantage and hardship. Considering the past two and a bit years everybody has been having, this was fantastic news and gave us all some welcome relief and joy in equal measure. Behringer rocks!
We received the shipments of the fantastic MS-1 and Headphones at our Dartford and Cambridge centres towards the end of May, 2021 and began incorporating the instruments into our remote and face-to-face work. Nathan Timothy said, 'It's been such a joy to deliver the synths kindly donated by Behringer to children in many of our partner schools. I'm so pleased I made an effort to personally deliver them to the children most at need because I saw first hand the incredible impact the gift of an instrument has! It reminded me of the day I got my first synth and them later my first piano. I've loved receiving thank you notes and videos from parents and teachers over the past few months showing me how they're progressing with their new synth. I can't thank Dan and the team at Music Tribe enough for making this happen. Simply life changing.'
Beneficiaries of this wonderful gift include young people working with us from home, special schools for young people with severe learning difficulties (SLD), profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), physical disabilities, medical conditions and associated learning difficulties, and young people recovering from acquired brain injury through a special project with the Cambridge Centre for Paediatric Neuropsychological Rehabilitation (CCPNR).
The CCNPR project has been a radical departure for the charity due mainly because it was devised and executed during lockdown and delivered with restrictions on travel and working from home. Working remotely is always challenging, however the project has been an incredible experience for us and the young people we've had the privilege to support thus far, in particular Mia (pictured below with permission) seen here with one of the Behringer MS-1 donated to the charity.
Mia sustained a serious brain injury during a quad biking accident in July 2019 and was put into an induced coma at the scene before being airlifted to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge. A long period of recovery and rehabilitation entailed including a placement at The Children's Trust before we met with Mia through the work of the CCNPR and our own unique journey of creativity began. A gifted and talented young lyricist and musician, augmenting the creative journey with the aid of Behringer has been brilliant and opens the doors to a myriad of musical possibilities looking ahead.
After such a stressful and worrying two years it's been incredible to get back out on the road where we can, assisting young people like Mia and others including students such as Kieran (below) at Lancaster School. Exciting also to know we can do this with the help of companies like Behringer who believe in what we do and who are very much invested in our mission through their values and philanthropy. We'll have further updates over the next couple of months.