Worcestershire group to celebrate importance of inclusive music-making at festival
Worcestershire Inclusive Choir are set to perform today (7 March) at the Worcestershire Creative Arts Festival
A Worcestershire group is to honour and highlight the power of creating and performing music in an inclusive way at an event today (7 March).
Worcestershire Inclusive Choir are performing at Worcester's Royal Grammar School as part of the Worcestershire Creative Arts Festival (WCAF).
The choir is run by Severn Arts in partnership with Soundabout and brings together young people with disabilities who are aged 25 and under from across the county.
It's been set-up so that along with their families, members can create music in a place which is both welcoming and accessible.
Co-leader from Severn Arts, Gareth Hughes, said: "I think it's the most beautiful thing that we can do is to give people the chance to either sing or use a sound that they feel comfortable with, whatever the instrument.
"It's really important because it's so good for people's connection to each other, their wellbeing. but also expression is the most important."
The group meet virtually and face-to-face a few times a month to come together to make music.
They're set to perform a song called 'Glow' at the festival which has been created by emerging leaders at Soundabout, with choirs from across the country involved in its initial launch.
"We're looking forward to singing a bit of it," Mr Hughes said.
"We like to make this piece very visual, we have lots of lights, we perhaps have people holding these torches or those glow sticks.
"I think this is another thing that a lot of people forget that we can make music that's not just audio, but also visual and sensory and really support people. so all of their needs are sort of stimulated."
The festival is marking its 75th anniversary this year since it was first started back in 1951 and sees the classes for it take place across numerous weekends.