Sounds Like Sherbet Lemons

Sounds Like Sherbet Lemons (2019). Credit: Janet Moore

Sounds Like Sherbet Lemons was a series of creative workshops that supported people aged 65+ in a Medway residential home, to create music using digital technology and foster new friendships.

We ran 10 music sessions on Monday mornings during April and June 2019, with residents of Montgomery Court, Wainscott and members of the RiverVoice Community Choir, Rochester.

Led by music technologist Kevin Grist (SparkedEcho) and music director Tania Holland Williams (Fat Lady Opera), the sessions involved elements of digital music making, reminiscing, improvisations and creative writing.

Participants created ringtones and radio jingles based on memories of old food products and characteristics of close friends and family. Whilst sharing personal stories, they experimented with accessible touch-screen music apps like Apple GarageBand and Loopy HD, on tablet devices and smart phones.

During May 2019 we were programmed as part of the national Age of Creativity Festival, supported by Voluntary Arts, Age UK and The Baring Foundation (https://www.voluntaryarts.org/age-of-creativity).

The final session was a celebration event showing a selection of the audio work, visual scores and lyrics written during the project, where family, friends and staff were invited.

Sounds Like Sherbet Lemons was a collaboration between SparkedEcho CIC and Fat Lady Opera CIC, and kindly funded by The Pargiter Trust through Kent Community Foundation.

A reflective blog evaluating the project can be found here.

Gallery

Project notes

Sounds Like Sherbet Lemons was a collaboration between SparkedEcho and Fat Lady Opera (2019)

Workshop Leaders: Kevin Grist, Tania Holland Williams

Project Assistant: Janet Moore

Video and photos by: Janet Moore, Kevin Grist, Tania Holland Williams

Funders and partners: The Pargiter Trust, Kent Community Foundation, Fat Lady Opera, Montgomery Court (West Kent Housing Association), Age of Creativity Festival.

Hear some of the work recorded

Project video

Age of Creativity Festival 2019

The project was also part of the Age of Creativity Festival 2019, celebrating age-friendly arts activities across England. This open workshop was programmed on 13th May 2019. More information on the festival is here:

Participant responses

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Company

Very interesting - especially listening to people making up jingles based on the sounds of sweets.
Had great fun!

Music Leader

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Thankyou Tania and Kevin for helping me to create the ringtone.
It means so much to me, as it has memories of my childhood, growing up with my friend Jenny.
I will send it to her, and I know she and her family will treasure it.

Parent of participant

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I definitely enjoyed it. I particularly liked using the live looping music software which Kevin demonstrated
in week 2... that was the highlight for me. By week 6, I was using it at home on my iPad!

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Very enjoyable - it's fun and I think it just brings things out and you don't think anything of it. A lovely feeling really... the melodies, the people... I look forward to coming.

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I have made new friends, it's good, and you can have a laugh in the workshops. I particularly liked the visual scores and seeing what we each created.

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Funders & partners

You could also take a look at...

MIDI controller vegetables - Sound#Hack (2015). Credit: Kevin Grist

Sound#Hack (2015)
Sound#Hack was put together as a digital learning and performance event aimed at teachers, students and practitioners in Medway and Swale. It offered a chance to co-create music and sound with technology, alongside leading digital music experts.