Makaton Folk Song
This is an innovative new project focused on improving accessibility to music for people who have communication difficulties. Supported by grants from the Oxfordshire Community Foundation and Folk Camps Society, the project will use Makaton – a communication tool using signs, symbols, and speech – alongside traditional folk songs, with the aim of making them accessible to a wider audience.
Makaton is a language programme used by children and adults with communication difficulties – it is based on British Sign Language, but it is always used alongside spoken English as support for communication rather than a replacement for the spoken word. The Makaton Charity has been developing Makaton for nearly 40 years and there are over 100,000 children and adults who use Makaton either to support speech or as their primary means of communication.
This project is part of a wider accessibility drive at Folk Weekend: Oxford; for the last two years the festival has included a ceilidh specially for children from Special Needs Schools in Oxfordshire. Oxford University Community Fund has also offered a grant towards these activities, which this year will include two SEN ceilidhs, and the debut performance from the Makaton project, performed with a live band.
The Makaton project will work with a group of performing artists to translate twelve folk songs to be sung with Makaton signing. These will be performed at a 'relaxed' concert during Folk Weekend: Oxford (17th - 19th April 2015). Relaxed performances are a fast-growing phenomenon, allowing adults and children with a wide variety of needs to enjoy high quality performances, without having to worry if they need to make noises or move around during the event.
See below for the latest updates on everything happening with the project.
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Final performance!
I realise I have been terribly slack in keeping this blog updated - the truth is I was so busy practising my signing that I didn't have time for much else! Thankfully all the practice paid off and we had a fabulous (if slightly nervous!) time at the performance during Folk Weekend. Thank you to all the fantastic audience who came along, sang, signed, made noises and ran around, and generally made for a really lovely morning.
Iris now have the beginnings of a website, which is currently hosted at http://catkelly.co.uk/iris.html - you can see videos of the songs from the performance (filmed by my mum!) and a few photos. We're hoping to do more gigs in 2016 and have a few pencilled in already. Do get in touch if you'd like us to come and perform for you!
- Cat :)
