In my previous blogs, “Growing the Charity” and “Rooted in the Community”, I used the theme of a connection between plants and music (driven by my two passions). This fanciful metaphor has actually been quite useful in thinking for how we work for the charity. For example:
- seeds are like ideas = you can’t grow them all
- to grow the seedlings, (if they ever germinate) you need to nurture them = need to work on putting ideas into action
- potting up the plants and putting them in the garden when they’re rooted = you’re giving ideas a home where they are needed, and can develop.
This summer, NYMTC took part in a wider project, the Festival of Green, led by Carers Plus Yorkshire. In this, Green Social Prescribing events involving creative arts, were held outdoors – in the green. It was an obvious choice for us, following the ideas we’d already had – and we rooted this one at the Yorkshire Arboretum, where I work anyway as a volunteer. (Indeed, we’d had a wonderful time there previously at the end of NYMTC’s Musical Milestones week in 2015.) Of course, trees have been crucial players in music, providing wood that really resonates in different ways, but the idea we wanted to grow for the green festival was more about music in “nature”.
The events we devised were essentially about sound in nature, and we called it “Tuning in with Trees” . The first session, with adults, turned out to be a very quiet day but that suited our chosen theme which was to listen and be aware. Contrast the session with children, led by Laura. It was pouring with rain – quite noisy!
But to go back to the metaphorical way of thinking, these events were a good illustration of the charity getting rooted. Building connections with Carers Plus as well as the Arboretum makes us grow stronger, and prettier.
And very recently, we also put down more roots with our volunteers; we got together for a party at which Laura told us about music therapy and her plans for the future, we shared ideas about growing the charity, and we fed and watered each other by bringing food along for lunch.
With all these ideas in my head, I can’t resist finishing this piece with this photo of a sculpture I came across in a archeological museum in Mallorca; the lady has a fuschia seedling growing out of her head. I don’t know whether that’s by chance or whether she chose to do it!
