SPOT: a slightly different format to the Roundtable discussions where we Spotlight a Charity or in this case a Social Initiative making a positive difference in the local community.
Sheet music can be a comfort blanket, but it can also be the thing that stops people from showing up. We talk with Hannah Carter, Managing Director at Ensemble Reza about the Crawley Music Collective, a welcoming community music project where anyone can walk in, pick up an instrument, and start creating improvised music together. No auditions, no pressure, just a room full of people listening hard and building something new in real time.
Hannah shares how Ensemble Reza balances there concerts with deep community work and school music, reaching thousands of children, then zooms in on what makes this collective special: the moment a single rhythm becomes a full-room melody. Augustus, just 10 years old, puts it perfectly, describing how “one person starts playing and then someone else joins” until the whole space feels like it’s making music by magic. He also makes a strong case for beginners: you do not have to feel “musical” to start, you just need the willingness to try.
We also dig into the multicultural heartbeat of the group, where Iranian, Turkish and Greek instruments can sit side by side, and the sound becomes a kind of shared language. Along the way we cover practical ways to join, what happens if you do not own an instrument, and how professional musicians guide the sessions so nobody gets left behind. If you care about inclusive music education, wellbeing through music, and building real community in Crawley, this one will leave you wanting to grab a guitar and turn up.
More information: https://www.ensemblereza.com/events/cmc190426
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Please click on 'Send a text' above & join our Facebook group to share your perspective and suggestions for future topics - Thank you for your interest! Clive.
