Music sessions come to Killyleagh

Music sessions come to Killyleagh

22 November 2023

THE Sir Hans Sloane Centre in Killyleagh is alive to the sound of music.

The High Street facility is the venue for a series of weekly sessions organised by the Killyleagh Community Music Group.

Neil Foster and Paddy Anderson, professional musicians from Killyleagh, are the project facilitators for six sessions held on Tuesdays at 7pm and funded by the Community Relations Council.

Chris Scott recently called in on one of the sessions for his Down about Down Podcast and spoke to Neil, Paddy, some the participants and parents about their experiences to date.

Acoustic and electric guitars, African drums, tambourines, keyboard, harp and a variety of percussion instruments were available to try out throughout the evening in the form of a ‘jamming’ session. The formality of music lessons is not on the agendae.

“There is no sense of wrong notes here,” Neil explained. “You leave that space, take off the pressure, and give everyone time.”

Neil, a professional musician and composer, is also a trained music therapist. He understands the need to explore music freely and build confidence in a non-pressurised environment.

“This is a different space to interact with your child and other mums, dads and other kids. I think it really takes pressure off different corners of life,” he added.

Paddy, an accomplished professional flamenco guitarist, teacher and composer, has found that the group is a positive experience for him. “This is brilliant for me because it is a beautiful way of looking at music and what music is,” he explained.

He believes Neil and himself have a similar philosophy and that music is there to enjoy, promote wellbeing and expression.

“The goal is to see a smile on the face of a child that is communicating with music. Their face lights up,” Paddy told Chris.

One of the participants remarked: “I used to find music lessons quite stressful, but this is more relaxed. It really encourages you to learn more when you really enjoyed it.”

One of the parents present was asked by Chris about her view of the evening session. “It was really engaging. We had a really good time and everybody was really friendly.”

Neil and Paddy encourage anyone who has an interest in joining the group to call into the Sir Hans Sloane Centre, have a look and have a go. Week four of the six-week course will be held next Tuesday.

You can listen to this latest podcast episode on the Chatting with Chris - Down about Down Podcast, which is available on Spotify.