FEEDBACK FROM ORCHARD MANOR

When artists work in schools funded by The Helen Foundation, the artists, and the schools’ workshop co-ordinators, write follow up comments.  Recently, we received lovely comments from a remarkable workshop at Orchard Manor Special School. It was the very first time in the 20 years of THF that a school had invited rap artists to lead a workshop!  The artists were from “Sound Communities

One of them is Jarvis Rohr, age 21, whose web-site description reads: “Jarvis is committed to his craft as a rap artist, attempting to uplift people in his music as well as his work with us. Previously an apprentice graphic designer, he also uses visual skills like video editing and photoshop to create content. He wants to give young people the tools to design their own reality!” 

Jarvis wrote afterwards of the young people in the workshop: “Some of them really enjoyed the music side of it, and started to dance whilst we performed. Others were more inspired by the lyric writing itself, being amazed with how quickly we could put together lyrics and then rap them!

Meanwhile the lead teacher said:

“The whole group were engaged throughout the afternoon. The majority of the group would have ordinarily found a whole afternoon without a break very challenging. All of the group participated in all the creative activities run by the rap artists and stepped massively out of their comfort zones when it came to performing their own rap.”

It’s so good to see new challenges and new creative ground being broken for both young people and schools. Very exciting!