The sound of music has come alive in West Ealing every Thursday afternoon as a new initiative at Ealing Soup Kitchen helps adults experiencing difficult circumstances in their lives rediscover confidence, creativity and community.
Based at St John’s Church in Mattock Lane, the new workshops, which were officially opened by the Mayor of Ealing, Councillor Anthony Kelly, have been launched by Ealing Soup Kitchen coordinator Angela Loundes in partnership with local community music organisation Create Music Now.
The sessions are offering participants the opportunity to learn instruments, receive vocal training and eventually even perform publicly.
Around 30 people have already signed up for the sessions, which are open to adults aged over 18.
For Ms Loundes, the idea came from wanting to provide more than food and immediate support.
She said: “I’m always looking for things that could help my clients to get better, to feel better, and to improve themselves.
“I thought music is something that is really good and soothing, and it can help relax people.”
The workshops run every Thursday between midday and 3pm and include instruments ranging from guitars and keyboards to bongos, tambourines and percussion.
Participants begin sessions with rhythm exercises and clapping before moving into practical music lessons and singing.
Unlike the charity’s regular Friday soup kitchen sessions, Thursdays are designed specifically around participation and engagement.
Ms Loundes explained: “The whole ethos on Thursday is that they must be doing something, either learning an instrument or learning to sing.”
She believes music can play an important role in helping people experiencing homelessness, hardship or personal difficulties regain confidence and stability.
The workshops are being run in partnership with Create Music Now, a local group using music to support wellbeing and community connection.
Sian Philipps, director of Create Music Now, said: “We are trying to help community cohesion and wellbeing within the borough.”
Ms Philipps, who is a violinist and has volunteered in the sector for many years, leads a small team of musicians and teachers including pianist Andrew Quartermain, guitarist Daniel and keyboard player and singer Michael Omer.
One participant has already written to Ms Loundes describing how learning just a few musical notes during an induction session had left them feeling proud and more positive about themselves.
The long-term ambition is to eventually stage performances involving the participants themselves, potentially during Christmas or Easter events.
Ms Philipps said: “We’re very keen to record parts of the work that we get finished in a session and listen back to it, and then build up on that either to make a recording or for a public performance.”
But beyond learning instruments and future performances, Ms Loundes said the wider aim of the workshops is to help participants rebuild confidence and belief in themselves.
Ms Loundes said: “Well, the end goal is that the client will get confident, the client will feel able to do other things, and it will help stabilize them.
“And also, that they will find that they can do something.
“They can now say, ‘Well, I can play music. I might not be able to do a lot of things, but I can play music. I can soothe myself. I can even entertain somebody.’
“So, it’s that confidence. And it’s another thing to make them be seen and heard.”
Ms Loundes and Ms Philipps hope the sessions will continue to grow over the coming months, with the possibility of future performances giving participants the chance to showcase the confidence and skills they are now beginning to build.
