Currently, I’m running three regular baby and toddler workshops a week in Norwich. Two are at St Thomas’ Church Hall on Earlham Rd and one is Chantry Hall (city centre, next to the mall behind Wagamama). All workshops are ‘book in advance’ and numbers are limited. Get tickets here https://bookwhen.com/petesmusic
My workshops are slightly alternative in that we sing songs for the grown ups as well
as the children. So, after we've sung The Wheels On The Bus or Five Little Monkeys we might also sing a bit of David Bowie or Bob Marley or have a drum/percussion jam where everyone's playing along and chanting “I like to move it move it” or perhaps a Ghanian ‘welcome chant’. In addition to my baby and toddler workshops I also work in three Norfolk primary schools. I have been working at these schools for several years. This involves me teaching whole classes as well as smaller groups. I work with the school teachers to incorporate and support the children’s classroom subjects (e.g the Vikings, evolution, the environment) as well as devising and delivering an informal curriculum of music skills and music history with a holistic perspective that sees music as part of well being and an interesting, fulfilling creative life. As well as developing core musical skills and knowledge the children also learn how music relates to English, Maths, Geography, Science, History and all arts and humanities. When CV19 hit the UK I lost all my work, but i quickly decided to start doing live stream workshops on Facebook hoping to generate some income from donations. These live streams went amazingly well and I ended up doing about 45 episodes, some on Youtube, but most on FB. These live streams are still available to watch via this FB page or on Youtube (search ‘Pete’s Family Jam’). In 2016 my musician/parent friends and I released an album of children’s music called Henhouse - This Is The Way To The Moon. The album includes classics like Twinkle Twinkle, Five Little Monkeys and Sleeping Bunnies as well as numerous original songs. We made the album because when our children were very small we found it hard to find kids music that wdidn’t drive us mad after repeated listens. We wanted to make a kids album that the grown would enjoy too! So, we recorded our album in a barn in Norfolk using real instruments like a proper band. We tried to capture spirited live performances that include plenty of silliness over serious grooves as well as moments of heartfelt tenderness. The album is available to order on CD (http://www.henhousekids.com) and also available on all streaming platforms. There are also animated videos for five of the songs made by students of Norwich University of the Arts https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd3UCnUui1qK0HG7cAHs0hA
We are currently recording a second Henhouse album, so watch this space! In my 20 years of tutoring I have worked with numerous groups in various settings including pensioners, teenagers, people with disabilities, refugees, children in care and many others. I am a multi instrumentalist experienced in delivering singing workshops, songwriting, hand drumming, music tech and band skills. I'm fully police checked (DBS) and have public liability insurance as well as being a member of the Musicians Union.
