On the 15th of February this year, I was asked to play at the Leonard Cheshire Disability Centre in Shanklin, on the Isle of Wight.
We started the evening with 8 clients and the Activity coordinator Peter from the Centre.
I have one rule when I am playing at events like this, and that is if you know the song, then please sing along, clap your hands, tap your feet or get up and dance. If the session is not fun, then I am playing the wrong songs.
Well I am glad to say that we had singing, clapping and feet tapping throughout the evening.
Peter has very kindly written a report for the Leonard Cheshire Website/Newsletter, which I have attached for you to read.
A Very Saxy Evening at Appley Cliff
Last night, we were fortunate enough to have a professional saxophonist visit us here, at Appley Cliff. The musician’s name is David Plummer and he was only visiting the Isle of Wight for a few days and wondered if we would like to have him come to the home and play a few tunes for us. It was a no-brainer for me, as I cannot imagine anyone not wishing to hear that ethereal, mesmerising, haunting sound that the saxophone provides in abundance. It is really quite a special instrument that can stir a plethora of emotions in those who experience it. And….boy, were we all stirred.
After supper, we greeted David in the lounge and several service users came to listen.
The set was great; David played a myriad of well-known classics from various eras, including hits from the Beatles, Van Morrison and suchlike. His playing was faultless and he managed to inject some interesting and fun twists into the mix as well.
Admittedly, my heart skipped a beat when David announced that he was proposing an audience participation section during his set. And my heart almost stopped altogether when he made a further announcement which involved yours truly leading one half of the audience in a sing-song. Not one to shy away from a challenge, I gritted my teeth and played along with David’s cunning (if not a bit cheeky) plan. So what was the nature of this challenge that my team and I now faced? In a nutshell, “Row, row, row Your Boat?” and “Teddy Bear’s Picnic!”
The idea was that we (rather I) lead the song by singing the first line…with David and his team, joining in, starting the song a few lines after we did. To be fair, the end result was pretty impressive…or at least it would have been if the activity didn’t include my booming voice resonating through the rafters of the building.
And…it will probably come as no surprise, but…I’m afraid to say, MY TEAM WON! I can confirm that we’re not releasing a full album of songs any time soon.
After this spectacular reprieve we enjoyed further amusement when David unveiled his collection of weird and wonderful percussion instruments. All of the residents chose their weapon and played along to David’s songs. I took possession of a rainmaker-style instrument and supported Barry to shake it in time to the songs. Barry’s smile was infectious as we shook, rattled and at one point rolled our way through the remainder of the set. If my memory serves me correctly, I will now attempt to give you a full description of which resident played which instrument, though it may be slightly inaccurate in places due to the fact that I have never even encountered some of the items. Teresa (tambourine); Susan (Maracas); Peter G. (small maracas); Lee (a wooden scratchy frog that makes a sound when you stroke its back with a stick!); Richard (cowbells); Philippa (a sort of vibrating ball thing that you hit underneath and the vibe makes a sound); Michael (fell asleep…bless his cotton socks) and Barry & I had the rain-maker.
All in all, it was a terrific evening and offered something a little different. We enjoyed listening to David’s amazing saxophone playing and were very grateful to him for visiting us all.
A special thank you from me to David for his uplifting and thoroughly enjoyable performance and to all of the residents who participated so brilliantly.
We look forward to having David play for us again in the future.
All the best,
Peter
To finish, I wanted to say thank you to Peter for inviting me, but, I think it was my team that actually won! and I loved meeting you all. I had a great time, and I am looking forward to playing for you again.
Dave
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