HELPING HANDS - A music service provided by the Healthy Concerts Network

One of the wonders of the Healthy Concerts scene is the connection it gives with so many talented musicians, both amateur and professional, covering most styles of music and types of instrument.

So you want to learn how to play the guitar or get in touch with your natural voice. Your needs are absolutely personal, not general. What kind of guitar playing? What kind of singing achievement? What style of music? What level of ability? What level of ambition? What does success look like to you?

Can a professional tutor meet your needs? Well, often but not always. Is there someone out there who has the skills and knowledge that you seek? Almost certainly, and that’s the basis of Helping Hands, the service designed to match the aspirant with exactly the appropriate form of help, kind of teacher.

Helping Hands is even more than that. Think about this… When you have the skills under you belt, done your practicing, prepared a piece or two, plucked up the courage to share your achievements with a select group of people (audience)... then what? Tutors often have end of term concerts for pupils and their families. That's a special kind of challenge for everyone involved and absolutely vital to a sense of achievement and the feeling that its all been worthwhile.

In Healthy Concerts you can take it further. Its a resource available at all times to provide that social networking and peer support that will take any musician or artist to the next stage with their work, with their creativity. Its like you are surrounded by tutors! Its like there’s something to learn from everyone!

Event support. It takes a little imagination, a lot of courage and a modicum of planning to fix up a time and place for the open platform, open-mic spot, short set... that you need. Hands up anyone who has experienced grief playing to a bunch of people who aren't really listening or even caring about your newly birthed masterpiece? OK, that's a million or so! Healthy Concerts are a source of hope for you all. Helping Hands bridges the gap between the learning curve and the social nerve, between the honed talent and the appreciation of that talent within your community.

Absolutely no-one wants to develop a musical skill and then just lock themselves up in a sound proof room and entertain the light bulb! OK, recordings are one outlet, and if you open a window someone might just be walking by... but more than likely you have the fantasy that one day you might be able to perform your music for a few friends or maybe their friends too! Healthy Concerts is a bit like that; friends, their friends and their friends...

Tell us what you need and we'll try and fix it up; a personal mentor, a voice coach, learning an instrument, scoring a song, artistic direction, piano tuning... and while Helping Hands is helping you, your membership of the Healthy Concerts Network is helping us to develop that network; a source of hope and a means of inclusion for young people, for anyone steering away from alcohol, for someone lonely or depressed, for anyone whose world has shrunk into a black hole, 4 walls and miles of pavement. We've all been there at some point!

There’s a whole lot of good will and free spirit… and the best value for money music services available anywhere! So why not give us a call now?
Tel. 01273 688446, or email us here paulchiuk@gmail.com

A day in the life

I am re-shaping the Healthy Concerts ABOUT US page in order to reflect the big and little changes that have happened in the thinking about Healthy Concerts in recent years. I have spent much time trying to understand how to make the best use of the structure of the existing website www.healthyconcerts.com and continuously revisited the question, what is a Healthy Concert?

Healthy Concerts are not only about health and music. They are about community in action. Supported by the website, we have been moving towards greater and more varied participation, recognising that not only is each of us able to play an active and creative part in our Healthy Concerts communiies, but that the parts we play need not be limited to set and predictable roles, such as artist, host or audience. Events involve all the senses and all the talents and skills imaginable - from designing a room to setting the stage and exhibiting art works... from hosting and mentoring to programming and directing... from reception and catering to administration and transport sharing... from music and poetry to movement and dance... from talks and discussions to showcases and demonstrations... from soloists and duos to song circles and group creativity... from making friends to building networks and small businesses etc. And now it is beginning to flow.

The old idea of Healthy Concert as house concert - no-smoking, less alcohol, unplugged acoustic music, small numbers of audience, children friendly, various home and community venues etc. is still valid. However, nearly 20 years of putting on small intimate musical events has given me a richer understanding of what makes community work, and that means a bigger vision and a broader basis for participation, giving the potential to harness the enormous creative energy that is present in any gathering of people.