Hi Mike,
I go into schools leading workshops in traditional singing games, folk song and dance and music. I have run workshops at festivals in songwriting and folk art. I ran a project with pre-school children called Little Folk teaching them about music through simple song, dance and music making. I teach maypole dancing to children and adults and for a number of years ran an after school Folk and Traditions club at our village school. I am also involved in a group called Sound Waves South West who raise money to provide three Music Therapists to those who need their services in North Cornwall and West Devon and witha a long term goal to set up a centre for music terapy. I also go into a centre once a month for adults with learning disabilities and lead them in singing a variety of songs. I am a member of Cornwall Songwriters and with whom I wrote and performed Unsung Heroes - The Lost Gardeners Of Heligan to a variety of audiences. For me the folk process is not just to perform or to watch but enjoy seeing it grow and change with time, and being able to share this with a younger generation, that they may have a pride in their own traditions and identity and to provide a release from the every day rat race, through expression in music song and dance, a sharing experience indeed. I may sound like I am blowing my own trumpet here on reading this back, but those who know me at the cat will know that I would never do such a thing, I just so enjoy what I do I am happy to share and take little or no monetary gain from this sharing. I have no musical qualifications other than Grade 1 and 2 violin and Grade 1 harp. I do have an NVQ level 4 (NVQ is a British qualification, some say it means 'Not Very Qualified' but it stands for 'National Vocational Qualification' and level 4 is equivalent to a degree) in delivering artform development programmes. So there you go I have told you what I do and I sometimes get to perform at festivals too!
Hope I am less of a disappointment! ( I know lots more on here like me too!)
Cheers,
Lucy