High Peak Community Arts

Community Arts in the High Peak

Film Cuts Club

Saturdays, from 11.30-3.30, from now through til July!

Music Sessions

What’s next for early years and families?

Our High Peak ABC book and song are nearly finished and ready for a launch later this year, and in the meantime we have booked in another 7 weeks of music making sessions, starting 2nd November.  Lucy Jackson will be leading the activities, with some simple warm up songs, actions and percussion, and then she will bring new song material on requested themes.  They will introduce the musical building blocks of rhythm, pitch and repetition in a fun, relaxed atmosphere.  The sessions are aimed at babies upwards (older siblings under 5 welcome) and they are a fantastic way to settle down and unwind with baby, and develop new interactions with other children and adults.

Funded by the National Foundation for Youth Music, these sessions are free, but places are limited.  Wednesdays from 2nd November 10.30 – 11.30, New Mills Adult Education Centre, Spring Bank, SK22 4AZ.  Email sophie@highpeakarts.org to book a place.

A perfect show!

We had a fantastic show. Aunty’s Antidote went down a storm in Buxton, with 25 young people involved on the night – on stage, in the band or working backstage. A huge thank you and well done! to them and the other 35 young people who contributed to everything that went into the show.

Here are a selection of our favourite pics from the performance!

 

Read more about the show and rehearsals here.

School programme.

A red-hot end to our year of school’s activity!

The heatwave struck in the last week of term, and yes we did postpone one of our sessions, but still fitted it in before the end of the week, finishing the lovely little animation below!  This year we have delivered one-to-one creative mentoring in eight different schools, and small group music sessions in three, and met and supported more than 60 creative young people who have made animations, artwork in different media, photographs and music.  Some have joined our Film Cuts Club on a Saturday, or will do in September, others have come to Tall Tales and in the small groups will complete Arts Awards in September.

Tall Tales Summer School & Tickets.

Everything set for our 9th annual summer school!

Get your tickets here!

It feels good to be planning a full live public performance again, after two years of producing films and broadcasts.   Starting on Monday 1st August, we will be at Buxton Community School four days a week for two weeks, where the young people will form bands, devise dance and drama, write songs and scripts and shoot pre-filmed sections.  We have Leo & Hyde with us once again, bringing some VR art into the mix, joining our regular artist team of Andrea, Benn, Gareth, Lucy, Lydia, Mark and Trixi.   We have record numbers of young people signed up from Glossop, New Mills, Whaley Bridge and Buxton (and Ukraine), and young workers and volunteers from previous summer schools coming to help, so it promises to be a melting pot of creativity!

At Easter we began with a theme of ‘My Orbit’, and carried on working in Gamesley and Fairfield in tea time sessions from May to July.  Ideas from our participants so far have led us to a framework story about the lengths we will go to care for our nearest and dearest, how to look further afield and extend a welcome to those who enter ‘our orbit’.

By the end of the two weeks we will be ready (?!) to present ‘Aunty’s Antidote’ on Monday 15th August, at St Anne’s Parish Centre, Hardwick Square West in Buxton.  There will be two shows (6.30 & 7.30), and tickets (£5 and £3 concessions) are available from ourselves, or Eventbrite.

The record numbers of participants and extra-long summer school is thanks to government Holiday Activity Fund income which joins our grant from The National Foundation for Youth Music and contributions from The Bingham Trust, Derbyshire Music Education Hub and Waitrose. 

Tall Tales!

Explore your creative ambitions!

We are pleased to announce that our youth music and creative arts sessions are returning for another season in Fairfield and Gamesley.  Anyone aged 8+ is welcome to come along and try playing in a band, writing and performing songs and making art, animations and stories.

These sessions are a lovely way to meet new young people who might not yet know where their creative passions lie – People can try a wide range of things and if they enjoy it, they can sign up for our Summer School.  Sessions start with toast and squash, and activities are run by professional artists and musicians who specialise in collaborating with young people to create new original work from the ideas the group bring.

Sessions run from 3.30 – 5.30 on Mondays in Fairfield Community Centre (St.Nick’s) and Wednesdays at Gamesley Community Centre, from Monday 9th May through to the end of term (see our Calendar!).  The Summer School will be in the first two weeks of August (dates tbc) when young people from both areas will work together to produce a public performance to share.  Not everyone wants to be centre stage, so again there are lots of options, from being in the band, to making the costumes and props and helping backstage.

For more information contact Sophie on 01663 744516 or sophie@highpeakarts.org.

Recent events!

Leaf Release.

On the 26th April, 2022, we had a lovely morning at Whitfield House in Glossop, for the celebration of Project eARTh’s artwork, ‘Leaf Release’ – made by participants, with artist Kay Stowell.

As always, participants enjoyed tea, coffee and cake whilst there; and were pleased to meet some of the residents and staff, and see how much they appreciated our artwork .Thanks to National lottery community fund and Arts Council England .#artsandhealth
 
 
The Family Orbit.
 
We are excited to kick off a new season of making original work with some of our young people, supported by the Holiday Activity Fund! Our theme this year is The Family Orbit; exploring modern families and how we make them. At the end of April, 2022, 33 young people made at least 50 characters, 21 stories and 6 mini-animations. So what’s next?? Watch this space..
 
 
 
Young Writers’ Camps.
 
What a fantastic two weeks of Young Writers’ Camps, supported by the Holiday Activity Fund! April kicked off with a fab trip to Peak Wildlife Park – gathering inspiration for our new season of the youth programme! Lovely to meet new young people starting a new journey with us!
 
 

The end of an era at High Lee Hall

Yes the rumours are true, we have moved out of High Lee Hall which has been our home for the last 33 years+. Alison has sat at the same desk since 1990, so please think of her as she adjusts to new GPS coordinates!

From 4th February we have taken up a short term lease at New Mills Adult Community Learning Centre, in their former IT suite and Art Rooms. Derbyshire County Council own this building and they are currently reviewing its future use, which means we are still on the hunt for longer-term premises. Any ideas or suggestions gratefully received! We need an office, meeting space, storage, and disabled access. (As well as access to kitchen and toilets).