Over the last 6 years a friend has been running a Music Group for People with Pychiatric & physical dissabilities.That's his job.The place is a drop in Center funded mainly by people who've had trauma due to members of their families having been afflicted and generally not able to work, or have a social life, or leave the house.Chris my friend,(who's not really qualified as far as being a psycho social worker),and therefore doesn't get paid as he should.But he teaches computer skills,takes people on outings, runs a Men's group and generally never stops! He's got six kid's also!
The place is under the wing of the Local Mental health organisation.There's also a Art group, and a few other groups which other workers run.So yeh, good that such a place exists! I started helping Chris about 4 years ago as a volunteer.We have a Music day every Friday, and we go and perform concerts, all over the place.
Probably about 30 people are members on & off, with a rehearsal in the morning, a free session after lunch where you can perform individual stuff, and a kind of 'Jam' in the late afternoon. It's my role to help out with accompaniment on guitar, and give instuction on how to strum in tempo, and what chord is what,etc. Chris plays keyboards, guitar, and helps the vocalists.We just do covers in concert but the individual performance time is really good, plus i get to have a play, and air my own material. WE've created about 20 Demo standard Cd's for the members over the last couple of years.The main members aren't too dissabled, but they do have their ups and downs.Others enjoy just coming along and listening, socialising.It's inspiring to see someone on medication, with tremors giving their all vocally.The guts it takes to pull that of is something unimaginable!
So this has been such a positive for so many who wouldn't otherwise have an oppurtunity , plus i've been playing with the idea of uploading heaps of stuff onto Soundclick, as it would add continuity to the process of music therapy.
The group has lost most of it's equipment over the last 6 weeks due to 3 break ins.We find now there's insufficent musical equipment to run a program.In addition, the cost of security and repairing the damage caused by the burglars has run into thousands of dollars.Police and security staff have recommended that to prevent further burglaries remove the last of the musical items and close the program.
We've lost 4 electric guitars, 4 Amps, Fender and Marshall, a 4 track Rec., P.A., mics, and a couple of acoustic guitars.God knows who the persons are who've done this but it's killed a fantastic outlet for heaps of people.The burglars had 10 minutes between breaking in, setting of the alarm, and a security crew arriving, so it's been a really brazen and desperate act.
I'm not asking anything of anybody, i just had to air my disgust at these desperate criminals who've destroyed something which took so long to build.The current Heroin problem is probably a contributing factor as the equipment was of top quality, had taken years to acumulate, and is easily saleable.I'm pretty upset, but i suppose one day we'll get things happening again.

Man that's HORRIBLE!

Oh, these things bring my blood to a boil!

What goes around comes around.

Too bad the local press can't pick this up and instigate an 'instrument drive' within the community. I'll bet U contributions on instruments would pour in.

Sometimes you wonder why something as precious as this...would get hit. It ain't right.
[Edited 10/11/04 9:46am]

Red said:

THAT'S A GREAT IDEA!

Flux, why don't you and I work on some flyers that you could post around town. Or a web page that you could point people too.

I don't really have the $$$ to contribute, but I'd be more than happy to help this Music Group with some graphics and web fund thingy.

If you or your buddy wants to set up a paypal account, I can make a web page with a "donate" button. Sounds like a job the NFO could handle!


Just supply all the info and we'll get busy on a flyer for you to download and print.

Yes, and hit your local radio and tv stations to drive the drive. Talk to your local music stores and see if any of them would donate the first piece before you go to press. This might get things started and it's good community promo for the music store too.

yamomma said:

Thanks so much yamomma & Red 4 your fantastic offer of support! I stress i wasn't looking for any sympathy and had to air the thing to unload myself. I'm just a volunteer in the larger scheme of things and will certainly get back to you after consulting the Organisation head.The major problem seems to be that the place is a soft target, and that a low profile has been advised by the Police & the powers that be.The bureaucracy involved are not really sure what to do except remove what equipment is left and shelve the group at the moment. The decision to stop the group wasn't taken lightly, but in time i'm sure things will get going once again, thanks for your ideas. All up, the Org. is such a fantastic group of people! I'll show our Member's this thread to help them see what a great place the world in it's entirety is, as there's some pretty unhappy,& vulnerable campers at this time. I thankyou Guy's 4 turning this negative, into a positive; which i felt unsure of posting in such a positive public place.

We played acoustic today.Not such a bad thing,actually good for a change! Couple of acoustic guitars,and a vocalist without P.A. No.'s down,about a dozen people turned up, I think they felt it more as you've gota project your voice,which most aren't used to.Was pretty nice two acoustic guitars, (we brought our own), plus gave us a challenge to feel out the room acoustics.

Yamomma, i spoke to the co-ordinator about your gracious suggestions and the idea of a web page and they are gonna let me know next week, and seemed pretty happy that some one on the other side of the world had feelings for "The Group".(Seems you've got a lot of projects with your street Art and Town council site, etc.), but i'll keep in touch if that's o.k.!

There's a concert in a couple of weeks,and we're going; so will be hitting on the local stores and business's to see if we can get some gear before then.
Thanks again yamomma & Red for you input!

Music: what would we do without it!

Things like this, you learn to make time.
No problem, buddy!