A Journey to Justice

I’ve spent the last few months working with the Jubillee Debt Campaign to help them with some music for their event at the ICC next Sunday (18th May) - Journey to Justice.

The event is designed to:

Celebrate… 10 years since the Birmingham human chain 
Discover… the impact of debt cancellation so far 
Demand… a lasting solution to the debt crisis

All hosted by Adrian Goldberg, editor of www.thestirrer.com. 

Their conference at 2.30pm inside the ICC has some big names coming and video messages from leaders all over the world including Gordon Brown and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

If you are interested in the issues surrounding world debt it is certainly the place to be next Sunday. Tickets for the ICC bit are just £10 and I know that they have sold over 500 already and you can get them here.

My brief for the music was to get music from around the world and there are some great people involved. Between 12.30pm and 5.30pm a programme of celebratory music and other activities is planned for Centenary Square. 

To open the event the square will resonate to the sound of the Jewish Shofar Horn then the celebrations will begin in earnest. Other performers include:

• the Azaad Dhol Group drawn from professional Dhol players and the very best young dhol players in the city
• Ulfah Arts Singing Group - Ulfah Arts is a pioneering arts organisation, which acts as an umbrella to a number of initiatives specialising in faith and the arts.
• Zirak Hamad – talented Birmingham based violinist who came to England in 2002 from Iraqi Kurdistan where he worked as a primary school teacher, festival organiser, broadcaster, television presenter and music critic.
• Raw Nerve Theatre Company perform a short play called ‘The Bigger Issue’. Raw Nerve Theatre Company was founded out of Riverside School of Performing Arts (RSPA) in 2007, after over a decade’s worth of work in and amongst the local community of Birmingham.
• Soweto Kinch – Birmingham’s mulit award winning jazz saxophone musician will give us a taste of music from his acclaimed B19 album.
• The Dhol Blasters fronted by their maestro Gucharan Mall are well known faces in Birmingham and beyond as they perform at all kinds of events including LIVE 8 with UB40.

The square will also include family activities including free facepainting and circus skills activities and information about the Jubilee Debt Campaign and other related organisations.

At 4.45pm there will be an action in the square where people will be invited to stand with giant ‘drop the debt’ lettering and pose for an image that will send a strong message to the politicians about world debt.

Come and join in!

I’m sorry I’m short - could you take one step to the right?

No! was the short answer from the tall person at the Bjork gig at Wolves Civic on Friday! 

Like him and his rather tall girlfriend - we had arrived earlyish and positioned ourselves quite near to the front of the gig (perhaps a quarter of the way back) so that we could see the brilliant Bjork when she came on.

However - I was foiled by the fact that said tall guy moved one step to his left just as Bjork arrived therefore entirely blocking my view.

Now this is not the first time this has happened - and usually I put up and shut up, or move. On this occasion I was aware that moving might not help and this guy was aware of me behind him - so I tapped him on the shoulder and politely pointed out that if he took one step back to the right (where he had been standing) I could see. 

He refused!

His girlfriend pointed the front of the crowd and said ‘there are some short people over there!’

Oooh - I was mad! I didn’t think my request was unreasonable. He was clearly about 6 foot and I’m 5′3″ - so his view was pretty assured wherever he stood - but mine - well it didn’t get any better let’s put it this way.

So - I’m wondering (I’ve already had some good responses on Facebook on this one) should I work out a way that short (and shortish) people can see at standing gigs at Gigbeth this year? 

Should we have designated areas for the 5′3″s and under - like you have Petite sections in the clothes shops now - for the very same reason that shorter women have to put up with nice clothes not fitting?

Or is there another way to skin the cat? Perhaps treat 6 footers to lessons in manners and consideration?

What goes around, comes around

I like to think that when I set off every day I try to spread a bit of good karma. There is nothing I like more than being in full on rush hour traffic and being nice to people by letting them in or out or whatever it is. I also must have one of those face because I can’t walk through town or a busy place with a lost person sniffing me out and asking for directions. Unfortunately for them I know Birmingham so well I don’t know or need to know road names I just get about visually - so I’m not always as helpful as I try to be!

Anyway a little piece of good karma came back to me yesterday when a nice man called Colin found my new purse (with all my worldly goods - access to them in it) and phoned my mobile so I could come and pick it up unharmed. I had dropped it under Hockley Flyover as I had spent a happy hour down there yesterday measuring up for a show I’m working on with Soweto Kinch in May (more on that later).

As a female on my own down there I had been on my guard - conscious that I had my laptop and handbag and everything in it and even when I found out that to get the other end of the measuring tape to stand still I needed the weight of my bag to hold it down while I measured the big spaces I was very careful…

Anyway clearly as I got to my car and pulled out my car keys my purse must have made a run for it - because that is where Colin found it. Thanks mate!

Being back on the Vale

For those of you who don’t know - in a former life I worked in community arts which in English basically means working with local communities and groups of people to plan arts activities that they might otherwise not get the chance to enjoy.

I think that many people think that this is some sort of middle class interference where people who are in the arts foist the activities they like onto those who don’t normally participate in a ‘it’ll be good for you’ type of way.

Well - that certainly is the case for some misguided projects - but the for ones I’m excited about it couldn’t be further from the truth. Many people in the community arts, like myself, discovered the arts themselves and found the experience to be transformational. I for one credit Birmingham Music Service, their free bassoon and some very inspirational music teachers for the career (and the life) I have today.

Therefore when you get people like me in a room we do get a bit evangelical about the power of the arts to change lives but our approach is one of working with communities as (quite frankly) we get out as much out of the experience as the people we are working with.

Take today for example. I was working with a group of what can only be described as ‘arts activists’ on Castle Vale. They have formed a group called Active Arts and are embarking on a planning process to ensure that they are setting the organisation up to succeed and continue for many years.

The group consists of residents, youth workers, arts workers, community workers, community volunteers and much more - but what unites them is their vision for how the arts can play a part in the continuing regeneration of Castle Vale. Some of them have seen the evidence with their children who have taken part in arts activities, others think that the arts makes the Vale a nice place to live and all of them are willing to put their own time in so that they can share their passion with others.

I came out of a fairly intense afternoon with this group - with my faith in human nature charged up. For those of us who are lucky enough to earn a living from the arts it is sometimes easy to forget how lucky we are. OK - so they pay is not always that great and the frustration of lurching from project to project and chasing funding in between can wear you down. But what working in a place like Castle Vale reminds you is that the arts (delivered well) is a bloody amazing day job.

It has been 3 years since I last did any work like this in Castle Vale and it is great to see that things have moved on, people have taken on new projects and made them work and new people have got involved and have a sense of ownership of the arts projects. It is also nice to be welcomed back like an old friend.

Abacus Residents like the Spotted Dog

News in today on the The Stirrer that John Tighe at The Spotted Dog has undertaken some research that indicates that the vast majority of the residents of the Abacus Apartments are happy with the level of noise from The Spotted Dog. It’s worth a read…I think that one of the biggest threats to Birmingham at the moment is the potential damage caused by problems with mixed use developments. Digbeth is (and is becoming increasingly) an important area for the city with the growing number of creative industries and venues of all kinds. If redevelopment of the area (the adding of apartments etc) leads to the shutting down of music venues and the moving in of chain pubs and eateries we will lose something special.We already have Brindley Place for that sort of night out. Digbeth is full of individually owned pubs and venues. I’m never scared of change and development - Birmingham has done well out of that in the last 20 years. However we should also learn from the mistakes of the past and not trash the treasures that are already there in the name of ‘progress’.We need more surveys like the one conducted by the Spotted Dog and then this information needs to be a welcome read for the Council who then have the power to stop the Noise Abatement nonsense and the power to make the most of Digbeth’s ‘grittyness’ as it grows into an even stronger creative quarter.Join the campaign here: www.keepdigbethvibrant.co.uk

Running the gauntlet of New Street

On Friday I had the pleasure of walking up New Street. Nothing unusual I hear you cry…. but have you done this recently? If you go from one end to the other it is scary just how many people will accost you with clipboards…  The second lot on Friday were from Unicef - so I felt ok to stop. But after giving them my address, email, phone number and god knows what else I felt an unease about how many people have my details… So then I  managed to avoid the ladies with the soap powder survey (what?), the ‘have you ever taken a stress test’ bunch, and a couple of others who I didn’t stick around long enough to hear what they were saying…. I did buy a Big Issue though - I don’t mind that but I do wonder how all these people with clipboards are acceptable on the streets of Brum when those of us who want to promote cultural events in the city are discouraged by the cost of a license… 

Out of Office Replies

Is it just me - or does the whole world seem to have more time off than me? There are some very serious offenders - people who always seem to have their “I’m on annual leave until’ message on when I email them. Some people send them out even when you haven’t emailed them! And then there are those whose return date seems like a lifetime away - how do they manage it?Yes I’m freelance now - but I’ve have decent jobs with proper holiday entitlements - but I’m sure I’ve never managed to have my out of on as much as some… Am I missing something?As we approach Easter and my family will have two weeks off and I might only get 4 days - I’m feeling grumpy about having enough holiday… Do these people actually have holiday - or are they just showing off? 

mac

Tonight I had a choir rehearsal at mac. Nothing unusual about that - but I got accosted going into the rehearsal by someone asking me when I was next going to blog… So here it is.I love mac. I have worked in the cafe, the bar, on box office, on the main switchboard, as a steward, as a clarinet tutor, for 4 of its resident companies and been a long time performer/rehearser (?) there. I have spent many a happy hour there. I’m going to miss it while it is being refurbished. One thing I will miss is the way that while walking through mac you can almost guarantee that you will bump into someone you know. Tonight was no exception and it was nice to briefly catch up with Nick Booth and Graeme Rose… I look forward to seeing the new mac in 18 months time! 

Jubilee Debt Campaign

I had a fascinating meeting yesterday with the nice people from Jubilee Debt Campaign. JDC is the organisation that came out of the ‘human chain’ that was formed when the G7 was in Birmingham in May 1998. It’s all about getting the UK government to change their policy on debt (you can read all about it on their site). They are staging a large event this May (18th) at the ICC  to mark the 10 year anniversary of the original human chain and have asked me to help with some local music during the day in Centenary Square.It is really lovely to be working with people with such belief in their cause. The project should be really special as its inspires support from local community groups, all the faith groups and civic leaders.We are looking to do an ‘action’ at the end of the day with all the delegates from the conference in the ICC and the public in the square…  We have a few ideas - but if anyone wants to make a suggestion - let me know!

Work Life Balance

I won the BYPY award last year and one of my ‘themes’ was Work Life Balance. I came at it from the point of view of that is why I love living in Brum. Birmingham is big enough for you to have good career prospects and an exciting working life. On the other hand it is small enough so that you don’t have to live too far away from the action (the train from my house takes just five minutes into Moor Street). There is lots to do here: good theatres and arts, restaurants and music venues but also good schools and neighbourhoods for bringing up your kids.I still believe all of that.  But am I doing what I need to do to get a good work life balance?I now work from home - which works well. I don’t commute home at 5pm - so I cook the dinner instead. I get to raid the fridge too much - but I also get to potter round the house at lunchtime if the work is getting all too much for me (instead of finding myself in town wondering around the shops without a purpose). But do I take lunch breaks ever? Rarely. But more now I work from home…  Anyway - the point of all this is that I’m not sure I really do have a balance? What is a balance anyway - when the work you do is your passion. Absolutely - my children, family and friends are more important than any work or mission I might find myself on. But my work and music  are an important part of who I am so without them my family and friends wouldn’t get the whole of me… Therein lies the problem. When I worked more recently in an organisation where people (most often) worked to earn a living and quite often hated their day job - work life balance was very clear. The would have kids and go part time, or just be sure to work only the hours they were paid for and go home and forget work until the next day. I just don’t have that division in my life. If I go to a concert - I’m checking out the production or looking out for new music I might want to programme. My hubby and I went out to see Basement Jaxx recently and I spent a good part of the evening getting cross at the awful customer service (not because we were affected - but because it was a venue I want to do work in!). If I have family or friends to stay from outside the city. I turn into the tourist board and start taking them to places in Brum that I think they’ll be surprised an delighted by. Of course - I’m enjoying this - but I do end up relating it to work. On the other side - I became a school governor 8 years ago for work reasons to find out how governing bodies work - as I worked with so many schools and I wanted to understand the system better. Eight years on my eldest daughter has now started at that school as it is an amazing place and so some work based research has turned out to benefit my family. Not for the last time I’m sure… So maybe there is a balance - not necessarily all in time and working hours - but maybe something much deeper. I work because it seems that is who I am. In turn the work I do and the learning and pleasure it gives me makes me a better mum (fingers crossed) and means I can bring so much more back to my life at home.The key thing that I try to keep check on is - how much we communicate at home. Am I there when they need me? Do I realise if they need me? Most of the time I think I have a handle on this stuff and I always care about it more than my latest work worries.I guess we will see in time! Happy Mother’s Day folks!