Carol Bowden (she/her)

Trauma Informed Practitioner

Musician, Performer, Educator, Podcaster and Researcher

Hi, I'm Carol, a musician, performer, educator, podcaster and researcher based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, working across the North East of England.

I have a passion for sharing my love of music, through delivery, mentoring and training and I strongly believe that we can nurture relationships, support development and find ways to heal through music and musical play.

My practice is trauma-informed, recognising the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACE's) on an individuals' psychological, social and biological development.

The key principles of trauma-informed care: GOV.UK

Safety: Ensuring physical and emotional safety.
Trustworthiness: Building trust through transparency.
Choice: Providing individuals with voice and control.
Collaboration: Sharing power and decision-making.
Empowerment: Validating strengths and skills.
Cultural Consideration: Moving past stereotypes and biases.

I am the founder of Treble Time YouTube channel for babies, pre-schoolers and their grownups, songs for fun and for supporting the emotional and social development of young children.

A Quick Look At What I Am Doing And Have Done:

Current Projects:

Associate Artist with Blue Cabin This Is The Place project (winners of the Children & Young People Now Awards 2025) with care-experienced babies and young children. We deliver training and offer free resources.

We Make Culture, Thrive project, working with families recovering from domestic abuse.

Sunderland Music Hub developing nurture music groups with children in primary education with SEMH's.

Vocal Leader for Fawdon Friendship Choir

Board of Directors with Sound Sense: the UK professional association for community musicians.

Trustee for MERYC England (Music Educators and Researchers of Young Children).

I work with Be Brave Counselling at Deershed Festival, supporting festival goers, staff and artists with their mental health.

History:

I was a festival compere with Cambridge Folk Festival until 2024, co-compereing The Den Stage, supporting emerging artists and bands, and have worked on smaller festivals including Maddy Prior's Stepping Stones Festival in Cumbria.

I have a Masters in Community Music research at York St John University, for which I researched the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on community musicians working in the North East. You can find my research paper and the accompanying podcast on this site.

Having worked extensively at Sage Gateshead across their Learning and Participation Programme, as Project Musician and Programme Leader for their CoMusica, Early Years, Loud & Clear Foster and Adoptive Families and Young People's Programmes, I now work freelance, working with babies, the elderly and all ages in between, with families with care experience, domestic abuse recovery, SEND and autism.

I have devised training in working with families with care experience, autism and inclusive practice.

I have developed my trauma informed approach through working with The Great North Children's Hospital, North East Autism Society, Children North East, Durham, Gateshead and Newcastle Fostering and Adoption Services. You can find out more about some of these organisations on my Past Projects and Partnerships page.

I was a vocalist and percussion player with Bridie Jackson and The Arbour, a four-piece contemporary folk/acoustic band based in Newcastle, gaining critical acclaim with BBC Radio 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 Music, and playing Glastonbury Festival.

I have been involved in the performing arts since starting dance classes at the age of 5 years old, performing, teaching, writing, and singing, and playing percussion in various bands across the North East of England, performing across the UK and Europe. I gained a BA (Hons) in Dance at Northumbria University.

If you have read this far, I thank you for taking the time to read. This is only part of my journey and I'm looking forward to seeing where my passion for sharing the joy of music-making takes me. I hope you enjoy browsing my website. It's a work in progress!