The Community Musician Podcast

I hope you enjoy this podcast and find your own stories in there somewhere.

The Community Musician in Conversation - On 1st & 2nd March 2025, the Community Music Now conference took place at Leeds Beckett University in collaboration between Sound Sense and AMP. The two-day event for both emerging and experienced practitioners and researchers promised enriching experiences with opportunities to connect, share, celebrate and learn from each other. Delegates came from across the UK and I had the privilige to chat to a few. What follows in this podcast series are those conversations.

How Has COVID-19 Impacted The Community Musician? The welcome, hidden costs, adaptability and recovery in practice - This four episode series of this podcast is part of my research project for my Masters Degree in Community Music, at York St John University. I had conversations with six amazing community musicians across the North East of England to find out how they coped during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are four episodes in this series, the first one is Welcome, the second is Adaptability, the third is Recovery and the fourth is Hidden Costs.

Spotlight

Meet the Musicians

I want to thank the following musicians for the generosity of their time and sharing their stories for the podcast.

Ashleigh Lowes

Ashleigh Lowes is a singer, songwriter and community musician working with early years, families and young people.

Bridie Jackson

Bridie Jackson is a performer, creative practitioner, composer and sound artist. She works with early years, families and is a choir director.

Website

David Pisaro

David Pisaro is a choir director and workshop leader as well as an oratorio soloist who works with young people and vulnerable adults.

Website

Jim Montague

Jim Montague is a community musician and percussionist who works with early years, young people and adults, as well as a trainer and local councillor.

Katie Doherty

Katie Doherty is a singer, songwriter and composer working with early years and schools.

Website

Laura Reavley

Laura Reavley is a woodwind and piano teacher, working with early years, SEND and is a choir director and orchestra conductor.

Gary Bowden

Gary Bowden my husband and sounding board during my MA. He specialises in Autism, Learning Disabilities, Parkinson's and Dementia, working with people of all ages and abilities to create and record original music, songs, soundscapes, and spoken word pieces.

Website