Tara has been leading creative workshops since 2007. She believes that participation in music making has a social binding power that can engage and empower both individuals and groups; interaction being the key component where ideas can grow through collective creativity. This aspect of her work creates an important ongoing dialogue with her work as a performing musician and collaborator.
Over the last 9 years, both as an independent artist and through her social enterprise SoundsCreative Projects, Tara has led creative projects and CPD training in collaborative composition/improvisation & creativity, percussion and vocal work. She has worked for both UK based and international organisations including, Korean Arts and Culture Services, Sunland School of the Arts - Mexico, Kobe University, Japan, A New Direction, Barbican, Aldeburgh Music, Royal Opera House and Serious.
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As well as founding and leading the growing social enterprise SoundsCreative Projects (see website), Tara also worked for the Islington based charity Music First throughout it’s growth as creative leader, composer and consultant, leading the Arts and Media School hub. She worked for 10 years in a freelance capacity for Arts First piloting & creating whole class instrumental teaching, leading their community choir & yearly Primary school singing event 'Pure Voices' in Union Chapel, and running CPD training for teachers. Working with her long term collaborator Nicholas Aguilar, Tara also co- created the now Sunland Express programme in Mexico City.
Portfolio of past projects include ...
(to be updated Autumn 2021)
CPD training workshops
2016 - A New Direction & Nimble Fish - a series of creative CPD training sessions for teachers held at The Museum of London.
2015 - KACES - Korean Arts and Culture Services - 1 week creative training and talks for teaching artist across the country (through SoundsCreative Projects)
2011 - 2014 Arts First:
Vocal INSET sessions for primary teachers (for Pure Voices and Youth Prom).
Using music in the classroom – NQT training
Finsbury Schools Sharing Good Practice: Djembe workshops
2012 - 2014 Barbican Creative learning: Performance matters elective - training with 1st year GSMD students
2009 & 2013 Sunland School of the Arts, Mexico City: Creative workshop leading - weekend for local musicians and teachers
2012 Kobe College, School of Music, Japan – 1 week training for students including children’s’ workshop ‘Lets play with music’
2011 Royal Opera House: Introduction to song writing , Leigh-on Sea, Essex –for primary KS2 teachers
2009 Oxford Brookes University: Participatory Music workshop (Music/Space/Community) - Architecture/design 1st year students, working in conjunction with Beat the Boundaries and ASF-UK
Cross-arts and collaborative composition workshops
2015/2016 Turner Contemporary, Margate: Blank canvas - Exploration of sound, Analogue visa digital - workshop with inter generational group
2014 Sadler’s Wells, Cubbitt Artists partnership with Arts First: Where do we begin? - CPD sessions for teachers and schools workshops exploring how to use creative processes to enhance learning experiences
2014 Creative Futures: Creative Barking&Dagenham - Engaging local residents in the Arts
2012 Aldeburgh Music: Exchanging Worlds project. Cultural Olympiad performance at Snape Maltings – part of artist team using AWO audition material for community project:
*Creation of audio-visual interaction installation in shipping container with HMP youth offenders
*Week residency with AYM students & Quest Ensemble, creating site specific performance piece
2012 Barbican Creative Learning: Slough Grammar School, Year 7 – Five week composition project and teacher support/mentoring
2011 Royal Opera House:
A to B - Community cluster project in Harlow schools, Essex - combining music and visual arts. Collaboration with visual artist Sam Belifante
Music Ignite - William Martin School, Harlow - Week long school community project including parent workshops, teacher CPD, composition/songwriting, djembe, boomwhackers (collaboration with Sam Belifante)
2010 Barbican Creative Learning: Can I have a word?, Day long Barbican poetry and music project with Islington schools
2010/2011 Aldeburgh Music: HMP & YOI Warren Hill, Carlford Unit (youth offenders): multi media/soundtrack project
2009 - 2010 CIAO!: The Ark:A Positive Vision of a Low Carbon Future - Science and Art project, a collaboration between artists, scientists and 10 Oxfordshire Primary schools
2008 - 2010 Architecture sans Frontières (ASF-UK): Sense of Place - Urban Living, Birmingham Pathfinder - with Multistory:
Sight + Sound: Development/delivery of social mapping pilot workshop *High Recommendation: Innovation of Arts in Development – Homes and Communities Awards 2010
2008 Casa da Musica, Porto, Portugal: Hip-hop project collaboration with with Jorge Queijo, Porto hip group and local community members
2008 Guildhall School of Music & Drama: CYO/Tate St. Ives - Composition project with CYO members inspired by work of Ben Nicholson - Family workshop and composition performance at Super Sunday event
Song writing/vocal workshops
2013 onwards - Helen Bamber foundation - Woven Gold - Part of the team of voluntary musicians to work with the weekly music group.
2012 - 2015 Freshwater Theatre Company: Around the world with music - Consultant and leader invited to devise and lead Interactive 1- hour performances for primary schools.
2012 & 2013 Sunland School of the Arts, Mexico City: Sunland Express, continued yearly song writing project with yrs. 5-7.
2012 & 2013 Guildhall School of Music & drama: Junior Guildhall – 6 weeks creative sessions for kindergarten selection process
2011 Royal Opera House:
Introduction to song writing: Leigh-on Sea, Essex - KS2 workshops
Westborough Primary School, Southend - Topic based composition/songwriting project (year 4 and 5)
2010 Barbican Creative Learning:
Best foot forward, Yr 6 project - music composition & street dance, Islington & Hackney schools
Dynamic changes, Song writing project involving 10 Tower Hamlets schools
2009 Escuela Sierra Nevada, San Mateo (Mexico City) - Songs of Peace: Launch project - 2 week song writing project (in English) yrs. 5-7
2009 Vortex Jazz Club/BrazenBunch/HCD: Exploring Roots in Jazz - Jazz Project for local 13-18 year olds
2008 - 2010 Serious: Sing Up - Workshop tours around UK & Open Rehearsal, London (Cultural Olympiad) with Kaushiki, Cleveland Watkiss and Napoleon Maddox
Creative Ensembles and Improvisation workshops
2013 I=U Festival: Quest Ensemble in Collaborative composition, open workshop improv sessions for musicians
2013 Angel Orchestra: Create and Play - Away from the notes explorative creative workshop for members the orchestra
2012 PoMI Conference, Oxford University: Ways in to improvisation. Workshop led with Quest Ensemble
2011 - 2012 Guildhall School of Music & drama: Guildhall Creative Sinfonietta: Collaborative new music ensemble for students/recent alumni (Co-Leader with Quest Ensemble )
2008 - 2009 Barbican Creative Learning: Connect Ensemble, Leader of weekly collaborative composition ensemble for yrs 7-13’ Barking & Dagenham Music Service
Percussion workshops
2012 IAMS: Coordination of carnival –samba leader/musical director
2011 Arts First/Music First: Youth Prom massed performance, Royal Albert Hall: preparation of Samba, djembe groups, vocal CPD session, and Community choir leader
2009 - 2011 Highbury Grove specialist music School: Weekly Percussion/Improvisation ensemble leader
2010 Barbican Creative Learning: COLA-I Arts Festival: Percussion workshops, yrs. 7-9