Intergenerational Music Making x Rap Therapy x Cobham Free School

IMM Rap Therapy

IMM rap therapy used intergenerational music and rap to support and inspire both the younger and older generations, opening a door into communication, understanding, confidence and community by offering young people a platform.

The project drew upon current societal issues, highlighting the power music and rap has in providing agency around difficult feelings and emotions. This project was holistic, offering 1:1 mentorship to young people, whilst also equipping them with their own unique and personal toolkit so they learnt to use rap to support themselves.

A series of unique workshops adopted lyric-writing and rap to encourage the children to explore, compose and create, using stories from their older collaborators as inspiration.  From these intergenerational rapping workshops they created and composed their own unique performance which was performed and celebrated at DISRUPT 2021.  

THE COMMISSION

ABOUT THE COLLABORATORS

Intergenerational Music Making (IMM) is one of the UK’s pioneers, delivering co-produced intergenerational music projects, training, consultancy, workshops and creative events within communities, health, education and social sectors. IMM bridge the gap between generations, tackling loneliness and isolation whilst creating stronger, artistically-driven intergenerational communities. Their projects bring together targeted groups, challenging hierarchy and creating spaces for new voices.  They have been determined to play a pivotal role in sustaining and connecting their communities and in December 2020 they launched a national intergenerational programme, Together with Music . In partnership with Care England, TwM aims to embed and sustain intergenerational connections throughout the UK, linking care homes with local schools using music to start a new conversation.

Rap Therapy work to strengthen the mental health of young people through rap. They deliver innovative rap-based workshops that enable young people to write raps and create digital recordings, equipping them with rap as a tool for self-expression, in turn strengthening their mental health. 

Cobham Free School (CFS) aims to produce confident, independent learners who have a broad understanding of all the major areas of knowledge. They prepare each child for their future, giving them a strong foundation in numeracy, literacy and a full range of other traditional subject areas, as well as the skills to succeed in life. Additionally, they extend pupils' experiences by offering opportunities to participate in a wide range of extra-curricular activities.