OmniMusic at the Shaw Centre

4th January 2023

Thanks to funding from We Love Manchester and The Manchester Guardian Society Charitable Trust we’re very pleased to be working back at the Shaw Centre in Cheetham Hill for a 6 month project. We’re all working together to write new songs where members can express how they’re feeling about things slowly returning to normal as the pandemic slowly subsides.

First of all though we thought a Christmas song was in order! After listening to loads of different music styles the group chose a sort of 80s disco groove to write one to. Using Assistive Music Technology the group were able to make their own choice of chord progressions over which the song’s verse and chorus would be written. After that we had a few workshops where we knocked together the lyrics and then it was time to put everything together!

Everyone had the opportunity to play their own solos in the song on various instruments adapted to suit their needs and everyone, including the very talented staff members(!), sang on the song.

The song took on two distinct sections. In the first section, various instruments are played to give the idea of walking up a garden path on a very black and frosty night to the front door of a house where a raucous party can be heard to be in full swing. The front door opens and we join in the fun! The group had great fun in recording all the party sounds!

Put your dancing shoes on and have a listen to the finished song!

With very great thanks to all at the wonderful Shaw Centre and to our funders, without whom this project would not have been possible.

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