A message from Gail… After nearly fifteen years as a founder and co-director of Soundcastle, I will be stepping down at the end of February 2026. As part of this transition, Soundcastle’s London programmes will come to a close in December 2025. Neither decision has been made lightly. Although it is sad to be closing […]
My Soundcastle journey began in October with their Sparking Change programme. Held online every Thursday morning with other 18–25-year-olds (nicknamed ‘Sparkies’!) this programme consisted of creative skills sessions, 1-1 mentoring, and peer sharing. Throughout the weeks it was lovely to see everyone in the group, including myself, increase in confidence and learn more about the
Increase confidence, reduce isolation & enhance wellbeing – reflecting on these outcomes in an online environment At the heart of every Souncastle programme, three outcomes drive our delivery – increase confidence, reduce isolation & enhance wellbeing. We reflect on these outcomes year round through our in-person creative music making programmes within local communities. But how
Like many grassroots charities, we work to support the wellbeing of our communities – celebrating every unique individual and inviting them into our musical spaces to connect with others, increase confidence and feel accepted without judgement. Our music facilitators give so much energy to their work, remaining generous and enthusiastic every step of the way.
In this water-logged summer, we were fortunate to find a pocket of beautiful sunshine for a very special Musical Beacons excursion! Walk the Chalk is a wonderful community initiative, celebrating the England Coastal Path from Seaford to Shoreham. Their mission is to widen access to the countryside and encourage people to enjoy the wellbeing effects of
We are so happy to share that news of Soundcastle has travelled as far as Japan over the last month! Photo Credit: Shu Tomioka We were delighted to host Sohei Ide, a Senior Feature Writer from Kyodo News to our People’s Music programme in Sussex. He flew in from Tokyo specifically to take part in
We are delighted to be celebrating our recent musical happenings in Bristol! From 2021 – 2023 we worked in close partnership with Bristol Beacon, creating a new Musical Beacons programme for local families. These inclusive sessions specialised in offering music making for families with disabled children. Here’s one of our favourite quotes: ”By meeting families
As they say, it is crazy what a year can do. For me, it has been a little bit over a year and it is indeed crazy what it has done and continues to do for me. In One Word: Soundcastle! And In More Words: Soundcastle is my employer but it goes way beyond what
Once upon a time, Soundcastle was formed by a group of women that wanted to work authentically and openly with people to make new music. In the early days a wise woman asked us, do you bring joy? We were temporarily stunned into silence, no-one had ever asked us that before. We were used to being
Feeling completely inspired by the Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance Awards today! Hannah, Basma and I were fortunate enough to be invited to attend, as Soundcastle was nominated for the ‘Practicing Well’ Award 2022. The awards were a beautiful celebration of all things creativity, wellbeing and co-production. We were in such incredible company, surrounded by innovators