Turning Creativity into Performance

Music, creativity and collaboration are at the heart of Musicable, a musical collective at Maidenhead Community Lives, where people create, perform and express themselves freely through a shared love of music.

For Dean, music has a powerful effect. He said: “when I’m up it calms me down”

Music is at the heart of the group, but everyone’s creativity takes a different direction. Jonty enjoys composing his own music, while group sessions often become opportunities to improvise together, with each person adding their own ideas.

Dean has written his own songs and filled pages with lyrics. He said: “the words come into my mind”

His musical influences are as varied as his songwriting, with inspiration coming from Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson and Queen, alongside club classics, dub step and trap music.

Wayne also has a lifelong love of music. Coming from a musical family, he has built up an impressive collection of band T-shirts from the concerts he has attended. His favourite music includes rock, Bryan Adams and R.E.M.

He plays both guitar and piano and said: “I have had lessons at East Berkshire College and Maidenhead”

Creativity extends beyond music. The group’s interests also include art, poetry and woodwork, giving everyone the chance to explore different creative outlets.

Members are also passionate about looking after the environment by recycling, reducing waste and repurposing donated items. Dean’s collection of bottle tops has even been transformed into percussion instruments.

Musicable welcomes anyone who enjoys making music, whatever their experience or skill level. Dean said: “I like it when people come in and join in with the music” The group is also keen to work with more musicians and performers from the local community.

The group has also been performing at independent music events, including a recent evening at The Swan Pub, a community-led venue. Musicable opened the event before a line-up of local singers and bands performed. Around 80 people attended and the evening raised about £100 for Thames Hospice.

Dean and Wayne took to the stage with Victor and the other band members to perform Dirty Diana. Looking back on the performance, Dean said: “It was good, I was the best. I stayed and enjoyed it”