Evil Dave Industries

Get Sorted has been around for years - changing lives through music - and many interesting people have passed through the doors. Here is a quick look at an old Get Sorted employee 'Evil' Dave White! 

Back in the lates 90's and early 00's, Dave White used to be work as Soundman and promoter for the Wellington Boot! Back in those days Get Sorted was based across the road, ands the Welly was a pub. Every Tuesday about 100 young people used to descend on the Welly to witness some of the UK's best touring bands... and Dave would be at the helm, channeling their sounds through the PA system! 

Nowadays, Dave is a Guitar tech for Kasabian (he also occasionally stands in for the band; recently he had to stand in on Guitar playing to thousands when Kasabian supported U2), but he has worked for many top acts including Tinnie Tempah, Bloc Party and Duff Mckagan.

Here are a few questions from his website FAQ - not all of which is overly serious! 

Q: Can you get me a job doing what you do? 

A: If you've never done anything remotely like it before then no.

Q: Can I have a free ticket for a show you may or may not be working at? 

A: No. 

Q: Why do they call you Evil Dave? 

A: A child asked me for an autograph and I told him to go away. 

Q: How did you get into this business? 

A: I got drunk at a party and had a driving licence.

You can keep up with all Dave's movements by following his blog - http://evildaveindustries.blogspot.com/

Get Sorted and NEETs!

Get Sorted work closely with young people 'not in education, employment or training' (NEETs), helping them develop their basic education and other key life skills. Here is a story from Paul L!

"We had a great afternoon on Thursday, when Neil Rhodes came into our Multimedia department needing a C.V. completing for use at the Job Centre. We have been looking at how to complete C.V.s in our NEET sessions on a Monday afternoon and it was fantastic that Neil felt that he could come to us and access this service that we offer!"

Get Sorted firmly believes in personalised, individual learning. We know that young people will reach their full potential when they have their individual needs met. This can include education as well as pastoral care and support. We can help them with college applications, interviewing techniques, helping them to find work and filling in job applications

Meet a member of the Get Sorted 'Family'!

Dave B writes here about Jay, who started at Get Sorted as a volunteer but who is now, about 6 months on, is a Get Sorted Session Worker!

Jay (third from right) with some of his learners!

Jay has been at Get Sorted for 7 months, starting out as technical support and has since become a solid member of the crew, specialising in Graphic Design sessions and school activities"

In Jay's own words; "I was nervous and shy when I first got here but, because of the warm and friendly staff, I now feel like part of the family. Get Sorted has helped me as much as I've helped Get Sorted. I find the work very rewarding and I encourage anyone who has an interest in Graphic Design or Music to come down and give it a try!"

Jay has proved himself to be a loyal and versatile member of staff who has a very bright future at Get Sorted!

Volunteers are welcome at Get Sorted as we are always looking for volunteers who care about young people, enjoy music and the arts and want to gain experience in the voluntary sector. For those who complete their voluntary hours, there are opportunities to stay with the project as a volunteer or train to be a mentor, session worker or in some cases an employee... like Jay! So if you do have a set of special skills like Jay, and want to volunteer at Get Sorted, get in touch.

Just Look At Me Now!

Get Sorted are featured in a report on the 'Just Look At Me Know' project that was published by IBK Initiatives.

The Living and Learning Now pilot project (Sheffield and Barnsley), funded by the Learning and Skills Council and delivered by Mencap, is designed to enable disabled young people with high support needs have greater choice about what to do with their lives when they leave school.

Get Sorted provided “opportunities for everyone, including young disabled people, to learn to play musical instruments, sing, film making, drama and dance, music technology and DJ and MC skills.”

And a quote from Genya, taken from the report, sum’s it all up:

 

“I think they have all benefited from it. It has been an exciting project, it has been exciting for the service users because they have had the opportunity for choices they have never had before.”

Get Sorted Plug Into Music!

A Youth Music: Plug Into Music report from April 2004 describes the project and gives special mention to Get Sorted.

Youth Music’s Plug into Music (PIM) programme has been an important and innovative initiative to provide a range of opportunities for children and young people to use music technology to express themselves musically. Launched early in 2001, Plug into Music aimed to provide a focus for those organisations using technology creatively to deliver music-making projects to children and young people, and to support the emerging practices and projects that Youth Music had seen developing through its other funding programmes.

“… Case studies received either an extended telephone interview(s) or a visit. These proved to be both interesting and enjoyable: case study project leaders were uniformly helpful, open and enthusiastic about their work.

In three of the visits it was possible to observe some of the original staff working with the participants. This was extremely fruitful. In one case (Get Sorted Academy - Rotherham) it was possible to speak with some of the trainees, who had since moved on to permanent posts with the organisation, and to see the funded equipment being put to excellent use in programmes for socially excluded young people.”

Plug into Music

Programme (first round)

1 April 2001 – 31 March 2002

Postode Lottery

Get Sorted, using funding from the People’s Postcode Trust, helped 25 young people make films to get their voices heard about important subjects such as bullying, racism, moving to a new country.

One group in particular benefited from the project and reached some very positive outcomes whilst taking part in an animation activity involving bullying.

We invited a group of girls aged 13 to 15 years old to attend Get Sorted and take part in our animation project. The girl’s involved were experiencing behavioural problems at school and other negative factors such as bullying, racism and peer pressure and had become quite a challenge to engage with. Our animation project was designed to break down and discuss the issues that were having a negative impact on the girl’s lives and offer them a way to explore ways to counter these problems. The girl’s quickly became very interested in debating and sharing their opinions with the rest of the group. We used the debates to collect ideas for what we could include in our animations and the group worked together to create an animation using their own ideas and opinions about bullying. The finished work was a great display of the groups own experiences and the girls worked extremely hard at learning and improving their knowledge.

When assessing the sessions we felt that a very difficult subject had been allowed to be approached in a very accessible way by using animation and we were satisfied that we had successfully engaged everyone in the group

“The People’s Postcode Trust is the grant giving independent charitable trust of People’s Postcode Lottery” who “distribute funds to small organisations, community groups and registered charities.”

“People’s Postcode Trust is solely funded by People’s Postcode Lottery. £2 from every monthly ticket goes to charity, and to date over £12 million has been raised for good causes in the UK. The People’s Postcode Trust has received over £2.4 million to date from People’s Postcode Lottery, which has been distributed to 489 organisations across the country.

Funding is awarded to projects with one or more of the following aims; to prevent poverty, to promote, maintain, improve and advance health, to advance citizenship or community development, to advance public participation in sport, to promote, improve and advance human rights, conflict resolution or reconciliation, to promote and advance environmental protection or improvement.”

Practice Learning Consortium Case Study

The Practice Learning Consortium is an organisation that assists Social Workers to find placements that will help them develop their skills and knowledge . Here is a case study from their website about Get Sorted.

Get Sorted was established in 1995 and has grown and developed over the years into a highly recognised music charity for children and young people.  Although music and the arts is the hook for engaging young people, we also provide a range of other activities and services including mentoring, support, volunteering opportunities and work placements.  Get Sorted also has a learning centre for young people who are on the verge of exclusion from mainstream education or for those with a range of syndromes, behavioural and mental issues.  We are a registered charity and provide a wide range of services and activities for the people of Rotherham as well as some areas in Sheffield.  We deliver workshops both on site and in the community.  Get Sorted has received some excellent awards for its community work as well as having two visits from Prince Andrew. 

All social work students are given placements in the learning centre as this is where the hardest to reach young people are.  These young people have a wide range of issues which need addressing in between trying to provide them with a learning programme which meets their individual needs.  The staff in the learning centre provide much needed pastoral care, attend multi agency meetings and meet the individual needs of the young people.  For those that need additional support, we are able to bring specialists into the centre so they can support where needed.  There are many benefits of taking social work students on a placement with us.  First, they get hands on delivery and learning, see a wide range of problems and issues which face our young people and are able to fill their assignment criteria due to the young people we work with.  There are lots of opportunities for our social work students and the flexibility to attend case conferences, do home visits with our staff, visit other agencies where the young people may need to go etc.  As for Get Sorted, taking on social work students benefits both our young people and our staff.  It also helps our organisation because it means a new face for the young people, a different perspective on things, another pair of hands, a different type of expertise, and most importantly, we enjoy watching our students grow and develop even though it is only for a relatively short period.

The Consortium provides plenty of help and advice if we run into any difficulties, problems or just want to enquire about something.  I have always been pleased with the support we have been given.

By belonging to a consortium of members, you can share information, learn from each other, attend courses as well as knowing you can pick up a phone and talk to someone if there is a problem.  I have talked to other providers, and we do seem to share the same thoughts.  Any partnership work is important and networking is also very useful for gaining and sharing information.

One of the main things that we have noticed is that many of our students come back to see us once their placement has finished.  We have had a few gone on to do some paid work for us during the summer and one of our students, who became a social worker, actually worked with us with the same client.  That was a very proud moment for us.  To see our student in an official role, leading a case conference which included one of our very hard to reach young people.  It is also interesting when students pop in and let us know what they are doing, where they are now working.  Keeping in touch has been a highlight for us as it is always interesting to know where our students have gone once they have completed the course. 

Teacher Training.

Get Sorted provides a great opportunity to carry out some practical learning for those studying to be a teacher. The following article is from Bex Neale, a student at Mancherster Metropolitan University.

"I came to Get Sorted towards the end of a PGCE course at Manchester Metropolitan University to deliver a session in song-writing. We explored the use of vocal rhythms and patterns before writing our own lyrics to fit into these rhythms using a comic-strip for inspiration.

The young people were able to compose their own rhythms before learning how to play power chords on the guitar. They could use this in future session to creat a song.

I really enjoyed working with these young people in an 'out-of-school' context and in a friendly environment, and they also felt that they benefited from being in such an environment."

It should be pointed out that Bex has been involved with Get Sorted for years, performing regularly with her band Pelican 'Ead many times and also making recordings with the same band... a recording of which must be lurking somewhere in the archives!

Get Sorted help Kimberworth "Foundation Get Musical!"

Get Sorted regularly hold School Workshops. This story is taken from the Kimberworth Community Primary School website where Get Sorted recently did some work.

"This week children from foundation have taken part in music workshops, run by ‘Get Sorted Academy of Music.’ The children played a variety of musical games which developed listening skills and their sense of rhythm. They copied and made up their own patterns using the drum shapes, they strummed and plucked guitars and they had the opportunity to conduct the class orchestra. They also learnt several new songs – ask your child to sing one to you at home!"

Music education is extremely important as music helps with literacy, maths, science, history, geography and other areas of the curriculum as well as developing the creativity in children and young people. Music improves co-ordination, memory, motor skills as well as helping to develop social skills and leadership skills.

Whatever your musical needs let us help you find the solution. Get Sorted provides a local voice for music in education and in the community by providing a wide range of music and arts workshops and activities and by supporting schools that do not have professional musicians in-house.

All our staff are CRB checked, friendly and experienced and most importantly enjoy making music with children and young people.

Lloyds TSB "Our Stories" Get Sorted Feature

An article taken from the Lloyds Banking Group website. The 'Our Stories' page contains a link detailing the grant given to Get Sorted!

The Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales provided a grant of £30,000 to Get Sorted Music Academy in Rotherham.

Get Sorted Music Academy runs music and creative workshops to enable young people to build their self-esteem and help them reach their creative potential. Workshops are aimed at young people who are not in employment, education or further training. The Academy also provides young people with the opportunity to develop important life skills, such as budgeting, time management and interview techniques.

The Foundation’s grant helps fund core costs for the Stepping Stones project, helping young people to develop and reach their goals through creative activities.

“The funding has enabled us to do more one-on-one work with hard-to-reach young people and has allowed us to devote 16 hours a week to the programme, instead of just two.”

- Genya Johnson, Get Sorted Music Academy.

“As I couldn’t get into college I found something to do at Get Sorted Music Academy. It’s a great place to learn new skills like music technology. I am gaining more education to try and get into college next time.”

- Nathan, 16-year-old learner on the Stepping Stones project.

Inspire Project Success

Get Sorted tutor has been working with young people through the Inspire Project, and it is paying off!!!

Dave B, Get Sorted tutor says: "The Inspire Project was a great success. The difference in attitude from the kids was clearly visible, as well as their grasp on English."

The Inspire booklet, highlighting some of the artists on the project, is winging itself around the world as part of a 'Bookmap' scheme and you can follow it's progress on the Inspire Bookmap page.

There has also been a concert where Inspire rappers, including M-Star, performed, there are videos on youtube.

And finally, Inspire helped M-Star develop as a Rapper... and as a person. As Dave B says, M-Star has 'turned his life around'. M-Star recently won a competition 'Midnight Music' and is going to record a song written for him by Jay Mya in a special session at the Music Factory Studios in Rotherham.

Get Sorted - Changing Lives Through Music!

Friends of Thornhill School - Building the capacity of charities and community projects.

Aside from it's own activities, Get Sorted provides the facilities and expertise for other community groups and charities to carry out own projects. Here is a 2008 case study of 'Friends of Thornhill School' with funding from South Yorkshire Community Foundation.

Colin Martin said: 'It is important to give children a sense of belonging and opportunities that will build their confidence and teach them respect for others. As well as the Wednesday drama group we run a music group on a Friday and they have aspirations of starting a school band before the end of the year.'

Rob Hannon, President, Rotherham Chamber of Commerce said: "It is so important to support our local community and this is just one example where extra curricula activity is making a real difference to the pupils of Thornhill School. The dedication and commitment of Amanda Benton was reflected in the enthusiasm and energy displayed by the kids who without doubt were enjoying every minute of their performance as did we all."

Since receiving the grant from the Community Foundation the group have gone on to access further funding for musical instruments for after school music workshops in partnership with local organisation Get Sorted Music Academy.

As a result of the increased capacity and confidence of the management committee, they are now hoping to involve more people from the community by organising events such as Keep Fit.

Gillian Smith, Secretary of Friends of Thornhill said. " We would like to get more parents involved with activities in school and if we can organise more clubs we might be able to do this."

- "South Yorkshire Community Foundation (SYCF) has funded a variety of projects throughout the region that make a big impact on local communities. We use our expertise and local knowledge to make targeted grants, connecting people who care to causes that matter."

'Children, Young People and Families Consortium'

Get Sorted is a member of the 'Children, Young People and Families Consortium'. Please click on the link to see the GSAM profile.

The Children, Young People and Families Consortium was formed in 2003 'by a group of voluntary sector organisations who provide services for children, young people and families' and has as it's aims 'to achieve the best possible voluntary sector contribution to improving the lives of children, young people and families in Rotherham'.

The Get Sorted profile features all key information about GSAM included services and objectives, a brief breakdown of organisational structure as well as user comments and catchment areas... amongst other things!

Get Sorted at Aston Extended Services May Holiday Activities.

Get Sorted held a series of workshops at Aston Fence Activities 1st June 2011. Here is a write up from Get Sorted staff, with links to the Aston Extended Services Newsletter which features Get Sorted.

Our activity day at Aston Hall was a great success and the children that attended were a joy to work with. We began the day with a Rap workshop which received a fantastic respoinse from the students. The workshop is aimed at improving children's confidence by allowing them to express themselves and all the students made huge progress. By the end of the morning session everybody had wrote and performed an original Rap to the rest of the group and we were very pleased that the session had been successful in including everybody who attended.

The afternoon continued in the same fantastic amnner and again achieved some very positive outcomes. We began with 'Drum Fit', an activity based on improving children's fitness by exercising to music. The activity has already been very well received in the schools we have worked in and this session was no different. Again, all the children participated and enjoyed the fast pace of the session, learning important coordination skills as well as having a great work out!

We finished what had been a very productive day with an electric guitar session. Many of the students had not played an instrument before and were very interested in learning abbout the guitar and how it works. The session succeeded in all the students leaving the activity with a greater knowledge about the guitar and how to play a piece of music on the instrument.