Sean Bean stabbed!

Everone seems to be trending Sean Bean at the moment... it is worth mentioning that the South Yorkshire born actor visited Get Sorted for a recording session in the past. 

Glenn and Graham recorded him in the studio, doing a literacy work and he was great to work with, and though he expressed his love of classical music, he can't play an instrument! Best wishes to Mr. Bean and we hope his injuries heal quickly. This article appeared in The Star.

"SHEFFIELD actor Sean Bean was stabbed with a broken glass outside a bar when he challenged a passer-by who insulted his glamour model friend.

The Hollywood star, who grew up in Handsworth, was smoking with topless model April Summer, 22, when another punter in the pub made a remark about her.

The multi-millionaire actor, who has starred in Lord of the Rings films and is appearing in The Game of Thrones TV series, is believed to have been stabbed with a broken bottle and punched.

Bar staff treated a wound on his arm, but the actor – famed for his hard man roles – did not seek medical attention..."

...story continues here...

M-Star comes out on top

M-Star (Liam Mousley) recently won the Jay Mya/ Rotherham Advertiser competition, with 560 votes for the track he recorded at Get Sorted with Glenn Moss.

M-Star

IT was a close-run thing, but in the end rapper M-Star won the vote in our Midnight Music competition.

M-Star, real name Liam Mousley (right), won 38% of the hundreds of votes cast on our website.

That was enough to just pip show tune singer Sam Shirtliffe to first place.

Liam, aged 14, wins a recording session with Rotherham singer-songwriter Jay Mya at the Music Factory.

Jay has also promised to write a special song for our winner.

He’ll also be performing LIVE, at the pre-event party for the Rotherham Hospice Midnight Walk on June 18.

And because the voting was so close, the Hospice’s party organisers have also invited Sam (15) to perform on-stage.

Liam, of Richmond Park Avenue, Kimberworth, was delighted by the success of his track, Dream Girl.

“I can’t stop shaking. I’ll start practising tonight!” he said.

A regular at the Winterhill Young People’s Centre, Liam says he is a rapper with a anti-gang message and his inspiration is hip-hop star Chipmunk.

He became interested in music through his big brother Damien and has already performed live several times in Rotherham.

Sam (below), of Warren Mount, Kimberworth, performed the song I know Where I’ve Been, from the hit show Hairspray in the competition.

A pupil at Winterhill School where she is studying music and drama, she is a member of the Steps Productions theatre group and will be appearing in a production of Annie at Rotherham Civic Theatre in July.

Her idol is American rapper and actress Queen Latifah, who starred in the film of Hairspray and Sam says her ambition is to appear in the West End.

Also appearing at the Parkgate party, which will help set the Midnight Charity walkers on their way will be Sadie Bates, who recently recorded a cover of Boys Like

Girls’ hit Thunder after winning a talent show at Wickersley Comprehensive recently. That song was released on iTunes last week.

Topping the bill at the party will be Jay himself who said: “I am really pleased with the quality and variety of music that has been submitted by the entrants to the music competition.”

Get Sorted Bolognaise - Making Healthier Easier!

According to Makespace.org.uk musicians make good cooks... and they produced a recipe with Get Sorted for you to get started with! 

Down load this recipe from www.makespace.org.uk

Changing Lives Through Music

Get Sorted were featured on the front page of the Winter 2010 'Rotherham People Power', Rotherham's "Community Engagement Bulletin, which is available for download.

DJ Daz hits the decks!

A group of local people with learning disabilities have taken action to enhance their skills and improve their lives through an eight-month programme held at the Get Sorted Music Academy in Rotherham, in partnership with an organisation called Reach 4 the Stars.

The academy, based at Westgate, aims to ‘change lives through music’ by giving people the confidence to perform in public, whilst improving their motivation and raising their self esteem.

Almost 30 adults attend the weekly workshop sessions, which include DJ skills, VK-ing (playing videos as a backdrop for people to dance to in nightclubs), singing karaoke and even playing electric guitar in a band. All the sessions are designed to build on an individual’s skills and lead to a final performance.

Darren Warmsley, AKA MC Big Daz, said: “I really enjoy the workshops. I have got better at DJ-ing since I started coming here. We made a Christmas rap this week and I’m really looking forward to being able to DJ in a proper nightclub!”

The workshops at Get Sorted have had a major impact on their lives, as Genya Johnson, Executive Director of Get Sorted, explains: “It is easy to see the confidence that these people have as a result of their involvement with music. Their families and carers have noticed a big difference too, mainly that they are becoming more outgoing, have a wider circle of friends and it has really given them something positive in their lives that they really look forward to.”

The group have already impressed many people with their DJ skills at their first official performance at the Fairs Fayre in Magna in September. Now they are working towards the ‘Under the Stars’ nightclub event being held for people with learning disabilities at Liquid nightclub in Rotherham in March. This event is expected to attract up to 600 people.

Ruth Parrott, Managing Director of Reach 4 the Stars, an organisation that runs events for people with learning disabilities, said: “People with learning disabilities have limited opportunities to meet up with friends and the nightclub events give them a great chance to get together. The workshops are working really well and I can’t wait to see the new trainees perform on the night.”

If you would like to find out more about these music workshops for people with learning disabilities or to get involved in these nightclub events, contact Ruth Parrott on 07834 547484.

Get Sorted "Improving Life Choices and Chances"

Get Sorted featured in Lloyds TSB Foundation Annual Report for 2010...

£30,000 over three years to help fund the salary and project costs of a NEETs worker, and a contribution to core costs. 

Get Sorted supports disadvantaged young people by running music and other creative workshops, along with offering support in learning life skills. The Foundation’s grant funds their project ‘Creative Stepping Stones’, which helps NEET young people develop life skills such as budgeting, time management, anger management, interview techniques, and nurtures their talents with creative activities.

“The funding has enabled us to do more one-on-one work with hard to reach young people as well as enabling us to devote 16 hours a week instead of two hours per week to the programme.”

Genya Johnson, Get Sorted Manager

Get Inspired, Get Rapping

Get Sorted and Inspire Rotherham have been working with young people, writing and recording rap songs to achieve an accreditation. They explore the way lyrics are written and have produced a book which will include their completed raps, lyrics, poetry and thoughts, a full profile of each rapper and a CD that shows off samples of their best work. This article is taken from the Inspire Rotherham website.

H is a 14-year-old rapper and lyricist. He began the Inspire project by taking part in the Shakespeare Sonnet exercise.[1] He had many questions about the text and wanted to make sure he fully understood what was required of the exercise in order to emulate it. He was very keen to create a positive rap and wrote out different ideas.

When working with H we discussed the use of language within a poem or a rap and identified the effects for and against when using colloquialisms and vernaculars. Whilst identifying errors and misspellings, we agreed that as H was expressing himself in his lyrics, he should keep the ‘Urban Language’ that he had developed through his social circles and utilize these in an effective and creative way. As he had identified some of the errors he made, but wanted to keep them consistent within the text, he demonstrated how he was writing his rap almost phonetically, using words like ‘Wiv’, ‘Sum’ and ‘Wanna’ to keep the articulation as he had intended, much like a music composer will express on the sheet music how a certain bar is to be played.

H was given fair criticism from the other group members and took these on board well when redrafting his lyrics.

Once H had written and preformed the ‘bars’[2] for his Shakespeare exercise, he then set about creating rhythm that he was to rap to. He did this using the software available to him. He would sit with a member of staff looking at the different methods and options available to him to use when creating his beat.

In between working on his own rap, H became involved in other ongoing activities, such as working with other group members to perform or help with writing the lyrics. In doing this, he was given more ideas and more techniques to use for his own material that he would then begin using the Internet and researching different artists and styles of rapping. He developed an interest in rhyming schemes[3] and how they can be taken from poetry and used in rapping.

H spent some time looking at excerpts of poems by some classic writers and poets and compared these to some of the more contemporary rap artists to see if he could identify any similarities or differences. He used simple literacy exercises to improve his skills as a writer and a rapper.[4] He would look up lyrics for songs on the Internet and read through them. H wrote several lyrics and performed a number of raps as well as appearing on other group member’s raps to demonstrate the versatility and unique style and approach he had.

------------

Notes:

[1] This was an exercise that the entire group took part in individually whereby they were given a Sonnet by Shakespeare and asked to study the meaning of the text and use it as a foundation for lyrics to be performed for a rap.

[2] ‘Bars’ - Local dialect term for lyrics. Used commonly in Rap social groups.

[3] Different styles and methods for using rhyming effectively.

[4] Some of these exercises included taking a rap line and rearranging it into a more grammatically acceptable sentence and vice versa.

Music Workshops for People with Learning Difficulties

Get Sorted run different workshops on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for people (Over 18's only) with Learning Difficulties. Call 01709 513 099 to book your place!

Graham's hoping for a hot hit

Graham Sutherland, GSAM's man at the helm (and future Rock Legend) was interviewed in The Advertiser about his band, The Hottest State.

ROTHERHAM guitarist and songwriter Graham Sutherland is hoping for success after he and his band The Hottest State officially launched their debut EP.

Graham, who works at Rotherham’s Get Sorted Music Academy in Westgate, launched the four-track offering with a gig at The Garage Bar in Doncaster.

The EP, which is available on digital download, features Graham on lead guitar, vocalist Paul Morris, guitarists John Crawford and Richard Myers, drummer Steven Leary and keyboard player Robin Brown.

“We are all very excited about our first recording that was produced by recording engineer Darren Ferris at the Higher Rhythm Studios on Netherhall Road in Doncaster,” said Graham.

It has already had air play on several local radio stations. We would like to reach a wider audience and our ambition now is to record an album.”

The Hottest State formed in 2008 and has built an enthusiastic following in South Yorkshire.

American rock giants like Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young have influenced the group while legendary British bands like The Who and Cream continue to be a source of inspiration to their writing and playing.

Rock music lovers can hear a sample of some of the group's most popular songs at www.myspace.com/TheHottestStateband

GSAM on 'Sector Solutions' Case Studies

A Sector Solution case study of GSAM, following the progress of a "dyspraxic Rotherham teen".

A dyspraxic Rotherham teen has gone from struggling at school to playing live in a rock band and achieving multiple qualifications thanks to Get Sorted Academy of Music (GSAM) and Sector Solutions.

LW, 15, found that he struggled at school due to teachers not understanding that his dyspraxia meant he could not work at the same speed as other students. This continued lack of awareness resulted in LW feeling depressed and unable to cope. GSAM provided an outlet for him to focus on what he loved and since joining he has attended weekly classes, achieved an NCFE (a leading provider of national qualifications) award and played to live audiences.

GSAM aims to change peoples' lives through music, no matter what age, background or ambition. Throughout its fifteen years of operation, it has always strived to improve and therefore welcomed Sector Solutions' input.

After a thorough investigation Sector Solutions recommended an action plan which focused on sustainability, this included assisting GSAM with securing a Targeted Support Fund. The money from this fund has resulted in GSAM investing in staff and equipment to ensure that students have the facilities they need.

LW said: "I like coming to Get Sorted because there are lots of interesting activities to get involved in which helps me work towards my desired future career as a professional sound engineer".

In addition to building on his ambitions, LW has noticed that due to his drum playing his muscle coordination, which previously caused him problems, has improved and knowing that his Dyspraxia does not hinder him in achieving his goals has increased his confidence. He has now set his sights on further music technology training and is applying for college to study music. He has even encouraged one of his peers to achieve a NCFE award in music performance.

Genya Johnson at GSAM said: "We've many success stories similar to that of LW's, as some of our students come from really difficult backgrounds but have managed to turn their lives around. One of our students has even gone on to become a guitar tech for a popular rock band!

"Sector Solutions provided us with an outside perspective and gave us some great ideas on how to improve. We hope to help many more people like LW and with Sector Solution's help, we know we can."

All of the training that GSAM has accessed via Sector Solutions has been funded through the Big Lottery funded BASIS (Building and Sustaining Infrastructure Services) grant, the aim of which is to address the skills gap in the South Yorkshire labour market by developing community based learning providers i.e Sector Solutions' partners. The organisation has never held a Sector Solutions contract to deliver a training programme, but the fact that it has received significant amounts of funding to enable it to make a difference to people's lives is testament to the benefits of being a Sector Solutions Partner.