Beatboxing and banjo concerts for babies - How new Sheffield Concerteenies project is bringing live music to families

A live music concert featuring a harp, banjo or even beatboxing might not, perhaps, be an obvious choice for an outing with a baby. But a new project in Sheffield is giving parents and tots the chance to experience just that, with the view to improving access to live music for families.
Laura Reid
By Laura Reid
Published 2nd Jun 2023, 11:50 BST

Diverse musicians performing as part of the Concerteenies for Babies initiative will use a range of instruments from the Chinese zither to a fiddle and whistle to reach four ‘underserved’ communities.

Polly Ives, founder of Sheffield charity Concerteenies, explains: “These concerts give parents the rare opportunity to attend live music events, cultural venues and community spaces at a time proven to be challenging for families. They aim to relax and reinvigorate adults, as well as providing special bonding interaction with their babies and new musical experiences for the very young.”

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The baby-friendly sensory concerts will be taking place at Highfield Trinity Methodist Church in June and July. From September, Greentop Circus in Grimethorpe will also be involved in a bid to reach more diverse and disadvantaged communities in the city.

Diverse musicians performing as part of the Concerteenies for Babies initiative will use instruments from the harp to banjo, Chinese zither and even beatboxing. Photo: Andy BrownDiverse musicians performing as part of the Concerteenies for Babies initiative will use instruments from the harp to banjo, Chinese zither and even beatboxing. Photo: Andy Brown
Diverse musicians performing as part of the Concerteenies for Babies initiative will use instruments from the harp to banjo, Chinese zither and even beatboxing. Photo: Andy Brown

Cellist Polly says: “Evaluation of our recent work indicates parents who pay to come to our ticketed relaxation concerts appreciate the social and emotional benefits. We want to discover the most effective ways to connect with parents of new babies in areas of disadvantage, and how we can adapt our musical experiences to be relevant, accessible and inclusive.

"The aim is to improve access to live music and outcomes for pre-crawling babies, children and families in disadvantaged communities in Sheffield.”

The project has been granted £15,000 from the Youth Music Trailblazer fund, and will also involve academics at the University of Leeds, including Professor Karen Burland Clark and Dr Freya Bailes, from the university’s School of Music.

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Professor Clark says: “One of the things about Concerteenies is that the music is very high quality - the adults enjoy it and it is delivered in a way that engages children. We’re interested in how that is experienced and how it relates to their everyday lives as new parents. Does it help them feel more energised or connected to their community? We want to understand why people come to these concerts and what makes them come back.”

Musicians involved in the concerts are banjo player and vocalist Kate Griffin, Manon McCoy on the harp and vocals, vocalist Deepa Shakthi and Shu Jiang playing the Chinese zithers.

Ford Collier will perform on the tabla, guitar and whistle, while Martin Harwood joins with the fiddle, guitar and on vocals. Families will also be able to experience James Lyons beatboxing, playing the flute and harmonica, plus acoustic folk fusion duo Mambo Jambo.

Families who wish to be involved can access free tickets via concerteenies.com/events.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Related topics:Sheffield