February has arrived dear singers and supporters. It’s good that January is over. The start of 2011 has taken us all by surprise. If anyone has been badly affected by the flooding, please let me know – perhaps there is something we can do.
People are still talking about the final performance of Scattered People last year at the Bleeding Hearts Gallery. It was an event to remember – the sound, the spectacle … the atmosphere was right. – the response was perfect.
This year, Simon and I are proposing a change in direction for Scattered People and are anxious to hear your thoughts.
We would like to take our music to the Detention Centre at Pinkenba to sing for and with the people who are housed there. The original concept of Scattered People was to create a musical environment that would be comforting and expressive for people who had survived trauma and were desperate for solidarity and reasons to hope. Locating ourselves at the Detention Centre for 2-3 hours per week would take us back to what we do best.
Discussions will take place over the next weeks to determine whether or not this is a possibility but we’d like to check your own reactions. Would you feel comfortable with this? At this stage we are not sure whether the time given to us (presuming of course that there will be a time given to us) will be during the week or on a weekend. Once we have this information, I’ll be in touch. It would be helpful for Simon and me to know first of all whether you see this as a valuable direction for Scattered People and secondly how available you might be.
Relinquishing the need to rehearse in the one fixed location at the one fixed time has prompted other thoughts. Maybe in time we could have a weekly/fortnightly rehearsal at QPASTT (Queensland Program of Assistance for Survivors of Torture and Trauma) in Yeronga, maybe at MDA in South Brisbane, Multilink in Logan, Visible Ink in Zillmere perhaps – a core group of minstrels representing Scattered People in each location. Each agency would invite its clientele to participate. Occasionally we’d all get together for an all-in performance with an invited audience – singing the same songs and connecting with one another. Important to know that these are just ideas at present – detailed negotiations have not taken place. We are committed to collaborative processes so we are sharing the thoughts with you.
Scattered People would become fluid, flexible and mobile – focusing on singing withpeople rather than to people – applying its magic where magic is needed.
Please let me know what you think. The details can be worked out if enthusiasm is present.
Best wishes,
Brian