Sound Therapy

Before we became Decoda we were Count Me In, taking musicians into local day centres and homes. Count Me In was born one evening in a pub in Hastings. Everyone in the pub was watching Rag Mama Rag, the acoustic blues duo but I was watching Dave,(not his real name) at a table next to the musicians.

I knew Dave through work, a young man with learning disabilities who could present a challenge if not understood. There he was grinning and clapping with sheer delight and I was wondering - Why don’t more people with learning disabilities get to hear good, live music? The rest, as they say, is history…………

I was reminded of this today when I was sent information from the Stay Up Late campaign organised by Heavy Load. What struck me that night in the Hastings Arms was not just how much Dave was loving the music - it was also the fact that he was there at all, not for the whole evening but certainly until after the break at 10. Because of shift patterns even that simply wasn’t possible in any home I knew of then and it must be unusual now or there’d be no need for this campaign.

Dave was very fortunate in living in such a relaxed home, geared to the needs of its residents. It was 2000 - was Valuing People even a twinkle in Rob Greig’s eye? Yet this home got it so right. The staff had body piercings, tattoos and a history of animal-rights activism, and the residents had full, active lives doing things we take for granted. I was sorry when the owner sold up and moved away.

So, it can be done.The Heavy Load, a punk band of ten years’ standing, made up of musicians with and without learning disabilities, got fed up of people leaving their gigs at 9pm. They’re putting a lot of energy into the Stay Up Late campaign. Posters, T shirts, postcards, a CD, Green Cards to show staff if a late night’s planned, and finally gigs to promote it. They’re calling to Make Staying In History.

To find out more there’s a lot of websites - the main Heavy Load site or their MySpace profile or you can send an email to Paul Richards at Southdown Housing where they’re all based.

For more information about Decoda, email us, look at our website or phone us on 01424 444322.