SV is the highlight of our week!

My name is Clare and I am part of the SV family along with my 13 year old son, Luke. Luke is a very energetic and enthusiastic keyboard player and he has Down Syndrome. We returned to SV about two years ago having taken a couple of years out and it is the highlight of our week! More recently, I have become a volunteer and I help out in the percussion section whilst Luke is supported by the fantastic SV tutors.

Luke is always the first to throw his hand in the air if a volunteer is needed during the interactive workshops that take place at the beginning of each session and he makes the most of regular opportunities to be creative and express himself through music, movement and dance. The workshops have helped to develop his attention and listening skills and he has learned lots about rhythms and patterns in music, how to play along and work with others and how to use music to tell a story or share thoughts and feelings.

Most of all, Luke loves to perform and the SV concerts are his most favourite thing of all! It is wonderful to see Luke and his fellow students get so much satisfaction from playing both their solo pieces and together as an orchestra. To see the pride and joy on their faces makes all the hard work worthwhile and to see them constantly achieving and wowing their audiences is heart-warming. 

My name is Luke. I love the concerts in SV because I watch Kate or Kyran conducting me so that I play the right tune. It’s really good doing a solo because I choose a tune I like and practise it so that I get better at it. I love doing all the activities that Gemma taught me and I love my friends and I love to hear Florence playing her xylophone.