Brighton and Hove Music for Connection

12/10/2026

Looking for a mid-week reset? Give your EARS a change of scenery this October!

We'd love to encourage you to step away from screen time, slow down, and tune into the city through sound. Take a well-deserved morning out for yourself and rediscover Brighton through a whole new lens...your ears!

Brighton & Hove Music for Connection invites you on an Interactive Listening Quest

Instead of looking at the city, we’ll be putting our ears first - exploring soundscapes, uncovering hidden sonic details, and tuning into the world around us in a playful, mindful, and completely immersive way

It’s completely free, wonderfully creative, and open to all abilities. A fantastic morning outing and an uplifting local experience

🗓 When: Thursday, 29th October | 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

📍 Where: Community Base, 113 Queens Road, Brighton

🎟 Cost: Free (booking required)

👉 Reserve your spot via Eventbrite https://bit.ly/3W5MaSk

05/10/2026

Despite the rainy weather, we had a wonderful turnout for our Interactive Listening Session a few weeks ago, which was delivered in collaboration with the Migrant English Project

Around 8–10 people joined us from countries including Ethiopia, Eritrea, Iraq, and Spain. Although the rain kept us from our plans, we brought the session inside and spent a lovely afternoon exploring the acoustic environment of Brighton’s Jubilee Library

We moved through different spaces in the library, noticing the subtle contrasts, textures, and qualities of everyday sounds. To round off the session, our Programme Manager, Bela, played her cello. Everyone was able to sit back, sink into the music, and relax

Restorative spaces like these are vital for combatting the daily stresses of life - especially for those navigating difficult residential settings, relocation, or displacement

One participant shared: "It made me come alive"

New friendships were formed, and as a brilliant bonus, three participants actually signed up for library memberships on the spot!

A big thank you to everyone who braved the weather and shared this calm, musical space with us

If you'd like to know more about the Migrant English Project, check out the work they do here: https://mepbrighton.com/

As for us, we'll be running our final (regular) Interactive Listening Walk of the season in just a few weeks. Open to all, this will be an experience like no other. An inclusive interactive exploration of a bustling part of central Brighton, using fun and creative listening tools together to appreciate our senses and our beautiful shared spaces

We invite you to open your ears to experience our surroundings!

It's free! 🎫 https://bit.ly/3W5MaSk

30/09/2026

How can sound and group music-making can transform lives, across our city?

Brighton & Hove Music for Connection has been bringing adults together through accessible, non-judgmental music-making since 2013. From our dementia-friendly music sessions, to the Silver Strings band for beginner and returning adult musicians, our work breaks down social isolation and builds community

🎬 Watch our short feature video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZcXI1PPhfw

You'll hear directly from participants and facilitators about how music helps rewrite neural pathways, rebuild confidence, and bring joy into everyday life

Whether you’re curious about joining a group, exploring social prescribing options, or simply love a heartwarming local story - give it a watch!

👉 Find out more about the work we do at www.musicforconnection.co.uk

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

28/09/2026

Join us for the last Interactive Listening session of the season! It's going to be a lot of fun.

26/09/2026

See you on Monday! 🎷

Just a quick reminder that our next Music and Motion Music Club session is happening on Monday 28th, at Jubilee Library from 11:30am–12:30pm

These are fun, relaxed voice- and movement-based sessions, specifically designed for people with age-related cognitive challenges (including dementia), as well as their carers and family members. Come along for an uplifting hour of sound, singing, and gentle movement in a warm, welcoming space

We look forward to seeing you there!

Find out more about all our local sessions at musicforconnection.co.uk

23/09/2026

Finding Joy, Rhythm, and Global Journey at Hawks 50+

At Brighton & Hove Music for Connection, our core belief is simple - shared music-making has an extraordinary power to bring people together, lift spirits, and foster a genuine sense of belonging. Through inclusive, participatory music sessions across our city, we create spaces where people can connect without pressure, explore sound, and share in the pure joy of collective creativity

A recent Hawks 50+ session offered a wonderful snapshot of how this magic can unfold, in real time

We tried something a bit different, beginning with an interactive action song. Initially, it seems to involve a simple concept - moving your hands in unison with the group, creating a movement that eventually flows around the room...a bit like a Mexican wave! Of course, at the start, there is always that moment where people mix up their lefts and rights! It immediately brings a chuckle, to the room. It's far from a children’s song, but requires real focus. As everyone begins noticing their neighbours, aligning their movements, a collective rhythm takes over. Watching the room shape itself into a single visual wave of motion going left, then right, is really satisfying and grounds everyone in the shared space

From there, the session evolved into an open jam. We use drums, and then Programme Manager Anna joined in on the saxophone, weaving melodies over the top using a harmonic minor scale that gave the music a lovely soulful, North African feel

The energy in the room was fantastic! Lots of getting up, moving, and dancing. Toward the end, one participant captured our session perfectly:

"I feel like I've been on a wonderful trip today. I've been to so many countries!"

What made that reflection so poignant was that it wasn't just about the specific songs we played, but about those free-flowing, jammed moments where the music seems to take on a life of its own and carries everyone along with it

Afterwards, the local community development worker sitting at the dining table shared "It's always glorious and joyous to hear this music altogether."

Music transforms connection, health, and mobility in our local communities. Your donation can help us grow. Thank you for considering making a donation to support our important work:

https://buy.stripe.com/6oE01H0wL7ym39CbIJ

16/09/2026

"It was just really sensitive playing. It was proper musicianship"

At a recent Brook Mead Music Club session, after moving through action songs and folk tunes, the group gathered for the 'tuned instruments' part of the morning, playing ukuleles, tongue drums, and iPads together

What followed was a moment that was really striking, to facilitators Bela and Anna, and one of lovely creative connection. While group playing can often be wonderfully cathartic, on an individual level, this jam took on a completely different depth

Afterward, Bela and Anna debriefed on the session, noticing that "There was this really beautiful sense of everybody really listening to each other, and it was this very gentle but very dynamic jam. Someone was playing, but you could hear another person opposite them responding to that, and they were taking it in turns with all the other participants. It was just really sensitive playing. It was proper musicianship"

Instead of isolated playing, the room moved into a genuine musical dialogue. Anna fed back that there was a nice balance between "the collective music that was made across the group, and then the individual voices which shone out, during that"

When the session came to a close, the shift in energy was immediate. "Afterwards there was a collective sigh, wasn't there? That sense of people really feeling relaxed, that we'd brought the session to a very gentle close", Bela reflected. As one participant put it at the end: "Oh, I feel really relaxed after that. I feel so much better!"

If you, a friend or a loved one would enjoy joining us on Friday mornings, we'd love to see you! More details below:

Next session:

🪘Friday 18th September
🪘Sing and Play Music Club - playful music session for older adults, including those with memory challenges
🪘Brooke Mead Extra Care Scheme (Albion St)
🪘11:30am-12:30pm

09/09/2026

Over the summer, some of our regular session facilitators were away, so we’ve really enjoyed having guest cover facilitators join us.

These included the wonderful Nick Pynn who has been incredible with our participants. He’s been playing folk tunes that we’ve all joined in with, and even composing new tunes with participants 'in the moment'. At Silver Strings, he taught the group a classic folk tune called "Wh***ey Before Breakfast" 🎻

Nick has a great sense of humour, and we’ve been so lucky to have him supporting our groups at Brooks Mead and Hawks 50+

Fun fact: Nick and our Programme Manager, Bela Emerson, first met while performing in STOMP’s Lost and Found Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House!

Thank you, Nick, for bringing so much joy to our summer sessions!

🔗 Find out more about Nick's music here:

Main website for multi-instrumentalist/ composer Nick Pynn. News, gigs and new releases solo and with Kate Daisy Grant. Online shop.

05/09/2026

Connect, sing, and play with us this September!

At Brighton & Hove Music for Connection, we believe music belongs to everyone. Whether you're curious about picking up a stringed instrument or looking for a warm, creative space tailored for people living with memory or cognitive challenges, our community sessions offer a welcoming space to make sound together

Here is what's coming up this September:

🎻 Silver Strings Open Session

When: Tuesday, 8th September 9:30 – 11:30 (1st Tuesday of the month)

Where: Brighthelm Centre (North Road)

Details: Try a stringed instrument and play as part of our friendly group! No pressure, just supportive ensemble play (booking essential)

🧠 Music & Motion

When: Monday, 28th September - 11:30 – 12:30. Last Monday of the month

Where: Jubilee Library

Details: A relaxed, fun voice- and movement-based session designed specifically for adults experiencing age-related cognitive challenges or dementia

🪇Sing and Play Music Club

When: Every Friday - 11:30 - 12:30

Where: Brooke Mead Extra Care Scheme (Albion Street)

Details: Weekly playful music sessions for older adults, including those navigating memory challenges and their carers

Get in touch to reserve your place or learn more about our inclusive community projects:

📧 Email: [email protected]
🌐 Website: musicforconnection.co.uk

We look forward to seeing faces both old and new, this autumn!

01/09/2026

💙Help us keep the music playing, in Brighton & Hove 💙

We are actively fundraising again, and we need your support to ensure our community sessions can continue reaching the people who need them most

At Brighton & Hove Music for Connection, we believe that music belongs to everyone. Since 2013, we’ve been bringing adults of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities together to connect, create, and find joy through music-making:

Dementia-friendly sessions bringing comfort, spark memory, and shared moments to participants and their carers

Wellbeing and mental health music groups offering a safe, inclusive space for isolated or vulnerable adults across the city

Inclusive community bands like Silver Strings give older adults and late starters the chance to pick up an instrument and play together

Music changes lives, reduces isolation, and lifts spirits .

🤝 How you can help:

To keep these vital sessions accessible for all, we need to raise crucial funds

Can you spare even £5? Every single donation makes a real difference

Or, consider a small monthly standing order: an ongoing monthly donation (even the cost of a coffee) gives us the financial stability to plan ahead and keep running our groups week after week

👉 Donate directly here: https://buy.stripe.com/6oE01H0wL7ym39CbIJ

Thank you for backing local community music, and all the work we do!