Jessie's Fund

Our musician Jess and her guiro frog had a great family music session at Moor Time stay and play in Ilkley. Singing and soft play, what more could you want!

Our Great North Run t-shirts and vests have arrived and will soon be on the way to our runners ready for the big day. Fingers crossed we will be able to spot them during the TV coverage! Thanks to Peco Ltd for making them for us ☺🏃

Have you experienced Music Therapy? We're seeking 8 people who have received Music Therapy to take part in a Focus Group, which will help to develop Music Therapy.

The Focus Group is part of an NHSE funded project we are involved in with BAAT - The British Association of Art Therapists and the The British Association of Dramatherapists, which aims to support and develop Music Therapy, Dramatherapy, and Art Therapy for the future.

Sign up here: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=WcQnLF4CvkKmbpYVRSu--QDRQkq_Wb1Pioy5X6Mr8QpUMlg5TUpNRDJPTEdURlgyRVBJNDZLNk9OWC4u

Details: 29th August, 1-2pm | Online | £20 p/hr

We only have three places left on our London course and six in York so book soon to avoid missing out!

Places on our popular training course 'making music with special children' are filling up fast. The course is running in York and London in November. Link in comments to get signed up before they all go 👇🪇🪘

Big thank you and well done to Andrew Lydon, one of our great north runners, who has already smashed his fundraising target. He has raised 148% of his target with a month to go till race day!

Looking forward to this training session with Suffolk Music Therapy Services and British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT) in October. More details and how to book via the link in the comments

Such a pleasure to get know West Bridgford Social Singers this year and have their support through their fantastic fundraising! It means a lot to us and the children and families who we will be able to help through the power of music with this funding 🎼

I recently visited Jessie's Fund in York to meet with Rebecca and hand over our latest 'cheque' for £3000 from the Charity Marathon in May. We also added an extra donation of £125 from our Summer Concert. As we were talking about the various projects which Jessie's Fund undertakes across the UK, she mentioned a relatively new area of work, using music therapy in neo-natal units with premature babies. The links below give more information about this for those interested.
https://www.havenhouse.org.uk/music-therapy-in-a-special-care-baby-unit
https://jessiesfund.org.uk/neonatal-music-therapy/
It has been a great privilege for the choir to be able to support Jessie's Fund this year, in memory of Teddy and we wish them success in all their remarkable work over the coming years.

📣CALLING ALL UK MUSIC THERAPISTS: What does Music Therapy look like in practice across the UK in 2024?

We have embarked on a joint NHSE commissioned project alongside BAAT - The British Association of Art Therapists and The British Association of Dramatherapists and we need your insight.

This collaborative work seeks to raise awareness of the professions and to develop a career framework for those already in the profession. It also aims to inspire people who might be considering a career in Art, Drama, and Music Therapy.

We need your feedback so we as a professional body can continue to champion and develop our profession. We really appreciate your insight and support!

Respond to the survey now: https://buff.ly/4drkMlq

Powerful words from on show last night: "Music is the one thing on earth that can literally bring people together...the importance and value and beauty of it..I'm talking too much when there are no words needed". We couldn't have put it any better and can recommend catching up with the whole interview and his beautiful music on

Feeling inspired by the Olympics? Sunny weather making you want to go outside and get active? Details of a popular sporting fundraiser returning for our 30th anniversary coming soon!

Help us reach our summer fundraising goals with your everyday online shopping! It only takes 2 minutes to join , so start raising FREE donations today via the link in the comments 👇

Our next holiday club is right around the corner! 🫧🐠 This Friday, 10:00am-12:00pm!

We’re going on an Under the Sea Adventure with Toolbox Drama CIC! Join Sian to dance with the seaweed and explore the sounds of different sea creatures 🐬🐙🐳

There’s still time to book! You can find all the details about the holiday club and booking via our website…https://aamedia.org.uk/news/imps-holiday-club-under-the-sea-adventure-friday-2nd-august/

Or feel free to give us a call on 01904 626965 or email at [email protected]

Find a Music Therapist using our search tool: https://buff.ly/3Ww8p1J

You can filter by Therapist name and location, as well as the age group and clinical activity they specialise in.

Don't forget you can buy a range of delicious Howden Coffee and support us by choosing us from the charity dropdown at checkout ☕

If you're curious about Music Therapy as a career, our introductory CPD session in September will be a great way to learn about the benefits and transformative power of Music Therapy while gaining insight into the training routes for the profession.

Through a combination of lecture, demonstration, and hands-on activities, participants will learn how music can be used to support emotional expression, communication, and cognitive development, as well as enhance physical, social, and spiritual well-being. The day will also offer ideas for next steps in becoming a Music Therapist, including training options and how the courses are structured.

Join us on 21 September! Book your slot here: https://buff.ly/4bKETJW..

Thank you to Glade Community Singers and Davida Robinson who have raised £1050 through their summer concert, including buffet, raffle and bubbles, and donations for Davida's recent special birthday. It looks like a wonderful time was had singing and celebrating and we are so grateful to have been thought of as part of it! The money raised will give a voice to children at the time they need it most.

Are you or do you know anyone working as a practitioner with children in special schools or as an practitioner providing dance and movement lessons for pupils with SLD/PMLD in schools? Please could you share and complete our to contribute to our new project?

Dance practitioners: https://forms.office.com/e/hmqEmg2NZX
Education practitioners: https://forms.office.com/e/jJxbHgvDhD

We are developing a research funding proposal with the University of Roehampton to investigate how movement and dance develops in children with SLD/PMLD. The project aims to provide strategies for how to incorporate movement and dance for all learners and provide practitioners with an understanding about how development progresses.

We are looking for your feedback and volunteers to join our advisory group. Please click on the links above to get involved. Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who supports us with a regular gift. Gifting in this way ensures we are better able to plan ahead with a regular stream of income, allowing us to consistently help children with complex additional needs to communicate through music:

"Mark has used the instruments to express difficult emotions non-verbally; he expressed sadness and frustration with a whistle, playing it loudly as if shouting, and then more softly and gently like sighs. Offering Mark a non-verbal medium to express himself can help him communicate how he feels without needing words."

Please help us to continue to deliver music therapy and transform lives, so we can help more children like Mark express themselves and make connections with others.

Pleasure to visit Demelza Charity and hear about their brilliant work bringing music therapy to neonatal wards. It says it all about how much music therapy is valued there that it is mentioned in the opening timeline.

We would like to wish our patron Maxine Peake a very happy birthday! Thank you for all you do to help spread the message of the power of music to give a voice to children with complex needs 🎂🎼

We are looking for someone to lead singing around the campfire at Camp Jojo on East Mersea, Essex, on the evening of 2nd August.

Are you a music teacher, music therapist, musically talented special needs teacher or passionate musician keen to create inclusive and fun music for all?
We need someone who can facilitate fun, enjoyable, communal singing round the campfire on the first evening of camp (2nd August). Music around the campfire helps to set the tone for the whole camp. It is where families and children start to mingle and we get to show families what an inclusive, passionate and fun bunch of people we are. It is vital the songs bring people together, can be sung (or danced to) and everyone is given the opportunity to participate or not as they feel comfortable.

For more information please email [email protected]

Fed up of the British summer weather? All of the major travel brands are on ; TUI, Booking.com, Expedia, First Choice, Hotels.com, Cottages.com, James Villas, Eurocamp, Opodo, P&O, PurpleParking, plus 250+ others! The average family holiday could raise over £110 for Jessie's Fund! – and it’s all completely FREE! So please remember to use easyfundraising when you book so we don’t miss out! To find out more, visit the link in the comments below 👇☀️

At Jessie's Fund our aim is to give children a voice through music so it was brilliant to hear this from a teaching assistant at our project at Springside school today

Places on our popular training course 'making music with special children' are filling up fast. The course is running in York and London in November. Link in comments to get signed up before they all go 👇🪇🪘

Thank you to Sara Giles and the Freemen of the City of York for choosing us as your charity of the year for 23/24 and raising £1,000. The support of the Gild will allow us to help even more children with life-limiting illness to have a voice through music.

Thank you to The George Oliver Foundation for your generous support which means we can run a creative music project at Sunningdale Primary specialist school in Sunderland next term ❤🥁🪇

Such lovely feedback from our recent project with patients and staff at Leeds General Infirmary. We may be a small charity but we have a big impact!

Thank you to Stowe Family Law, York for their recent donation in recognition of our dedication and the significant impact we have on the lives of so many children and their families. They were deeply impressed by the invaluable work that Jessie's Fund does in helping children with complex needs through the therapeutic use of music. We are very grateful for your support!