The Big Shout November 2009

After the Big Shout event held at Brathay Hall early last month, vinvolved volunteer Nicole wrote an account of her thoughts on the event.

"On Saturday 7th November, I hopped on a coach from Carlisle heading to The Big Shout event taking place at Brathay Hall in Ambleside. There were loads of events and workshops to take part in and sign up for; it was so hard to choose! The workshops and events ranged from: circus skills; face painting; karaoke; new upcoming bands performing live; t-shirt printing; African drumming; a zip wire; tree abseiling; a climbing wall; the Music Links bus; an MC workshop and much more!

I really wanted to brave the 'Pamper Pole' which is an exercise that requires balance and also a lot of confidence. First, you climb a thirty foot pole, then stand on the top of a small platform, leap into the air and try to hit a huge suspended ball. However, due to the torrential rain, I wasn't prepared to stand on a small slippery platform thirty feet above my comfort zone. Even though I didn't take part in any of the outdoor activities that were available I did, however, find some people who did. I spoke to four thirteen year old boys, who originally came to the event because it was free- but found it to be very enjoyable. They took part in the canoeing workshop and described it as "cold", "wet" and "fun" (I think the cold and wet part were due to them pushing each other into the rather chilly lake). I also spoke to two fourteen year old boys, Josh from Brampton and Blaire from Carlisle. They had a go on the zip wire which apparently wasn't scary, but it did make them feel like they were going to fall, despite the fact they were wearing a harness. Even though they said it "wedgies you", it still sounded like an incredible experience.

One of the first workshops I took part in was the Music links bus. It's a bus filled with Mac laptops, music mixers, headphones, speakers and some very current programmes to help you mix your own music. You can choose different sound effects, beats, styles of music (such as dance, trance, hip hop and house) and even add your own scratches to it. This bus travels around the country, giving people the opportunity to have a go at mixing their own music whilst "linking people and the arts through music". Although it wasn't really my thing: I had a go at using the programme, mixed my own piece of music and found it to be quite enjoyable.

Although I didn't get to try out the workshop or meet with them, there were a group of three young guys from Liverpool leading a workshop all about MCing and rapping. They're called A.R.T and they work with youth in Liverpool, encouraging them to rap about things they care about (seeing as rap stands for rhythm and poetry). They said that "music is the most universal thing that we share" which means that we can make a different by communicating through music.

I got the chance to speak to one of the bands playing at the event, called 'Idol Minds' from Morecombe "the beautiful seaside town". When asked why they're called Idol Minds, James (guitarist/singer/song writer from Idol Minds) simply answered "It looks good on paper." The band, made up of four guys, have been together for about a year and play feel good/upbeat music. They didn't compare themselves to other bands, instead described themselves as "unique". If you want to find out more about the band or hear their music, you can find them on MySpace or their website www.idolminds.co.uk. They're definitely one to look out for.

One of the main things at the event that I was definitely not able to miss was Joe the street performer/guy on stilts, also known as "Long Johns". He's from Ulverston and has been performing and walking on stilts for two years now. When asked why he does this for a living, he answered "because I get paid for it". I then asked him how much he gets paid and he answered "a sack of potatoes and a smile". As you can probably tell, I found it hard to get a straight answer out of him, but he seemed to love what he's doing.

At the Big Shout event stand I met Chris, a part time magician who is currently working with the Big Shout. He has recently been travelling and doing magic, for example he went to America where he worked with youth there by teaching them magic. He then started working for the Big Shout and has been doing so for the past month. The Big Shout has a team of youth workers trying to find out how to help youth by setting up events in their areas. Apart from giving me a free wrist band and some more information on the Big Shout, he was able to show me some very impressive magic tricks and even did a hand stand...just because he could!

I had such a great day, meeting lots of different kinds of people and taking part in some of the workshops. I would love to go to another Big Shout event in the future and take part in the more challenging and adventurous workshops outdoors; I just hope the weather isn't so bad next time!"