The Young DaDa Ensemble are a group of disabled, dead and neurodivergent musicians aged 12 - 25 wanting to further develop their composition and performance skills. The group have been meeting weekly from February 2023 - July 2023 participating in weekly music workshops to share music ideas, create songs, and learn music techniques and skills.
To show how far they have come, the young ensemble delivered a performance on the 10th of July at the Spanish Steps located inside Resonate Music Hub to family, friends and DaDa contacts. The music that was performed was a mixture of covers, collar work and originals. The performance was to bring family members, friends and other young people together to unite through music celebrating what the young people had been working hard on for the last few months. Songs performed by the young musicians included:
‘Don’t You Want Me' by Human League
‘Crazy for Swayze’
‘Phoenix' by Matthew Nealis
‘Ugly' by Sugababes
‘The Other Side Of Life' by Michael Brennan
Not only was this event a celebration for acheivements but also a celebration of the success of the project. Members of the Young DaDa Ensemble shared their feelings on being part of the project:
"It's my safe place because the sessions make me feel like I'm home"
"It makes me feel fantastic as I get to play with a new group and meet new faces. We are given opportunities to show our own songs. We have also played in duos, I feel relaxed when at DaDa as there is no competition and no time limits to do a piece of music"
"I've learnt more about developing music and taking on different beats and techniques"
View photos from the event over on facebook.