Family Folk Jam
Family Folk Jam is a new event in Yatton, North Somerset. The support of the EFDSS mini-grant 2024 for making folk dance accessible, has enabled us to explore the idea of an inclusive, informal folk music and dance hub. For the venue, we have chosen a village hall with space for an accessible music session, plenty of room for dancing, and a safe space for children to play. The initial set-up has been organised by myself, Fiona Bradshaw, inspired by similar family-friendly folk music events across the country, and wanting somewhere to share folk dance and music with my own family and friends. After four of our six weeks of the Family Folk Jam pilot study, it is time to reflect and start thinking about the future.
The Concept
The idea was to start a regular daytime event that enables folk-loving parents of young children to access participatory folk music and dance with their kids, rather than having to keep adult and child activities separate as so often happens. There are so many advantages to this, but high on the list is not needing to arrange childcare in order to engage with the parents’ own interests.
By creating an accessible event, we can welcome all generations of the local community interested in folk dance and music to gather together to dance and play at any level in a supportive environment and/or share their folky expertise.
Through a thriving hub of people gathering for a shared interest, we can create a safe, regular opportunity for local families to drop-in and experience some live music and have a go at various forms of folk dance.
As a family-friendly situation, multiple generations of relatives and friends can enjoy dancing and creating music together, strengthening family bonds and providing the benefits of dance and music for physical and mental health. It also introduces folk music in a natural way, particularly to the younger generation through exposure and the opportunity to join if they choose to, without being in a structured class-like situation. They will also benefit from seeing grownups dancing, playing, enjoying a social situation, and even learning and practising new skills.
First Impressions
The initial response to Family Folk Jam in Yatton, North Somerset was fantastic. With a modest amount of advertisement locally and targeted towards folky parents, attendance exceeded 40 people. The majority of attendees were families with young children, demonstrating an interest across this demographic and reflecting the focus of the advertising. There were 14 attendees aged under 5, and 8 between five and 16 years, with the children slightly outnumbering the over 18s.
We had several musicians playing together, a caller for some ceilidh dances, someone teaching a morris dance, and someone who brought rapper swords to try some rapper dance figures. There were some children joining in with playing music, several children choosing to join in with group dancing, some happy dancing by themselves, some playing independently, and occasions where many of the children were playing together. We had hot and cold drinks, biscuits and fruit, and some parents were even able to have a cuppa and a chat! Comments left at the end were “Loved it!”, “Amazing”, and “Brilliant”.
As we settle in
Families returning each month, as well as new faces at each of the sessions demonstrates that Family Folk Jam is meeting a local need. Each Folk Jam has been different, dependent on who turns up and the dynamics of the group. I have been at the ready with my own skills to lead group dances as well as clog and rapper mini-workshops, but the variety of expertise coming from different people is what makes this set-up so special. With the weather getting warmer, numbers have dwindled with only 13 including four under 5s attending in May. This meant Jam was much quieter, with an adult majority for the first time. However, this left space for a more dynamic music session, and even some songs came out. The few children played nicely, read books, ate snacks, and enjoyed the music with some independent dancing. The more structured dance didn’t work so well on this occasion but at least the adults enjoyed the hokey cokey! So, there is fun to be had in whatever configuration. Let’s see what happens in June… We are then having a break for the summer, and the final funded Jam will be on 22nd September.
The future of Family Folk Jam
Thanks to the EFDSS funding, Family Folk Jam is currently running as a free event, including drinks and a snack, on monthly Sunday afternoons for a couple of hours in a village hall. Moving beyond the funded period will require a small charge for attendees to cover the hall hire, liability insurance, and any consumables to be provided. So the question is, is the event something people will pay for to continue?
The hope is yes, and if so, we are looking at setting up a committee for the continued running of the Yatton Family Folk Jam. If you are interested in helping run this event, please contact me on Facebook or via EFDSS.
Feedback and ideas
Feedback so far has suggested a preference for more structure within the sessions, and more dancing has been requested. Though it was a conscious choice for it to not be structured, there is scope for a regular but flexible format to develop. The dancing relies on people instigating it, and having music for the dancing. Requests, suggestions, and participation from attendees is more than welcome. Whilst the Folk Jam is not a formal dance event such as a called ceilidh, or taught workshop/lessons, which take much more planning and cost more to put on, it does suggest there may be an interest for such family-friendly, accessible events in Yatton. Maybe something to consider for the future! Another thought is introducing some occasional themed sessions to encourage variety and help with expectations. The themes could be celebrating a particular style of music or dance, perhaps an Irish focus in March for St Patrick’s day, for example.
Any feedback and suggestions will be gratefully received. Please also get in touch if anyone would like to discuss setting up a Family Folk Jam in their own corner of the world!
