Since 2007, Chris Cook has worked as a music workshop leader in London Borough of Newham, the most culturally diverse borough in London, and in Coventry. The main client groups are elders in care homes and day centres. This can include Asian music sessions for Subco Elders Day Centre. At Newham College of Further Education, Chris taught music and music technology to adults within the Additional Learning Needs Department and now works with Coventry Performing Arts, working in special needs settings as well as teaching whole class instrumental lessons. This work involves regular lesson planning and collating evidence of students’ progress as well as organising public performances.
Within these roles in Newham, and also in guitar workshops at Core Arts in Homerton, ensuring that all participants are included in musical activities, whatever their ability, is hugely important. Chris completed the Certificate in Music Workshop Skills at Goldsmiths University and holds a PGCE in Further Education.
Chris Cook has played sitar since 1998, and has passed the PRSSV Grade 6 Exam with Distinction and Grade 7 with merit. Has learnt from sarangi player Surgeet Singh and sitar player Ramesh Chandra in London. In 2013, Chris gained a WInston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship grant to research the teaching and learning of Indian Classical Music by visiting North India. This involved four months of learning with his Guruji Pt Shivnath Mishra in Benares. As well as learning Indian Classical Music, Cook has performed over 300 concerts of sitar fusion with electronic music, released albums on labels such as Bip Hop and Wrong Music and played live on radio stations such as Resonance and Radio One. Beyond solo work, Chris performs regularly with other electronic and experimental musicians like cellist Bela Emerson, guitarist Tim Holehouse and flautist Katie English, tabla players such as Hanif Kahn and improvising groups such as London’s Jericho Orchestra.
Chris has played guitar for twenty years and holds a Grade 6 in plectrum guitar. He has also incorporated many styles of guitar playing into his recording and live performance as well teaching guitar techniques to groups and individuals. Since completing an Electronic Music degree at University of Hertfordshire in 1999, music software that Chris is very familiar with includes Logic, Reason, Renoise, Finale Cubase and Max MSP.
Chris has run projects such as Olympic Sound (2010), Newham World Generations (2011) and Coventry Songs of Joy (2015). Future goals are to build on this experience and with new groups, innovating sessions with combinations of learning styles and musical genres that are exciting and fun. All members of the Music for Well Being team have DBS checking and full public liability insurance.
https://chriscook50.wordpress.com/
