Specsavers and its charity partner, Nordoff and Robbins Music Therapy hosted a special school concert at Warddykes Primary School with Scots star Callum Beattie headlining the event.
The Scottish singer-songwriter who won big at the Scottish Music Awards, after taking home the Hardrock Café Breakthrough prize, wowed a full school assembly with a special performance.
The children at the Arbroath school enjoyed Callum’s hits, Salamander Street and Heart Stops Breaking, as well as some classic pop and rock covers.
Nordoff and Robbins has worked with Warddykes Primary School for eight years, supporting pupils with music therapy sessions.
Last summer, Specsavers announced the music therapy charity as its official charity partner for Scotland, donating £50,000 to bolster the charity’s services across the country. The high street optician also sponsored the Scottish Music Awards 2023 for the fifth consecutive year.
Callum Beattie, who released his second album ‘Vandals’ earlier this year, is a longstanding supporter of charity Nordoff and Robbins. He says: ‘I loved seeing the smiles on the pupils’ faces, it reminds me of the impact live music has.
‘The young people had a great time during my performance and I could see plenty of them singing along. Having attended Nordoff and Robbins music therapy sessions I know first-hand the impact music can have on people’s lives.
‘It’s encouraging to see Specsavers investing time and money into such an important cause, I’m proud to be a part of it all.’
Jennifer Stephenson, store director at Specsavers Dundee and North Scotland Regional Chair, says: ‘The joy on the children’s faces when Callum first started singing was lovely to see, it was such a well-deserved treat for these hard working pupils.
‘Supporting Nordoff and Robbins is our priority this year and to see the exceptional work they do first-hand is amazing. Callum’s performance was out of this world.
‘Nordoff and Robbins helps people connect through their senses, which closely reflects the work we do at Specsavers which is why it makes such an ideal partnership.’
Alison Galloway, Head Teacher at Warddykes Primary School, says: ‘The support we have received over the years from Nordoff and Robbins’ music therapy sessions is phenomenal. Our pupils have benefited hugely from music therapy, helping to improve their self-confidence and communication skills.
‘It was a real pleasure to welcome Callum Beattie for this special performance. This is a memory that the children won’t forget anytime soon, it was so well received.
‘Thank you to Nordoff and Robbins and Specsavers for making this happen.’
Specsavers’ £50,000 donation to Nordoff and Robbins will support a range of endeavors, from the acquisition of new instruments to the training of new music therapists, to better facilitate the charity’s work with people throughout Scotland.
Nordoff and Robbins has been a pioneer in music therapy for 60 years, harnessing the power of music to help break through the barriers caused by life-limiting illness, disability and social isolation.
The charity’s work can be transformative for a wide range of people, from an adult living with dementia reconnecting with family to a neurodivergent child expressing themselves through music.
For more information on Specsavers, please visit www.specsavers.co.uk.
For more information on Nordoff and Robbins, please visit www.nordoff-robbins.org.uk
Notes to Editor:
About Specsavers
Specsavers has been a family-run business for 40 years, working together with partners to provide the best value optometry, audiology and other healthcare service for customers. Specsavers has more than 2,000 businesses in 11 countries, employing more than 38,000 people.
Each business is part-owned and managed by its own store partners. They are shareholders of their own businesses who are supported by key specialists in support offices, who provide a range of services, such as marketing, accounting, IT and wholesaling, among others.
This joint-venture partnership ensures that the opticians and audiologists who run their stores can concentrate on delivering what they do best – providing expert eye and hearing care to their customers. There are currently more than 4,700 partners running stores across the UK, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Spain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
This spirit of entrepreneurship has been encouraged by the company founders, Doug and Dame Mary Perkins, who pioneered the optical joint-venture partnership model and also revolutionised the industry with their innovative concept of affordable, fashionable eye care for everyone, at a time when high prices for optical care and limited choice were the norm.
Specsavers is a champion of the National Health Service – of its 17.3m customers in the UK, 60% are from the NHS and the company is the largest provider of free NHS digital hearing aids.
About Nordoff and Robbins
Nordoff and Robbins is the UK’s largest music therapy charity, with a unique approach shaped by more than 60 years of practice.
Through the power of music, it breaks through the barriers caused by life-limiting illness, disability and social isolation.
The charity does this through providing music therapy to people across the UK, whilst also training the music therapists of the future and funding research to measure and improve the impact of its work.
Music therapy is the act of supporting people to connect and communicate through music who otherwise are unable to; such as those living with autism to dementia, learning difficulties to brain injuries, life-limiting illnesses to mental health issues, grief and trauma. Nordoff and Robbins music therapists use the power of music to create space for people to express themselves and find connection in society.
Nordoff and Robbins has specialist centres in Croydon, Dunfermline, Glasgow, London, Manchester and Newcastle that provide one-to-one and group sessions for children and adults, alongside providing sessions in various settings including schools, hospitals, care homes and more. Its music therapy training is validated by Goldsmiths, University of London, and is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
From adults with dementia reconnecting with their family, to children with autism finding their voice, Nordoff and Robbins believes that everyone who needs it should have access to music therapy, because it can, quite simply, transform people’s lives.
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