Melody is an inclusive, collaborative Birmingham-based charity. Established in 1994 by founder Rosie Cross, Melody has been dedicated to the promotion of instrumental teaching and music-making for people with additional needs for nearly 30 years. Children and young adults in the wider West Midlands can now access individual music lessons for a wide range of instruments, can meet together, enjoy making music together and extend their social skills – all in an environment where they do not feel judged, compared or disadvantaged.
Our volunteer tutors – all of whom are either current students or alumni of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire – run weekly music-making sessions and support our young people as they develop their music and social skills.
The tutors devise and plan activities and musical content that is engaging, stimulating, and carefully tailored to the abilities of our young musicians. Tutors attend termly Continuing Professional Development (CPD) sessions to ensure their practice continues to develop. They are also given the opportunity to seek out their own further CPD opportunities with financial support from Melody. Many of our tutors have then been to apply their experience and understanding to their practice, further studies and careers – making music education accessible. Melody also strives to highlight new research into music and disabilities. Trustee members have collaboratively researched the impact of volunteering with MMB on the volunteer tutors, resulting in a journal article now published in the British Journal of Music Education.
Achievements and Awards
In 2021, Melody was awarded the Queens Award for Voluntary Services for our ongoing work in music education for individuals with additional needs. The award was accepted by Co-Directors Rosie Rushton and Jenny Wood in October 2021. In February 2022, Rosie and volunteer tutor Emily Dore attended a royal garden party at Buckingham Palace in celebration of this fantastic achievement. As of Spring 2024, Melody has been successful in securing funding from Children in Need to continue our provision of weekly music making sessions for our students and ongoing training for our volunteer tutors at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Melody Trustees
Jan Polack
Chair
Jennifer Wood
Trustee
Jenny Muirhead (nee Wood) is a freelance musician and education practitioner based in Birmingham, specialising in Early Years and SEND. She graduated with First Class honours BMUS(hons) from the Birmingham Conservatoire in 2014 as an oboist. Continuing her studies at the conservatoire, in 2017 she was awarded her MA in performance & pedagogy. Jenny also completed her Certificate for Music Educators: Early Childhood in 2022 with the support of Jane Parker (Take Art) and Nicola Burke (Sounds of Play).
As an oboist she plays regularly with orchestras in Birmingham and the West Midlands, including the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra, Sinfonia of Birmingham and Orchestra of St John Bromsgrove. She also plays in the band for the Earlsdon Morris team based in Coventry.
She has worked as a woodwind specialist tutor for Birmingham Music Service (Services for Education), the Learning Coordinator at Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Arts Award Advisor for the Sound and Music Summer School and as a practitioner for Big Top Musical Adventures CIC.
Jenny joined Melody Music Birmingham as a volunteer tutor in 2013 before later becoming Co-Director in 2015. In 2016 she became a Trustee of the charity and currently holds the role of Chair of Trustees.
When she isn’t working, Jenny loves to cook, read, go walking, attend live music and art events and festivals and spend time with her family.
Rosie Rushton
Trustee
Rosie is a music facilitator and researcher based in the West Midlands, where she has established herself as a specialist in music provision for individuals with learning disabilities.
Rosie collaborates in projects with numerous schools, charities and local communities throughout the Midlands alongside organisations including Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, MENCAP, Action for Children, KIDS, and Autism Concern. Working alongside SIPS Music and Arts and Wolverhampton Music hubs. She is director of the charity Melody and Co-Director and founder of the Community Interest Company Big Top Musical Adventures.
Rosie graduated from The University of Birmingham with a Masters of Education in Severe, Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties and a MA in Social Research (Education). Previously graduating from Birmingham Conservatoire with a BMus (Hons) in Performance. Shortlisted for the National Association of Special Educational Needs (NASEN) Inspirational Teacher of the Year Award (2018), Rosie has a keen interest in research into music education, disability and inclusivity and recently completed her PhD studies in; Music, Play and Learning Disabilities.
When not making music Rosie enjoys painting, camping and the great outdoors!
Dr Beth Pickard
Trustee
Helena Stopes-Roe
Trustee
Helena’s son Tom, now 38, was the inspiration for setting up the charity Melody. He has down’s syndrome and Rosie Cross, the founder, was his piano teacher. Between them they realised the need for musical opportunities for people with additional needs that Melody now offers.
After training to be a teacher, Helena worked with all age groups. She particularly enjoyed working with under fives with additional needs. She then worked at Birmingham Women’s Hospital as Infant Feeding Coordinator and Lactation Consultant.
Helena also enjoys making music and is an amateur violinist. Now retired, her dog takes up a fair bit of time and she likes dancing, reading and chatting with friends.
Lakshmi Gollapalli
Treasurer
