About Melody

Music-making for people with a learning disability

Melody logo

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 of Trustees

Hi, I’m Jan Polack – Chair of Trustees

My daughter has benefited from Melody sessions for a long time and I joined the Trustees so that I could help the charity give this opportunity to more young people.

I have a background in education, first as a secondary school teacher and then later as a trainer for a national educational charity. I spent the last five years of my career as Education Officer for the West Midlands Fire Service. I am now a full time carer.

I am also a keen musician and play viola in a local orchestra – The Sinfonia of Birmingham. I also teach piano mainly to students with additional needs.

I believe passionately that music is for all!

Jennifer Wood
Trustee

Jenny Muirhead (nee Wood) is a freelance musician and SEND/EY specialist practitioner based in Birmingham. She is a music facilitator for Big Top Musical Adventures CIC and leads the Early Years project Musicadoodledo for Birmingham Contemporary Music Group.

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 held the role of Chair of Trustees from 2020 before stepping down in November 2023.

Now, Jenny looks forward to taking on the role of Director of Melody from September 2024.

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 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 and playfulness for people with complex needs.

When not making music Rosie enjoys painting, camping and being outdoors!

Dr Beth Pickard
Trustee
Dr Beth Pickard is a senior lecturer, music therapist, practitioner, consultant and researcher. Beth’s research and practice, informed by Critical Disability Studies, explores how disability is socially constructed, interpreted and represented across disciplines and pedagogy. Beth is a passionate ally, activist and advocate of social justice and anti-oppressive practice. Beth is proud to have been a Trustee of Melody since 2010, and has previously held roles of Chair and Secretary.
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
Charlie Wild
Trustee

Charlie Wild is a violin and folk fiddle player who performs regularly all over the UK and teaches violin from her home in Worcestershire

Charlie grew up in Hampshire where she studied with Joyce Ingledew and Devorina Gamalova, continuing her studies in classical violin at Birmingham Conservatoire where she gained a BMus(Hons) in 2009. She then went on to study at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) in Glasgow where she achieved a PgDip with distinction in Scottish fiddle music. Charlie has composed and recorded on many albums as part of her duo McNeill and Heys, and bands The Fair Rain and The Froe.

Practitioners

Emily Dore
Lead Practitioner
Emily Dore is a Birmingham-based freelance musician and SEND specialist practitioner. She works as a music facilitator for Big Top Musical Adventures CIC and is involved with In Harmony, a community music program which engages young people and families in Telford schools. With a deep passion for inclusive and creative music-making, Emily began volunteering for Melody in 2018 and is excited to step into the role of lead practitioner for MMB Musicians.
Abbie
Lead Music Facilitator

Abbie is a specialist music practitioner delivering music workshops for children and young people with learning disabilities with several organisations across the Midlands, including Big Top Musical Adventures, The Amber Trust and Cheltenham Music Festival. Additionally, she helps to organise and deliver the Cheltenahm Music Festival’s annual Relaxed Concert for Schools.

A graduate of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, it was during her studies that Abbie first joined Melody Music Birmingham as a volunteer in 2019. She now looks forward to fulfilling the role of Lead Music Facilitator for the MMB Band from September 2024!

Developing her practice further, Abbie is currently studying for her MA Inclusion (SLD/PMLD) at the University of Birmingham, researching musical approaches for children with severe learning disabilities and autism.