Blending backgrounds through a shared love of music

Students from McNally Music Tuition have joined forces with One Voice Blackburn to form ‘BANNED Cohesion’ – a diverse and inclusive ensemble.

The band, who are now able to practise together thanks to the easing of lockdown restrictions, play a range of instruments – from bass to drums, guitar, piano and singing.

Together they are taking part in Blackburn with Darwen Council’s ‘Picture This’ campaign. The campaign features local people talking about the things they miss doing due to Coronavirus, reminding us that if we all do our bit to control the spread of the virus, we can get back to doing the things we love quicker.

All the band said one of the things they are looking forward to the most is performing live to an audience – something they hope will be possible this summer.

The two groups only started rehearsing together in May, when the easing of restrictions allowed it.

Phil McNally, owner of the Sudell Cross music school, said the band brings people with a passion for music together. He believes the project has a number of benefits – not only do the students get to work with new people and form new friendships, they also get to perform on stage together.

Phil said:

From our perspective it’s not two groups coming together, it’s just a group of young people. The cohesion project is the title, but really it’s just one group of young people.

People on the outside looking in can see how well they all work together – not as two separate groups, just as young people.

15 year old bass player Mariyam Qadir said:

The Asian community is not really seen as a community who play instruments, so having the cohesion band is really different to people’s perception.

Pianist Sarah Abdulsalam, aged 14 years, added:

I think projects like these are important because it can help people from different backgrounds and people from different areas come together and see our similarities.

WATCH the band talking about their experiences during the pandemic and how much they’re looking forward to performing live:

Find out more about the Picture This campaign here.

Zaffer Khan, Chief Executive of One Voice Blackburn added:

We have been working with McNally’s Music Tuition since 2017 on various projects, and we have always felt that music is a great way of bringing people together.

Cohesion is a major part of One Voice’s work in the community. We are also running another integration project through Youth Ambassadors where once again young people from different communities are working together to make long lasting friendships.

Coun Mohammed Khan CBE, Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said:

Young people are a vital part of our social integration plans in Blackburn with Darwen to encourage better mixing between people from different backgrounds. Bringing people together through shared interests, such as a love of music and performance, can have powerful effects, making us realise that while we may come from different cultures, we have plenty in common.

Find out more about Blackburn with Darwen’s social integration programme Our Community, Our Future.