A user of Cardiff Day Services who has no eyesight and a learning disability has helped produce a new CD.
Alan Wilkins, 45, has always loved music – be it listening, learning and performing. Through the radio, he developed an expansive musical knowledge and wide musical taste.
Having always been at the heart of music activities in day centres, enjoying group music sessions and singing his favourite songs, Alan has even performed in public a few times to some quite sizeable audiences.
But the recent changes in the way Cardiff organises its day services, called person-centred planning, has enabled Alan to develop his talents.
Luckily, the service had Steve Floyd., the perfect person to work with Alan, a successful and respected Cardiff musician with just as varied musical tastes and influences. They worked together learning to arrange, practice, perform and record music and eventually decided to go for it and create a CD from scratch without any backing tracks.
After months of hard graft, they were able to branch out and have now produced CDs for three other supported people and have a waiting list for others.
Alan’s skills as a producer continue to develop. He has a natural ear for helping others to stay in tune and choosing suitable effects for their recordings. Alan’s patience and understanding has without doubt helped his peers through what can be an enjoyable but complex process.
Such has been the success of this project that Cardiff Day Services decided to launch a full time designated music recording facility as “Annex Studios”, something that would have not happened without Alan and Steve.
Cllr John Dixon, Executive Member for Social Care and Health said: “I congratulate Alan and Steve for their success. It shows what we can achieve by empowering people, treating them as individuals and focussing on their abilities rather than their disabilities.”
Alan launches his new CD, Pick ‘N’ mix on Tuesday 29 June from 1.30pm to 3pm at Annex Studios, Cardiff East Day Service, Pengam Road, Tremorfa, CF24 2RR
Alan will perform live tracks from the album and be available to answer questions about his music. Refreshments will be available and of course copies of the CD will be available.
