Background / History

Musical Moves has grown out of experience and enthusiasm of it's founding members Paul Emile and Jim Mortimore. Both are practicing musicians and composers with extensive experience in teaching on a variety of community music projects and a passion for nurturing talent and creativity.

Since 1993 Paul Emile has been involved in developing music based projects with different community groups.  Starting with Herbie Flowers’ Rockshop,

An “initiative aimed at giving young people the opportunity to express their creativity freely under the guidance of professionals”

His involvement as both mentor and tutor included working with the following community groups;

Social excluded young people

Young offenders and those at risk of offending

Offenders in penal institutions

Young people with learning difficulties and complex needs

Each Rockshop culminated in a final event.  These include performances at;

High Down prison, Sutton

The Orpheus Centre, Godstone

The Round House, Camden

The Brighton Festival

Over the last ten years Rockshop attracted funding from some of the following;

The Princes Trust

Home Office Drugs Prevention Initiative

The youth Service, both London and Sussex

The Big Issue Foundation

Rockshop Tutors, Paul and Jim participated in performance workshops at the Roundhouse in Camden 2000, 2001 in association with Kingsway College and Haverstock school. The performances demonstrated the use of the Roundhouse as a facility for young people in the local and london wide area, and contributed to the funding and redevelopment of the Roundhouse in 2006.

Jim Mortimore joined Rockshop as a tutor in 1998.  In 2002 he co-led a sister project called StarFish, based in Lewes, East Sussex.  The Star Fish project reclaimed a derelict Salvation Army building and raised funding to build a recording studio and rehearsal space accessible to local young people, to record, perform and develop skills and ideas, under the guidance of professional musicians.  In addition Star Fish offered tailor-made workshops and courses aimed at addressing local people’s needs.

Paul Emile and Jim Mortimore met as a result of both being involved in Herbie Flowers’ Rockshop, Paul as a tutor and Jim initially as a participant. Herbie’s gift has always been his ability to bring people together and be a catalyst for musical creation.  Paul and Jim are happy to be able to continue the original vision of Rockshop ‘music for all’  by the creation of Musical Moves CIC, thanks Herbie!