“I totally forgot that I was in prison this morning"
Marcus - Former ...
Who started this and why?
During her time working within the Prison Service, Catering tutor, Tina Boydell, was asked to deliver an out of the ordinary lesson during the Prison’s Christmas Week. She decided to grab a bag of kazoos.
“I took the bag of kazoos into the prison for the session” Tina explained. “I showed the 10 reluctant guys how to get a sound out of it and then attempted to get them to play “Don’t Worry About a Thing”. I was so surprised at the speed in which the kazoo disarmed them, how much joy they were getting out of 5 inches of metal!” Tina went on to explain how the kazoo brought them together, supporting each other and then performing together. At the end of the session, Marcus, one of Tina’s students, turned back. “I totally forgot that I was in prison this morning Tina – Thankyou.”
The pivotal moment left a lasting impression and The Uke-azoo Collective was born.
About our CEO, Tina Boydell
Now studying for her Masters Degree in Creative Practice, Tina combines trauma-informed practice, peer mentoring experience and a deep understanding of her participants' vulnerabilities. Making co-creative, non-judgmental spaces where everyone belongs is really important to her. She is excited to be looking more in depth at the lung health and well-being benefits of playing kazoo and hopes to collaborate with a medical facility in the near future to complete a research study and deliver a kazoo-based well-being programme.