The Tutti Ensemble

so I joined the Tutti ensemble. I should mention for those of you who don't know that the word "Tutti" is Italian and it means "everybody" usually used in music in orchestral music to indicate that the solo part has finished and everyone can not join in again. First I joined the choir. I participated in a production called Curfew. It was a lot of hard work but a lot of fun at the same time. I think you was about May 2008 on where at a started going to the Wednesday afternoon session of Tutti. I should mention and that Tutti is a day options program for people with intellectual disabilities. they do performing, visual and dramatic arts depending on their abilities and interests. They also perform in concerts or productions and sometimes there artworks are displayed for the public to see them. This group of people are called Tutti arts.

There is also the Tutti ensemble. This is the community choir based at Minda in Brighton in Adelaide's South. Tutti arts join in with the Tutti ensemble as well is performing on their own. Since I was interested in teaching people with disabilities how to play the violin and viola and there was a participant of Tutti arts whp had a violin and wanted to learn how to play it, it was arranged that after I had been involved with Tutti arts for a few weeks I would teach her how to play the violin as part of my volunteer work with Tutti. Unfortunately for both her and myself I ended up becoming illl one week before this was set to happen in July 2008. I have only been able to return to Tutti Inc once in the last 18 months. I am hoping to return before Christmas 2009 and I'm also hoping to attend their concert in December. I really enjoyed volunteering for Tutti and I have made many friends through Tutti as well. We still keep in contact

What was disappointing though was the fact that once I became ill from the medications interacting I was no longer able to drive not leave the house unless I took a taxi or my husband was able to drive me. Since he works 6 days a week that is a bit difficult. So I was no longer able to participate in the Tutti Ensemble nor volunteer with Tutti Arts. To this day I miss Tutti so much and I can't wait to be better enough to be able to return their on a regular basis. However this got me thinking about being socially isolated and what I could too to fix that. I thought people with disabilities in the north of Adelaide would benefit from the Tutti ensemble or something similar to the Tutti ensemble and I thought what could I do to set it up. Since I wanted to teach people with disabilities the violin and viola I thought rather than having a choir I would set up a string ensemble from my students. Perhaps people without disabilities could also join in and sit next to the people with disabilities like a mentor arrangement. At least it gave me something to think about while I was doing rehab!

18 months on I am still too ill to set this up but I have managed to meet a person who works for the community arts network or CAN who said when you are well enough it is my job as project officer to apply for funding and help you to find students and a venue to set this up!