Teenage Cancer Trust workshops
Each year Teenage Cancer Trust hosts a week of shows at the Hall, which are unique in the music calendar and always hotly anticipated. The week of gigs are also a special time for the young people we work with as we invite patients and friends from around the UK to join us at the Royal Albert Hall.
Since 2005 the Royal Albert Hall’s Education team has worked with Teenage Cancer Trust to offer a series of music workshops to run each day. Our guests are able to take part in a fantastic music therapy workshop during which they get to play instruments with musicians from the Royal College of Music, write songs, share their own experiences and form new friendships.
Together we work hard to give these young people an amazing experience. Those involved will either be receiving treatment, in remission or in the palliative stages of the disease.
For some, the supportive, positive atmosphere of the workshops enables them to reflect on personal experiences and journeys. For others, the sessions simply allow them to forget about the difficulties and traumas of treatment and focus on being a teenager again.
We invite young people from across the UK and while many of the young people attending will be receiving treatment on a designated Teenager Cancer Trust unit, this is not true for all of them. A large number of young people suffering from cancer continue to be treated on either adult or paediatric wards; many of these young people have never met another teenager with cancer. Teenage Cancer Trust strives to provide these young people with ongoing opportunities to share experiences grow in confidence and receive peer support.
Generous donations from Club 18-30 customers and employees have enabled the Thomas Cook Children’s Charity to proudly support the music workshops
Musical instruments are generously provided free of charge by Yamaha.
Image gallery
James and Teffany from Royal Albert Hall Education’s Shooting Stars project came in on the first day and photographed the workshop.
Click on the gallery images below to enlarge.
The Elgar Room - by Teffany (Shooting Stars)
TCT Workshop - by James (Shooting Stars)
Elgar Room - by James (Shooting Stars)
Keyboardists - by James (Shooting Stars)
Singers - by James (Shooting Stars)
The band perform - by Teffany (Shooting Stars)
Singers - by Teffany (Shooting Stars)
The band perform to Hall staff - by Teffany (Shooting Stars)
Testimonials
“…usually I am the teenager with cancer. When I come here I am just a normal person getting to join in like all the rest.”
Participant
“Just wanted to say a huge thanks for inviting us down on Sunday, it was one of the best days of our lives!”
Participant
“Hi, just saying thanks for yesterday. It was amazing. AMAZING!! One of the best times of my life. You guys do a fantastic job, really appreciated. I can’t wait til the next time!”
Participant
“Thanks for the most amazing time ever! I never thought I would shake the hand of a Rolling Stone! My Dad is so so jealous!”
Participant
“Prior to the introduction of the music workshops we found it very difficult to get the Teenagers to relax and gel as a group as for many this may be the first time they have spent time away from home with others going through the same cancer journey. The music workshops have changed all that and one only has to witness the proceedings to realise how quickly they engage with their peers to become one, giving them the opportunity to spend really productive time with others dealing with the same issues. It is impossible to stress too strongly how important a piece of the jigsaw of their personal development this is.”
Nigel Revell, Director of Education and Advocacy, Teenage Cancer Trust.
