Funded through Youth Music's First Steps Programme, Derbyshire County Council's Rhythm and Rhyme project provides babies, toddlers and their parents/carers with opportunities for creative music-making in libraries throughout Derbyshire led by teams of talented musicians and supported by enthusiastic librarians.

Firebird managed the first two phases of the project (2004-06) on behalf of the County Council through Books for Babies and brought together the original artistic team of Hugh Nakivell, Sally Goldsmith, Sue Hollingsworth, Chris Foster, Nick Cutts and Laura Zobel.

In 2007 the project moved to its third phase, now led by Nick Cutts and Laura Zobel, and evolved an exciting new orchestral element by teaming up with musicians from the region's premier orchestra, sinfonia ViVA. The phase ended with a Family Celebration Day hosted by sinfonia Viva at County Hall, Matlock on 1st July 2007.

Firebird commissiond Melissa Dobson, at the time a postgraduate student at Sheffield University, to undertake a detailed evaluation of this third phase. Please click here if you would like to view a small sample of her final report. Alternatively, if you would like a read the full version, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

For further information on Rhythm and Rhyme and current developments, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it at Books for Babies.

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