“One of her great strengths is her passion and enthusiasm for new ideas and producing inclusive projects that inspire others. She is dedicated and willingly takes on any challenge. It was a pleasure to work along side Alicia.”
Bev Hayes, Bev Hayes Photography, August 24, 2012
“Alicia is experienced in developing community music programmes. She promotes collaborative working, and is committed to developing young people's skills and self-confidence through partnership working. She understands evaluation methodologies and embodies reflective practice. Therefore the programmes of work she delivers are sustainable, leaving a lasting legacy for teachers and learners. Alicia is a self-reflector and demonstrates the ability to learn and grow from experience. She has the ability to communicate clearly and succinctly. She has directness and honesty about her that is invaluable when combined with her positive approach to working. Alicia has a talent for unlocking creativity in others and maximising their potential. She understands the power of team work and the importance of the individual's ownership of a task. Her demonstration of leadership is about facilitating a team to achieve a goal, rather than a more hierarchical model of leadership. Alicia is good at making connections. She applies her learning across her work in a holistic way. She is willing to disseminate her learning and is keen for other people to benefit from what she has learned. She has also identified the benefit of working with others from whose experience and practice she can take some learning, via observation and questioning. Alicia played a major part in designing a new action research model in West Cheshire for Creative Partnerships. Alicia was one of four Creative Agents who worked with me (as Programme Manager) together to co-construct the new Enquiry School model to incorporate the HEI (Higher Education Institution) perspective. As well as offering sixteen primary schools in West Cheshire the opportunity to develop sustainable creative teaching and learning, the programme aimed to provide teacher trainees with the opportunities to gain an understanding of working with the creative and other sectors and given them the skills to bring creativity back into their own teaching, hopefully forging links for them to use throughout their teaching careers. The Creative Agent role was central to this research, as the point where all learning and perspectives converged. This learning was captured and "triangulated" by the Creative Agent, through the evaluation framework. Alicia was commissioned by Curious Minds to evaluate the two-year West Cheshire Creative Partnerships Enquiry School Programme, and her report is being used to inform decisions about working in partnership with HEIs settings to investigate sustainable and replicable models of teaching and learning outside the classroom. Alicia is personable, reliable and trustworthy - I would have no hesitation in recommending her professional services.”
Jane Evans-Woodason, Creative Partnerships/Curious Minds, Programme Manager, March 26, 2012
Hi Alicia,
I just wanted to say thank you for the sessions that you have just finished delivering to the parent & toddler group based at the PSS Family Resource Centre & Toy Library.
You are an inspiration to myself and the parents. We have learnt so much from taking part in your classes. Your enthusiasm for your work. Your attention to the small details which made sessions easier for families whose first language wasn't English and for families who have a child /children with a disability. Your handouts about the sessions enabled and empowered the families to carry on with the activities at home. You taught us to relax and to enjoy each activity whether it was dancing around the room with scarves or crawling on the floor to roll up the lycra sheet, to be non competitive in the sessions when playing with the balls, the feathers and the musical sticks. We learnt that we all have different skills and that we should all be valued for them. Everyone is a winner.
It was a pleasure to work with you
take care
Linda Hogan, PSS
Alicia is an Associate Musician for the Aspire Trust and has developed some invaluable, imaginative and innovative programmes in the Early Years and Primary Schools.
She has run CPD days for teachers which have been received enthusiastically by all attendees. They appreciated the practical activities offered which could be developed in their classrooms and felt that the sessions gave them a lot of confidence in bringing music into other areas of the curriculum. A very insightful workshop that can bring some creativity back to my classroom was a typical response by many of the attendees. She taught different ways of teaching different aspects of music which has led to teachers looking forward to going back to school to try out new ideas and approaches. The sessions provided a chance to recap on all the things that Alicia had covered in her sessions and to learn some new techniques. They found it particularly useful to put each activity into a different focus area. They especailly liked the refereneces to theory and research that supported the materials and activities. Meeting with teachers from others schools and LEA was also useful and interesting. One teacher realised as a result of the work with Alicia that ‘music is very important and must not be squeezed into a small space in the day.’ We were particularly pleased to be able to profile her work at this years Childrens Workforce Development Council national conference in London. Head teachers of participating schools reported that the CPD training on offer particularly helped their teachers set up opportunities for further creative development in the school by encouraging further singing and performing opportunities.
Dr. Nick Owen, Director, Aspire Trust
“Alicia was creative agent for a school that my company undertook a project for as part of the Creative Partnerships Change School programmes. Alicia was our main contact at the school. We found working with Alicia a pleasure. She gave clear communication throughout the project enabling us to provide a project that accurately reflected the schools needs and wishes.She assuredly led both my team and the school through evaluation processes that provided a forum for deep conversations to happen with regards to the learning that took place throughout the programme.” August 30, 2012
Tracey Carmen, VOX vocal training and music workshops
“Alicia project managed a project I worked on in a Secondary School. Her approach to the project management was excellent as she clearly facilitated the delicate planning stages ensuring that everyone's ideas and needs were heard and planned around. She not only professional but really approachable and had great questioning technique. She also monitored the work in a supportive and focused manner. I really enjoyed working with her as she made the planning stages easy even though there were many teachers involved.” November 25, 2011
Emma Bramley, Drama Practitioner/Creative Consultant, Bramley Apple Creative Company
I have worked closely with Alicia as our school’s creative agent for our
work with Curious Minds. Now in our third and final year we have found
her support and expertise invaluable in developing our learning and
teaching and guiding our Curriculum innovations as part of our school
change programme. Over the past few years she has challenged us to
develop our thinking and has wholly supported us in our journey of
change. Her work with many external partners and her expertise and
contacts has proved to be invaluable as we move forward as a school. She
has a good knowledge of how we can further develop in many areas of the
curriculum and she really sees the benefits of a more creative approach
to learning and teaching and curriculum delivery. She has been positive
and hardworking throughout and has been instrumental in bringing along
staff with her.
She has worked closely with many members of our
school staff and has been especially enthusiastic when working with our
pupils, who have learned a lot as she has supported them in expressing
their own opinions and feelings, particularly in evaluating the work
that they have done.
Her knowledge of the links between learning and
creativity has been instrumental in our success as a school and we have
learned much from her enthusiasm and motivation.
Mr. Gary Begusch, Assistant Headteacher, Archbishop Beck Catholic Sports College
“Es ist mir eine besondere Freude zur Arbeit von Alicia de Banffy-Hall eine Stellungnahme abzugeben. Sie ist bisher die einzige familylab-Seminarleiterin in UK mit diesem 2 wöchigen Training (und einem hohen Anteil an Eigenstudium) das sie 2009 in Berlin erfolgreich absolviert hat. Alicia de Banffy-Hall ist in der Lage – und hervorragend dafür ausgebildet – mit Familien, Lehrern und anderen Fachpersonen zu arbeiten und diese so zu inspirieren, dass die Teilnehmer an Ihren Workshops, Seminaren und Vorträgen einen größtmöglichen Gewinn für sich selbst und Ihre Institution haben. Alicia de Banffy-Hall ist in der Lage über vielfältige Themen in Beziehungen (Beziehungskompetenz, Werte, Verantwortung, Gleichwürdigkeit, Authentizität, uvm) qualifiziert und humorvoll zu unterrichten. Ich bin sicher, dass Einzelpersonen, Schulen, Mitarbeiter in Betrieben, wie auch andere Institutionen einen großen Gewinn aus den Angeboten von Alicia de Banffy-Hall ziehen werden. Ich kann Ihnen Alicia's Arbeit wärmstens empfehlen, Alicia's Arbeit wird ein Gewinn in Ihrem Leben sein.” November 15, 2011
Mathias Voelchert, CEO familylab Germany, www.familylab.de
"Alicia Banffy hat bei uns auf dem Land drei Jahre lang Theater Sommerlager veranstaltet mit Kindern von 10 bis 16 jahren. Sie hat die Kinder in der Woche total beschäftigt, ihre speziellen Neigungen, Begabungen und auch Ermunterungen erkannt und eingesetzt. Die Kinder fanden sich schnell zusammen als Gruppe, waren motiviert und das Ergebnis war immer ein bühnenreifes Theater mit ausnehmend kreativen Elementen. Denn nicht nur das Bühnenbild war selbst erstellt, sondern auch musikalische Einlagen und herrliche Theatralische Auftritte der Jung - Schauspieler".
Johanna Lobkowicz - Drahenice I, II, III in 2005, 2006 and 2007