Janan Fifield is an expert in making arts accessible for children, young people and adults, including those with serious cognitive and mental health issues. Inspired by his musician father who played for T. Rex and later by his brother with Asperger’s syndrome (who discovered music as a means to express himself and transform his life), Janan first began volunteering 25 years ago to teach DJ skills to disadvantaged young people with all kinds of learning or cognitive disabilities.

His lived experience growing up with a brother with Asperger’s led him to pursue a degree in Psychology and Economics. He was then recruited by a national music charity to deliver this work, soon attaining a level 3 youth work qualification along with a Community Music Leadership Certificate from Northampton University.

Following this, he founded a social enterprise which delivered music-making projects for over 13,000 disadvantaged young beneficiaries of major Northampton agencies – special needs schools, hospitals, colleges, youth clubs, referral units and more. In his words:

“I founded Performing Room because I did not want to say goodbye to beneficiaries after short-term projects; instead I wanted to create a living, breathing, permanent community”.

About Performing Room

We are Performing Room, a charity located in the vibrant Cultural Quarter of Northampton, right across from the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery. At Performing Room, we work with people holistically to help them awaken their wellbeing and potential through the power of music and creativity. Our mission is to unite the community through music and creative arts projects, welcoming children, young people, and adults of all abilities. We also support emerging music artists by sharing our expertise and providing the tools they need to build confidence and hone their skills.

We are at a moment of extraordinary step-change in our growth because we need to scale up rapidly to support the increasing numbers of vulnerable young people in our communities. Our vision is to be able to offer support for every person who needs it in the region, and to become a national flagship for our healing ecosystem.

Our activities include:

Our flagship project ‘Making Music Making Friends’: which is a twice-weekly afternoon activity for up to 40 project participants per session. Participants split up into groups to play music with different instruments, write lyrics, learn digital media skills and more.

1:1 Pastoral care and Mentorship: We provide 1:1 support as needed to identify project participants’ unique needs, signpost to specialist providers (e.g. mental health counsellors), educators and employers.

Multimedia Project: Participants work in small groups to create, produce and perform original artistic content to local audiences in-person and digitally in an effort to share their lived experiences and interests including uncovering local heritage. We have professional musicians and producers onboard, who work with them to develop creative skills in digital content production, song writing and more.

Game Development: Learn game creation, 3D asset creation, and immersive VR/AR technology. One highlight is our 3D virtual tour of late 19th-century Northampton, offering an interactive and educational historical experience.

Heritage Days: Discover our exciting multimedia projects, including children’s board games, video documentaries, comics, and LEGO reconstructions of historic buildings, all part of our effort to bring Northampton’s history back to life.

Facilities for hire:

Accessible Spaces: Ideal for solo performers, theatre groups, schools, (including SEND schools), and disability daycare centres. We have extensive experience catering to individuals with mental health, learning, and physical disabilities.