Nothing beats a good drummer (or a terrible pun)... Oishika Ray shares her relationship with Readipop

I had a very pleasant phone call with Readipop participant Oishika Ray about how she got involved in their weekly AAA sessions, a chance where young people can share a space together and explore and grow their own musical abilities. Not so much a formal, technical 101 - Readipop’s work with young people is participant lead and provides the resources, time space and support to (as Oishi puts it) “just show up” 

The AAA sessions—held at Readipop—offers goers the chance to use the studio and performing spaces, with access to instruments (including no less than three drum kits) and the ability to play as a band or find your feet on your own. 

The sessions were founded as a result of a collaboration between The Prince’s Trust and Readipop with The Prince’s Trust’s ‘Get Started in Music’ course for 16-25 year olds. The success of the week— where young people split into groups, created songsor pieces and performed to an audience— led to a group of people connecting through their abilities and enthusiasm for music in a supportive environment. 

Oishi came across the course thanks to a family friend. With an interest in music and a background of learning guitar and piano but no realistic idea of how to ‘do’ music, Oishi gave The Prince’s Trust a call. Being unemployed at the time and with a fairly fresh diagnosis at 21 of ADHD and Dyspraxia, she was keen to seize an opportunity outside of her comfort zone. With a passion for electronic music and production, but a lack of knowledge and experience, she was also enticed by studio space access. 

Thanks to the persevering but un-pushy music leaders at Readipop (with a special shout out to Louis) Oishi ended up behind a drum kit, taking small steps and wielding rhythms in a way she didn’t think she was capable of. While the group scenario of potential sharing and feedback seemed daunting, Oishi “never felt left behind”. 

The key to this? “Trust the process”. Whether you practice or not thanks to “muscle memory” and “zero expectations” you will “get better every week and never feel like you owe them [Readipop] anything (...) they will make a musician out of you”. 

So what does Readipop mean to you? To Oishi, it’s a “complete daydream”, “a magical place” marked by the freeing realisation that you don’t have to be a different person (an unrealistic ideal of what a musician has to or should be) to be able to make music. You won’t “let anyone down”. 

Oishi is now a drummer (and feels comfortable to identify as such). This newfound sense of identity and confidence through the AAA sessions has also left its mark on Oishi’s employment status and career direction. Now a Talent Executive, Oishi has taken her experiences in the arts through Readipop to help others access opportunities and get involved in the arts, just as she did when it all began with the ‘Get Started in Music’ course... 

Oishi admirably continues to prioritise the weekly AAA sessions despite London commuting and 9 to 5’s. She’s recently been helping out at Readipop with Festival flyering and looks out for any opportunity to support them and give something back from getting something in return. 

Words by Keira Finnegan