As a composer, instrumentalist and sound artist, I enjoy working collaboratively with communities, particularly in heritage settings. Recent projects have taken me to Edinburgh University beehives, the top of Paisley Town Hall clock tower, baby groups, wild swimming communities, and collecting the sounds of the sea in Portobello from boats, as well as recording while riding steam trains.

I have worked with a wide range of groups including people experiencing homelessness, Women’s Aid groups, primary school children, out-of-school clubs, New Scots and refugees, teenagers and people with learning needs.

I am always open to new projects and particularly enjoy designing creative work inspired by collections, places and historical events.

rail 200 composition 2025- working with communities to create soundworks around the history of railways

Hailing from Shildon Co. Durham, the first town to host a passenger rail vogaye in 1825, Deborah partnered with Stockton and Darlington 26 Miles Fund, PRS Foundation, Tanfield Railway and National Railway Museum. As part of this composition Deborah composed new sound works and music, delivered workshops in local schools and communities, and worked with the community to collect oral histories about working on railways. The work will soon be installed as a sound walk around SHildon Co.Durham.

THE CHIMES PROJECT 2023- Sound and songwriting project celebrating the restoration of Paisley’s Carillon (clock tower)

A historic environment scotland / one ren council funded project

Deborah was commissioned to compose a series of brand new ‘Chimes’ for Paisley Town Hall’s Carillon - woking with community groups to write songs. Deborah worked with primary aged children, teenagers, a goups of learners with autism, a refugee group and local folk group to compose chimes which now play every week in Paisley on the Carillon bells!

To add further legacy to the project Deborah spent 2 days in the tower collecting sounds from the bells using beaters and hands, to create two soundscapes - Listen below.

seaverb - sea rising festival - commission from poRtobello community energy

Musician in residency for 2024 Sea Rising Festival in Portobello Deborah createrd a soundscape based on the communities accessing the sea in Portobello. SEAVERB is a sonic work exploring the relationship locals have with the sea and how developing a relationship with the water can foster a deeper connection and desire to protect and preserve our seas and oceans. Collecting sounds from rowers, wild swimmers, local choirs, the piece blends voice, archive recordings of the fambous Newhaven Fishwives' Chorus, fragmented piano, sounds from local arcades and collected sound from the beach.

‘The Sea Is Rising’ is a choral piece for 4 voices, inspired by sea shanties, composed for the Sea Rising Festival. The songs was performed in the sea by community singers.

Earth In COmmon - COmposer in Residence 2023/23

As composer in residence for environmental charity ‘Earth In Common,’ https://www.earth-in-common.org

I delivered a series of composition, sound and nature workshops within the community. The purpose of this residency was to raise awareness within the community of climate change, through engagement. I will present a series of compositions created by the Gaelic community in Edinburgh in May 2023 to showcase the results of the work carried out and present the community compositions.

As part of the residency I worked with young people to:-

• Write short songs about the environment / climate crisis

• Make musical instruments from recycled objects (shakers, mini harps, percussion instruments)

• Recorded sounds of nature using handheld recorders - birdsong, trees, insects)

• Making sound art - creating instruments that sound from the natural elements eg shell chimes, wind chimes, wind harps.

big picnic - people’s Food stories

Inequality, culture and knowledge all create barriers to accessing nutritious food, but many communities and individuals are striving to overcome them.

The EU has funded the BigPicnic project to explore the global challenge of food security using participatory methods to co-create resources.

As part of this project the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh has been collaborating with local food initiatives to give a voice to people. Using digital storytelling, a quick and easy video making method, people have been able to develop and record personal food stories.

Musical Director / Composer - The welcoming choir

I am currently the MD for The Welcoming CHoir, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Welcoming is a charity welcoming new scots to include refugees, migrants and asylum seekers to Edinburgh. RThe choir is multicultural, and also a group where newcomers can imporve their English.

In December 2020 I was asked to write a song for the goup, comissioned by the charity. I wanted the song had to be e accessible to all levels of singing, all levels of English and to be free from religious references. Below is a recording of the final result:-

ONLINE SINGING SESSIONS: LOCKDOWN

For many years I have worked as a choir musical director, running choirs for all ages and abilities. Since the UK lockdown began in March 2020, I have moved these singing sessions online and continue to deliver virtual workshops to choirs and other groups. Recent clients include ‘The Welcoming ‘ Charity for newcomers to Scotland, based in Edinburgh and ‘Crisis’ The national charity for homeless people. I also run drop in sessions.

I also deliver sessions for companies who would like to increase the health and well being of their workforce, particularly those working in stressful jobs, or who are working at home. These are designed to lift morale and mood amongst workers, and provide an alternative online activity.

Over the festive season I am also offering Christmas sing alongs / celebrations, for teams who for social restrictions are finding it difficult to imagine a way to celebrate, in the absence of the traditional Christmas party. Please email debbie@shawmusic.co.uk for more information

edinburgh women’s aid - composer / musical director

I was comissioned by Edinburgh Women's Aid in 2018 to work with their members, to co-write and present a song marking 100 years since women were able to vote in the UK. We performed this at the Women's AId Scotland annual conference celbreating alo 45 years of Women's Aid. The project was challenging as many of the women had multiple complex needs and were or had recently saught refuge frowm abuse.

We reflected on the WOMEN's MARCH - a song Sang by suffragettes, what the words meant, and how this transtales to being a women in the 21st Century.