Frequently asked questions

Electric Umbrella is a registered charity challenging perceptions about learning disabled people and enriching and empowering lives through music.

 When you’re part of Electric Umbrella, the stage is always set, the lights are bright, and the show is always on! 

We offer a range of in-person and online music sessions, both free-of-charge and paid-for.  Many of our members attend multiple types of sessions, and in doing so develop valuable friendships and gain in confidence and skill set.

Our Electric Umbrella community is made up of learning disabled people and everyone around them; friends, family, parents, siblings, and anyone else supporting them to take part.

Our in-person music sessions take place in South West Hertfordshire in the UK.  We run a physical store (our Emporium) in Hemel Hempstead, and play gigs and festivals all over the UK.  Our online activities are open to everybody everywhere.

Once you've registered, we have four regular online sessions that you can join:

(1) EU TV

Monday 7.30pm-8.30pm

Need to shake up your Monday? EU TV is the place to be! A fully interactive show with live music and special guests. Dive in, switch on and rock out!

(2) Open Mic Night 

First Thursday of the month 8.00pm-9.00pm

Your opportunity to take centre stage! Put yourself forward, perform your favorite song and watch sparks fly!

(3) Electric Umbrella Singalong

Friday 4.30pm-5.30pm

Pure ‘Feel Good Friday’ energy! Our community shines when we sing, dance and make music together. 

(4) Euan’s Breakfast Club

Saturday 8.00am - 9.00am

For the early birds among us, start your weekend with a bang!  Music, games and lots of fun guaranteed. 

The Electric Umbrella community is made up of  learning disabled people and everyone around them; friends, family, parents, sibilings, and anyone else supporting them to take part.

If you're learning disabled and you love music, you will love our supercharged online sessions! 

Our four supercharged online sessions are completely free of charge! 

You can learn more about our paid-for sessions, both online and in-person, in the next section.

You must create an account to join our programme of free online sessions:

(1) Visit our Plug In page

(2) Click 'Plug In- sign up'

(3) Follow the instructions to sign up

(4) You will receive an email with all the instructions you need to Plug In and prepare for the performance of your life!

We can promise three things:

1. You’ll make loads of new friends
2. You will grow your confidence 
3. You will shine on stage!

Of course! Whether you join our sessions to sing at the top of your lungs or to groove along to the beat, you will love being part of Electric Umbrella. Our sessions are always welcoming, and always inclusive. 

At Electric Umbrella we have measures in place to keep everyone safe during our online sessions. You have to become a member to join our online sessions, and volunteers are in the background during every activity to manage entry and support interactions.

To make sure that everyone enjoys our online sessions we ask that everyone follows three simple rules:

1. Always respect each other 
2. Always look out for each other 
3. Keep language appropriate and kind 

If you are uncomfortable about anything you see, hear or experience during an Electric Umbrella online session, please tell an Electric Umbrella representative immediately. You can also get in touch  by email at: info@electricumbrella.co.uk

To keep our sessions as interactive as possible we would encourage you to switch your camera on, so that everyone can see your beaming smile.

However, we understand that Zoom can sometimes be a little daunting at first, so it's okay if switching your camera off feels better for you.