Hampshire Music Education Hub

HUB Newsletter 8 Spring 2016

www.hants.gov.uk

Please see our website for news and forthcoming events: www.hantsmusichub.org.uk Working for the benefit of all our partner organisations. Contact us with your news, comments and suggestions: music.service@hants.gov.uk , facebook.com/hantsmusichub, @HantsMusicHub

Welcome... ...to the eighth Hampshire Music Education Hub Newsletter. The busy Autumn term held many highlights and I am delighted to share these with you here.

Looking ahead, 2016 is also going to showcase many magical musical moments, including… Especially Wessex Music Conference -

29 January at the Ageas Bowl, Hedge End. A CPD day packed full of workshops to support anyone working in primary and special schools.

The Chairman’s Concert - 30 January at Winchester Cathedral, 7pm. A Celebration of Peace, hosted by Cllr Jonathan Glen. The event includes the world premiere of The Lost Wand performed by the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra and 100 singers from Giessen, Germany, Winchester’s twin town.

The Giant Sing - 1 and 2 March at The Anvil, Basingstoke. Oscar Wilde’s The Selfish Giant, brought to life by 2000 singers, dancers and instrumentalists.

All this continues to be possible thanks to ongoing support from the Department for Education, via Arts Council England. The excellent news that the government is protecting Music Hub funding is definitely “music to our ears”!

Jill Larner, Head of Hampshire Music Service

800 young people from Hampshire perform at the Royal Albert Hall 800 young musicians, singers and dancers from 23 Hampshire schools, three county ensembles and a local dance group were invited to perform as a special massed ensemble at the Music for Youth Proms.

Music was supplied by the County Youth Orchestra, members of the County Youth Choir and a select brass section of the County Youth Band. The Royal Albert Hall’s choir stalls were packed full of 500 young singers. Performing a specially choreographed dance to accompany the piece, across the two stages and walkway between, were members of the Wessex Dance Academy.

Read more…

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Hub partnership news & events across Hampshire

The composition, The Mary Rose, is by the local late composer, Martin Read, from Winchester. Three other instrumental compositions accompanied The Mary Rose, by ex-Hampshire Music Hub Scholars Catherine Upfold, from Andover, and Laura Jurd, from Medstead, both of whom were tutored by Martin Read. Catherine recently finished her time with the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra as a viola player, but also composes. Now operating out of London, Laura is one of just seven international young artists selected for BBC Radio 3’s enormously prestigious New Generation Artists scheme 2015-17, as a jazz trumpeter and composer. There were a number of rehearsal sessions by all performers in readiness for the Royal Albert Hall, but only one for all sections, the day before, at The Anvil, Basingstoke. Staff from Hampshire Music Service worked with schools to blend the performances together and ensure everyone was in time - no mean feat! A big thank you goes to Carl Clausen, the conductor, and all those involved, who gave up their Sunday to ensure the careful and important preparations could go ahead. 18 coaches took the excited performers and staff to London the following day ready to impress with only the one dress rehearsal before the inspiring evening ahead. The piece

was introduced by Hampshire Music Service’s Area Leader Lucinda Hyland, who co-led the project. The Hampshire performance began with the brass ensemble on the ‘island’ stage, before each following movement was carried by members of the youth orchestra on the main stage and the huge choir from the towering choir stalls. The dancers illustrated the storytelling of each movement, including a beautiful visualisation of waves (pictured). It was a fabulous day for all involved and will become a lifelong memory for the performers.

The massed ensemble was part of the opening night of the annual Music for Youth Proms, which provides a stage for over 3000 young musicians across three days at the Royal Albert Hall. Either side of the Hampshire offering, were ensembles and choirs of varying sizes, duets and solos in an assortment of ages and styles from folk and samba to African and rock! Nothing could quite compare to the atmosphere within the auditorium, especially when the final Music for Youth Proms anthem thumped through the seating and balloons were released from the ceiling to the open arms of all performers. Official photographs are available from: www.mfy.org.uk/coreseason/schoolsprom

Eggars School pupils

Catherine Upfold

Wessex Dance Academy during rehearsal

Laura Jurd

Song of the Week - Christmas songwriting competition winners

The competition was staged for a second year and again all entries were very accomplished. Pupils from Hampshire schools were challenged to compose original seasonal songs and submit a recording and accompanying lyrics. The winner and runner(s) up then have their songs professionally recorded and turned into learning resources to become the ‘Song of the Week’ for the final two weeks of the Autumn term. Congratulations to a young lady from St Mary’s CE Junior School, whose ukulele-backed track It’s a Feeling took the title, while a group of boys from Cadland Primary School were awarded runners up with On Christmas Eve. Song of the Week is a weekly resource providing songs, with learning resources, including sing-along videos, for schools to help their pupils to sing regularly. The 2014-15 collection will be available in book-form (inc. CDs) in early 2016.

Brand new specialist ensembles off the mark and growing Two new acoustic guitar ensembles have already started alongside the Basingstoke and Eastleigh Area Schools Orchestras. The Eastleigh group is already preparing for their first official performance with the wind and string groups at the end of the spring term. There is no charge for membership this year to build the numbers in order to be viable for the following year. The Hampshire Youth Folk Ensemble has also been founded in recent months and currently consist of eight high quality fiddlers who have already performed at prestigious county council events. If you or anyone you know is interested in joining an ensemble, please get in touch.

Sounds of Intent: the launch of a new early years resource The Hampshire Music Education Hub has become the South-East champion for Hub partner Soundabout’s new national early years resource. The South-East launch was kindly hosted by The Westgate School, Winchester, in their brand new lower school building. Attendees joined the launch from across the region for this free event and learned about the easy-to-use internet package supporting a completely new way of assessing and recording a child’s musical development. The partnership will now roll out the resource over the next two years.

Hub partnership news & events across Hampshire

Published 14.1.2016

Ukulele players for winning entry

Special Celebration with animal magic Over 230 children from 18 special schools and schools with special units again gathered in Winchester Cathedral for the annual event to

celebrate the Christmas story with a modern twist. Children are encouraged to dress up and join in the music making and singing of modern carols. Music was provided by the Baycroft School Brass Band, members of the Hampshire County Youth Choirs and Hub Scholar award holder Connor Bates, on cello. This year the nativity journey was lucky enough to be supported by animals from Longdown Activity Farm - Max the donkey and Billy the goat, who stole the show.

Making Music Together – Participate, Enjoy, Achieve!

Tel: 023 8065 2037 Fax: 023 8061 8241 Email: music.service@hants.gov.uk

www.hants.gov.uk/hms

Hub partnership news & events across Hampshire

To celebrate Hub Partner staff and the talented young musicians across Hampshire we are launching Spotlights. This valuable opportunity to highlight different progression and career routes related to music will allow young people to read about the varied journeys these individuals have been on and be inspired. Our spotlight pilot interview was with Hub Partner FolkActive in issue 6. This time we learn about the pupils who become teachers themselves - Matthew Watling and Josie Simmons from HMS...

Bitesize Hub Highlights

Live Demos Hampshire Music Service staff have been going out in pairs to delight KS1 and 2 pupils with a

free live performance, a talk about their instruments and the pieces they play - at no charge.

All schools so far have found the quality of the performance to be good (19%) or excellent (81%)!

Endangered Species

County and area ensembles have been providing free

instrument lessons and hire for select instruments to boost numbers in their groups and sections. A

percussion opportunity will be available early in 2016, so

watch this space!

Discover Spotlights on the Hub website: www.hants.gov.uk/hub-news

Embedded Composers

Hampshire Music Service is working with two composers in residence, supported by Hub partners Sound and

Music. Michael Betteridge's new work, in collaboration

with 150 Aldershot pupils, will be the first piece premiered on 1 March at Princes Hall.

Striking a rhythm at Thornden Hall Hampshire percussion fans were treated to a number of workshops and performances, headed by professional musicians at the Hampshire Percussion Day. Covering orchestral percussion were Tim Palmer and Jason Huxtable of Maraca2, who gradually built, then guided, an end ensemble of un-tuned and tuned percussion. Emily Dolan Davies, who has worked with chart-topping artists such as Bono of U2, led the drum kit sessions. Hampshire Music Service’s own Tom Gregory headed up all things Cajón. There was a wide mix of abilities who took advantage of the day and a real chance to try something new and get some insider information on how to do well in the music business as a drummer. At the end of the day families were invited to arrive early for a chance to see what the attendees had learnt, through mini performances. Maraca2 and Emily Dolan Davies were then invited to showcase their talents to a delighted audience at Thornden Hall, Chandler’s Ford. There are opportunities for percussion players across the county with a mini recruitment drive in 2016...

Emily Dolan Davies smiling to ‘Magic Roundabout’ sample

Maraca2 duet