Just for a change of style this time round I’ve been invited to write our latest message to you all with observations on life in the Music Hub since last October. It’s been a busy few months with loads of great music making & performances. Here are some of the hi-lights:
The Voices Foundation Celebrated 25 years of work in schools with a concert at St John’s Smith Sq that included amongst its number from across the country, classes from two of their Southwark schools. We congratulate them on all the great work they continue to do.
December 4th saw the official opening of the ‘Music Box’ in Union Street, this is the new state of the art Home of the London College of Contemporary Media (LCCM), who continue to work in partnership with us in delivery of the ‘All About The Band’ Rock & Pop project for KS3+ students.
Our Lunchtime Concert Series in the Atrium of the Council office in Tooley Street continues to be popular with schools & council staff alike, expanding greatly through December with many schools bringing choirs & ensembles in to perform. Remember if you have a choir or ensemble you’d like to showcase or just give some out of school experience to, do contact us to fix a date.
This half-term we’ve already had 3 large events at the Southbank Centre: our Percussion Festival on 31st Jan, our Ukulele Festival on 5th February & our Orchestral Playing Day on the 11th Feb. We thank our partner friends at Southbank for continuing to support our work & allowing us use of their wonderful Clore Ballroom space for these large scale events, meaning that 643 Southwark children have had the opportunity to perform in this amazing space so far this year- roll on ‘Splash’ when another 500+ will have the same opportunity!
Thank you all for your continued work in supporting & creating music opportunities for the children & young people of Southwark.
Jo
Jo Fitzmaurice is Deputy Head of Southwark Music Hub, she tends to look after any centrally organised performances & events as well as forging links with agencies who want to offer opportunities to our CYP.
Southwark Music Hub Events this half-term.
We’re delighted to have given hundreds of Southwark students the opportunity to perform at the Southbank over the past few weeks, with three wonderful events in the Royal Festival Hall showcasing the great work that is going on in our schools.
31st Jan saw over 250 players from primary schools across the borough joined by Kingsdale Foundation School for our 5th annual Percussion Festival, a wonderful mix of Samba, African Drumming, a classical percussion ensemble topped off with some beautiful Singing from all of the participants.
5th Feb saw several of our primary school Ukulele Classes meet up to perform pieces they had been working on in their whole class ensemble lessons. They were accompanied by a great band made up mainly from Southwark Music Hub tutors.
Finally, on the 11th Feb we were delighted to bring together over 270 young orchestral instrumentalists for our third Southwark Orchestral Playing Day. Students from four of our secondary schools worked to gether under the direction of conductor & composer Scott Stroman and were joined in the afternoon by ensembles & whole class violin groups from 7 of our primary schools to perform an arrangement of Sibelius’ Finlandia Overture and a piece they created with Scott on the day. An amazing event that showcased the vast amout of musical talent in our schools.
To find out more about opportunities for you school you can contact the Southwark Music Hub via our website.
Tomorrow's Warriors is currently running an urgent appeal to prevent the closure of their Artist Development Programme, giving free music workshops and career development to talented young jazz musicians. You can support them today be donating to their GoFundMe campaign: https://www.gofundme.com/iamwarrior
Tomorrow's Warriors are running a monthly open jazz jam session at The Rich Mix in Shoreditch on the third Sunday of every month, 1-4pm. If you're a young musician be sure to head down with your instrument, or just come to enjoy some fantastic music by the next generation of jazz artists. Join the Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/374447220050485/
The mighty Jazz Jamaica are playing at The Jazz Cafe on April 12, bringing their infectious blend of reggae and jazz which is guaranteed to get you dancing. Tickets here: https://bit.ly/2sCxtFk
When: Saturday 18 May 2019
Where: St. Barnabas Parish Hall, 23 Dulwich Village SE21
Have you recently started learning the piano or you've wanted to enter a piano competition but thought it might be a bit scary? Join us for a very special FUN piano competition aimed at beginner and newbie pianists where you can perform a piece by Rosa Conrad, Marcel Zidani or Olly Wedgwood and receive feedback from the composers themselves. You can even ask Rosa to accompany you for the Duet performance if you like!
We will give out medals for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. You will receive written feedback and a certificate.
All proceeds from audience tickets will go to Westminster House Youth Club in Nunhead.
'It is always fatal to have music or poetry interrupted.'
George Elliot, Middlemarch
'Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.'
Confucius
'Music is an outburst of the soul.'
Frederick Delius
'Tell me what you listen to, and I'll tell you who you are.'
Tiffanie DeBartolo
South London Youth Orchestra - Next course 15-18 April in Dulwich SE22
SLYO welcomes new students to our established specialist orchestral courses. SLYOis not one orchestra but a family of four orchestras each offering vision, ambition and excellence. At the heart of our organisation are professional conductors, outstanding tuition from the best musicians in the profession and fine repertoire. Serving the diverse and wide communities of South London our collaborating orchestras work with Grade 2 - Diploma level students aged 7-19.
For more information click here, or to join us this Easter call Emma Wilkins on 020 8613 6439.
An invitation from Classical Road Show to bring your pupils to perform in FIRE! – the story of The Great Fire of London
Monday 14th October 2019 Milton Court , Barbican
With London Mozart Players and students from Guildhall School of Music
Performances at 11.15am and 1.30pm (last for 1 hour)
Introduced and conducted by Benjamin Pope
Narrated by Samuel Pepys (Michael Dore) and his maid Jane (Annabelle Brown)
For pupils aged 7-11yrs – dress as 17th century Londoners to sing throughout in a performance from your audience seats.
Tickets cost £5 with free tickets offered to pupil premium students through our Hardship Fund.
The Classical Road Show organises participatory concerts for primary schools and we have 8 Southwark schools with more than 500 children from Southwark taking part in our next event in March (Dreamtime Tales in Cadogan Hall with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra). They will join 1500 other children from across London.
All the music for Classical Road Show has been specially written for performance by primary schools with professional orchestra and narrators. We provide all the material for you to learn the audience songs with your children in school then come along in costume on concert day to take part.
We are particularly keen to encourage new schools to bring along classes and choirs to join in.
Get Your Folk On!
Thursday 21 to Friday 22 February, 10.30am–4.30pm, Cecil Sharp House
For 7 to 19 year olds, plus a dedicated session for disabled 12 to 24 year olds
Come and learn folk music, song and dance, try new instruments and create new arrangements with other young musicians!
Find out more here.
Folk Unlimited
3, 17 Feb | 3, 17 March, 2–4pm, Cecil Sharp House
For disabled 12 to 24 year olds and their friends
A creative, inclusive, multi-sensory band sessions for disabled young people led by folk artists Emmie Ward and Joe Danks.
Find out more here.
Youth Ceilidh
Sunday 17 March, 6pm, Cecil Sharp House
Our Youth Ceilidhs are fun, friendly social events with energetic live music from top bands. We welcome all 12-19 year olds to take part in the dancing, or sit back and soak up the music and good atmosphere!
Find out more here.
LPO Soundworks Creative Week: Music & Film, 6-10 April
Calling creative musicians aged 14-19! Do you love composing and experimenting on your instrument? Are you interested in film music?
Join the LPO Soundworks ensemble for their Creative Week to devise new soundtracks for short films produced by the BFI Future Film Academy. Working alongside musicians and composers from the London Philharmonic Orchestra, talented young filmmakers and a film music professional, develop original music and perform it at a special screening at London’s Southbank Centre.
Apply by 4 March via the LPO Soundworks webpage here.
Key Stage 2 BrightSparks concert, Tues 7 May, 10.30 & 12.30 at Royal Festival Hall
Join the London Philharmonic Orchestra for this year’s Key Stage 2 BrightSparks schools concert, which explores Benjamin Britten’s classic piece: The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. The audience will meet each instrument family in turn, to discover the different sounds and colours of the orchestra, and also hear extracts from Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, which paint a vivid picture of the sea. They will also join in the music-making for a rousing audience participation sea shanty!
Presented by Rachel Leach, the concert will be a fun exploration of the orchestra, and a celebration of British music. Schools who book tickets will receive a link to written and audio resources for the concert, and be able to book a place for a teacher on a free INSET session taking place on 6 March, which will cover ways into the concert music, ideas for work in the classroom, and tips on learning the participation song.
Applications open for LPO Junior Artists 19-20
Applications for LPO Junior Artists 2019-20 open on Monday 4 March. Open to talented musicians aged 15 – 18, grade 7+ standard, from backgrounds and communities currently under-represented in professional UK orchestras, LPO Junior Artists is a year-long programme offering an immersive, behind-the-scenes experience with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. As an LPO Junior Artist you become part of the LPO family, develop your playing and musicianship, and discover unique insights into the orchestral profession.
For more information about the programme and our eligibility criteria, visit see lpo.org.uk/juniorartists or contact us with any questions, juniorartists@lpo.org.uk.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you require any further information.
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
Family Concert: Tall Tales, Magical Myths and the Stuff of Legends The Music of Antonín Dvořák
SAT 2 March, 12.30h
A mischievous water goblin, a loving family, and an underwater wedding with fish for bridesmaids! These tall tales provided the inspiration for Dvořák’s symphonic poems, which create a murky underwater realm full of secrets and mischief. Bring the whole family to experience a full orchestra performing music with the power to draw you into a world where things are not quite what they seem…
Loud! Powerful! Shiny! Brass instruments are the superheroes of the instrument family. They swoop in and save the day with their super-sonic strength of sound. Like most superheroes however, there is more to this confident swagger than meets the eye. Join us to hear another side of these bold, fearless instruments as presenter Lucy Drever and the Trinity Laban Brass Ensemble guides you through a jam-packed concert featuring the music of Errolyn Wallen, Bach and Debussy, AND the chance for you to join in too with a specially-written song by composer and trumpeter Laura Jurd.
Blackheath Halls
TICKETS: £90 per class (max. 33)
Up to 5 accompanying teachers per school go free.
Animate Lambeth
TUE 28 & WED 29 MAY
Do you play an instrument or are you interested in music technology? Do you want to join other adventurous young musicians to create and perform your own music? This two-day course is an introduction to Animate Orchestra led by specialist tutors and world-class musicians, aimed at school students in Years 5–9.
Take the Lead is our 5-day Musical Theatre Summer School, perfect for aspiring performers of all abilities (aged 16+) who want to experience the training on offer at Trinity Laban’s esteemed Musical Theatre Department. Work with West End professionals exploring dance, acting and singing, and take part in valuable audition masterclasses and stimulating workshops.
Bookings are now open with a special early bird offer of £395 (normally £450).
Open to all from around the world, 16 years and above. Optional accommodation in nearby student halls available. Spaces are limited.
On Friday 12 April our National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain – the world’s greatest orchestra of teenagers – will be bringing its Voice of the Americas concert tour to the Southbank Centre, and I strongly encourage you to be there,
Voice of the Americas extends a hand of friendship across the Mexican-US border, celebrating the power of music to build bridges. Silvestre Ruvueltas’s Sensemayá is based on an Afro-Cuban poem depicting the sacrifice of a snake. Feel the tension build as ritualistic percussion pounds out the poem’s chant ‘Mayombé-bombé-mayombé!’ and frenzied brass wail in thrilling anticipation of an epic battle between man and beast.
Lightening the mood, Chavez’s Sinfonia India is bursting with the spirit of Mexico. Based on a series of folk themes that are joyous one moment and romantically lyrical the next, it will whisk you away in a lively whirlwind of pure, unadulterated fun.
Then imagine Broadway lights twinkling and strains of jazz and blues carried on the night air from dark bars as Gershwin’s Piano Concerto sets you down in the flashy glamour of 1920s New York in a heady mix of glitzy, jaunty tunes.
And finally, to ‘the great American Symphony’: Aaron Copland’s show-stopping Symphony No 3. Its soaring, expansive melodies are filled with promise and the spine-tingling euphoria of its finale, based on his Fanfare for the Common Man, will leave you feeling certain that the future is bright.
£5 Tickets
Tickets are just £5 (plus booking fee) if you’re under 25. To book tickets, simply call the Box Office on 020 3879 9555 or visit southbankcentre.co.uk.
Teen Hangout
Make sure you go along to NYO’s welcome event which is a fantastic opportunity for you and your friends to chat to NYO musicians and relax before or after the concert. It’s hosted by NYO Young Promoters who are students from local schools, and takes place from 6.30.pm in the Southbank Centre’s Clore Ballroom.
NYO Inspire
If you’re aged 13-18, playing between grade 6-8 standard or above, and you need access to FREE orchestral opportunities, you can apply to take part in NYO Inspire – the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain’s access programme. You’ll take part in exciting projects across the country and learn alongside NYO musicians to boost your orchestral skills. Visit nyo.org.uk/inspire to find out more.
