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News Archive
Newsletter No 13 - 22nd July 2011
It’s hard to believe we’re already in July and the start of the summer
holidays. It’s been a wonderful year at Music First and the last few months
have been our busiest yet.
In May, students from the Music First Chamber Orchestra, the Music First
Improvers’ Orchestra and the Highbury Grove String Group formed the backbone
of the ripieno orchestra for no fewer than four performances of Noye’s Fludde
by Benjamin Britten at St Joan of Arc Church, Highbury. This was a community
project led by maestro Scott Stroman and the Music First and Highbury Grove
musicians shone. Their musical and professional contribution was commented
upon by many observers, and was the result of countless rehearsals and a great
deal of parental support, for which we are most grateful (special thanks to
the parent who came to our rescue during Fludde-like rain at one point). Weeks
of preparation, four performances and Britten’s music demanded great stamina
and concentration from the players, but enthusiasm and focus never wavered. It
was an outstanding effort by all concerned.
A reception to celebrate the formal launch of Music First then followed at the
House of Lords on 15th June. Hosted by Lord Falconer of Thoroton, this event
marked Music First’s transition from our pilot hub at Highbury Grove to
expansion across Islington and beyond. The River Room was full of
distinguished guests who were greatly impressed by the playing of Cyan Koay
and Deronne White from Highbury Grove, and the youngest Music First ambassador
present, Daniel Bernard, who performed as part of a cello trio with two Music
First Hub tutors, Louisa Danmeri and Agnieszka Teodorwska. Our thanks go to
all of them for giving the reception an extraordinary buzz and helping to put
Music First on the national map.
On 7th July the Highbury Grove Hub had a small informal concert to celebrate
its first birthday. The Chamber Orchestra kicked off proceedings with a
fantastic rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus. Parents and friends were treated
to three songs on the theme of freedom, with the added twist of audience
participation. All the members of the Thursday Hub then played Kingston
Calypso as an orchestra. This was particularly impressive, since some of our
newest members have only attended ten sessions. They joined in alongside some
of our more experienced players and acquitted themselves extremely well. The
concert finished off with a very large helping of tea and cakes, very kindly
supplied by the Year 10 catering school at Highbury Grove School. On 14th
July, Year 4 pupils were very privileged to attend the Royal Academy of Music
for a 'String Day.' Pupils participated in a creative workshop with members of
the Junior Royal Academy, and then rehearsed and performed two pieces
commissioned especially for the event. The students were clearly truly
inspired by the day: Hub Community Leader Kirsty Wilcockson found them all
playing their violins in the school playground the next morning!
Meanwhile, Music First is delighted to have formed a partnership with King’s
Place, a major new purpose built arts venue in King’s Cross. This is another
terrific opportunity for Music First, providing us with performance space,
access to rehearsals by professional orchestras (including those by our
cultural partner the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment) and tickets to
King’s Place performances for Music First children and their families.
Looking ahead, the National Orchestra For All, which is an important part of
Music First’s offering for secondary school pupils, is giving its inaugural
concert at the Butterworth Hall at Warwick University Arts Centre on 3rd
August at 5.30 pm. Our great supporter Diana Shaw Clark is organising a
recital in aid of Music First by acclaimed Wagnerian soprano Meta Powell at
the Vernon Ellis Foundation House at 19.30 on 22nd September; and rehearsals
have begun for our performance at the Schools Prom at the Albert Hall on 7th
November. Please contact me if you would like more information about any of
these events (marianna.hay@musicfirst.org.uk).
By the time of the next newsletter, a second Music First hub will have opened
at Islington Arts and Media School, so we’ll be reporting in from there too.
It’s been a remarkable year with many more exciting developments in the
pipeline. Music First is truly on its way!
Newsletter No 12 - 8th April 2011
The first few days of spring are always
exciting. There is positivity in the air - people even start to smile at each
other spontaneously, totally unthinkable between October and February. Of
course, we at Music First don't rely on seasonal changes: the constant
enthusiasm, energy and commitment of our young people and their teachers
continues to inspire our visitors and supporters. Nonetheless, it is fair to say
that in keeping with the spring sunshine, new projects are 'hatching' and talent
continues to 'bloom'.
The Music First Thursday hub at Highbury Grove continues to flourish. Amidst the
regular rehearsals and lessons, a number of exciting events have taken place. On
Thursday 5th April, all the children took part in a creative workshop in which
they devised, composed and performed their own music. Their parents were invited
to join the session and observe this world premiere - a fitting way to round off
the term. Hub children and their parents were also invited to the Highbury Grove
School production of Oliver on Wednesday 6th April - a wonderful showcase of the
school's talent. The complicated orchestral parts for Oliver were handled
admirably by the Highbury Grove Scholars Orchestra, yet again making it
something to which hub children can aspire. Not to be outdone, many of them are
well on the way, with ten more completing their music medals in the last hub
session of term.
Diaries at the ready! It's going to get busy. After a short break over Easter,
we will be fully in the swing of things right from the start of next term.
Students from the Music First Chamber Orchestra, the Music First Improvers
Orchestra, the Highbury Grove String Group and singers from Gillespie School
will be performing in Noye's Fludde on the evenings of 25th/26th May at St Joan
of Arc Church, Highbury. Exact times of the performances will follow - it would
be wonderful to see as many of our supporters there as possible. In addition,
Music First children will be at our old haunt, the Union Chapel, on the morning
of Wednesday 25th May working with young players from Wandsworth and Music
First's cultural partner, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. The
workshop will focus on Handel's Water Music as well as excerpts from the Boyce
Symphonies and will culminate in a short performance at lunchtime.
Plans and arrangements for the summer orchestra project (now called the National
Orchestra for All) are progressing apace. As outlined in the previous
newsletter, the orchestra is an exciting collaboration between Music First,
Teach First and Achievement For All. We are receiving student application forms
from all over the UK and players from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
will be joining us for the end of course concert on 3rd August at the Warwick
Arts Centre. With items on the programme such as 1812 Overture and Jupiter from
Holst's Planets as well as our new anthem, it looks set to be a fantastic
occasion. The National Orchestra for All has well and truly entered into the 21s
century and now has a blog (which you can find here:
http://nationalorchestraforall.blogspot.com/) and its very own Facebook
page. You can also read more about the National Orchestra for All on the Music
First
website.
In addition to our very strong links with the Orchestra of the Age of
Enlightenment, we are also forming partnerships with other important arts
organisations. In particular, we are excited about the budding relationship
between Music First and the Royal Academy of Music. This will focus on shared
practice between Music First teachers and tutors on the Royal Academy First
Strings Experience and is likely to be extremely beneficial and interesting to
everyone involved. We are greatly looking forward to working together.
As we all head off for a well earned break over Easter, we can look forward to
an incredibly exciting and busy summer term. So - since it's spring - the next
time someone smiles at you spontaneously, think of Music First and smile back!
Marianna Hay
Director of Development
Music First
Newsletter No 11 - 7th March 2011
It has been a wonderfully eventful start to 2011 in the dizzy world of music
and entertainment. What with The King' Speech scooping up dozens of accolades
and the truly exciting news that the boy band "Blue" is re-forming to
represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest (is our aim not to win?), it
would be easy to overlook the equally eventful happenings at Music First.
Fortunately, there is just too much going on for this to happen: it is fair to
say that so far, 2011 has been Music First's most exciting year yet.
Our central hub at Highbury Grove continues to thrive. Following the success
of the Christmas performance, the students returned in the New Year with
renewed energy and enthusiasm and have already produced some fantastic work
this term. The Music First Improvers Orchestra and Music First Chamber
Orchestra are joining forces as the "band" for a local Islington production of
Britten's Noye's Fludde in May and rehearsals are now in full swing. The Music
First String Orchestra was also treated to a wonderful recital by a cello
quartet featuring our very own cello tutor Louisa Danmeri. The level of
concentration and appreciation by the students throughout this recital was
brilliant to see and the quality of their questions afterwards was truly
impressive.
Highbury Grove is now a buzzing hive of musical activity involving a cluster
of Islington primary schools: pupils from Years 4-6 at Laycock, Gillespie,
Highbury Quadrant, Newington Green and Canonbury primary schools school are
all enthusiastic Music First participants, brilliantly led and coordinated by
Kirsty Wilcockson. There are lots of exciting developments in the pipeline. As
early as next week, we are implementing our new mentoring scheme partnering
our primary students with more senior Highbury Grove musicians. From September
2011 we are set to launch a woodwind and brass hub alongside the strings, in
partnership with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. In a most exciting
development for the Music First leadership team, the hub at Highbury Grove
really is beginning to feel, as one of our students beautifully put it: "like
a Music First family" - the positive atmosphere created each week is truly
special. As year 6 student Daniel from Laycock Primary School said: "I love
coming here because I love music and now I want to be a cellist when I grow
up!"
There are many other projects well under way. We are working hard to set up a
new secondary school hub in North Islington at Islington Arts and Media School
which, like our pilot at Highbury Grove, will be connected to partner primary
schools including Duncombe Primary School. In another exciting development,
Music First is collaborating with two national organisations, Teach First and
Achievement for All, to form The Music For All National Orchestra (MFANO).
MFANO has confirmed its home for the summer holidays as Warwick University and
we are busy recruiting our first fifty students from schools all over the UK
to be a part of the Orchestra's launch this summer. It is our dream for MFANO
to be the UK equivalent of the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra and something to
which all our Music First students at primary level can aspire. Plans are also
under way for Music First's starring role in the School's Prom at the Albert
Hall in November and the ink is drying as I write this newsletter on the score
of Nathan Theodoulou's Music First anthem.
As ever, we are always incredibly grateful to all our Music First supporters
and are thrilled with offers to help with two exciting fundraising events
taking place over the next six months. Following the success of last year's
event, our wonderful supporter Diana Clark is planning a repeat recital by the
opera singer Meta Powell on the 22nd May to raise money for Music First. It so
happens that the 22nd May also coincides with Wagner's birthday and while we
do not wish to steal his thunder, we feel confident he would have approved of
the concert. Details will be sent out separately. We are also in the early
stages of organising a fundraising event in the House of Lords in June made
possible through the kind help of Lord and Lady Falconer.
So really, with all this going on, who needs awards ceremonies, beautiful ball
gowns and Oscars? We concede - reluctantly - that we've come on the scene just
a little too late to be invited to play at the Royal Wedding. But there must
be other princes and princesses in need of musicians and even a newly composed
Music First anthem to liven things up? Music First meets royalty - watch this
space.
Marianna Hay
Director of Development
Music First
Newsletter No 10 -
16th December 2010
We've
battled through snow, skidded on ice and tested the various modes of transport
that London offers to bring you the Christmas instalment of the Music First
newsletter! While the rest of London decided there was actually no point in
venturing outside their homes, the star students of Music First (and their
teachers) have shown huge commitment and dedication to their music turning up
week in, week out to rehearse. The Iceland Symphony Orchestra (or, if you want
to look really clever, Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands) would be proud!
Their hard work paid off on 9th December 2010 with a wonderful end of term
celebration concert at the Music First Hub @ Highbury Grove School. It was
fantastic to see such a large number of parents and supporters attend this
concert: the main hall was so full that people had to stand at the back. As
the audience arrived it was treated to the musicianship of Year 12 student
Cyan Koay performing on the brand new Grand Piano that now has pride of place
in the hall. We were also treated to delicious refreshments of a Christmas
variety prepared by the Highbury Grove Catering School - huge thanks to Miss
Bottomley, her team and Cyan for all their hard work.
The concert kicked off with a performance from the Music First Chamber
Orchestra playing Brief Joy (a shortened version of Beethoven's well known
theme, 'Ode to Joy') and Handel's March from Scipio. The Chamber Orchestra is
made up of 20 primary children whose skill on their instrument ranges from
Grades 3-6. Conducted by Bob Pepper, the Chamber Orchestra has been tackling a
variety of additional repertoire this term and is supported by contributions
from the participating families. We are extremely grateful to these families
for their support. The Chamber Orchestra is set to develop in a most exciting
way in the New Year with performances of Britten's Noye's Fludde and
additional concerts in the pipeline.
Next up was a rousing performance from the Music First Choir performing two
highly evocative numbers - Skin and Bones and Wade in the Water. The Music
First Orchestra then came together for a fantastic rendition of The Blue Thing
and Cap'n Jack. The final part of the event was the presentation of seven
Music Medals (four Copper level and three Bronze level) to our Hub students -
a great tribute to the progress our students are making individually. Many
congratulations to all of the students involved in this performance and to
Kirsty Wilcockson for masterminding the whole event.
Throughout the term the Hub has had a number of important visitors. Without
exception, everyone who has seen our work in action has been hugely impressed
with the enthusiasm, discipline and high expectations that all hub students
demonstrate every Thursday and we would like to thank our students for being
such great ambassadors for the Music First programme.
As we wave 2010 goodbye and start looking at 2011, Music First has some
exciting plans. We aim to grow the current Hub at Highbury Grove and we are
looking to strengthen and build on links with our partner - The Orchestra of
the Age of Enlightenment. A summer school project for more senior Music First
Students is also in the pipeline: to come together with fellow musicians from
schools around the country and be part of the inaugural Music for All National
Orchestra - an exciting pilot project partnering Music First with two major
national education providers.
So, as we plan our trips home for Christmas (easier said than done if TFL and
the weather have anything do with it), we can also look forward to an
incredibly exciting next stage for Music First. Who knows, maybe one day music
really will rule the world....
Merry Christmas and happy New Year from us all!
Newsletter No 9 -
4th July 2010
The inventor of the Vuvuzela has a lot to answer for. The Vuvuzela (for those
of you have chosen to focus your attention away from our disgraceful football
team in South Africa and onto the far more enthralling entertainment taking
place down in SW19 on centre court) is plastic, a metre long and sounds like
an elephant. It is an instrument, but not always a musical one and produces a
loud, monotone sound usually around Bflat. For many of our students at Music
First, however, it has, over the past few weeks become the instrument of
choice. 'Forget the trumpet' they say, 'and give me a Vuvuzela!' I for one, am
reluctant to discourage them - apparently it is fantastic for developing
embouchure.
World cup disasters aside, here at Music First it is full steam ahead as we
come to the end of the academic year. Spurred on by the fantastic news that
Highbury Grove School received an Outstanding in its Ofsted Inspection, the
teachers and students have approached the last few weeks with renewed energy
and vigour.
Our main focus currently is ensuring that all our students achieve their end
of year target on their instrument - whether it be a music medal level or
grade exam. Highbury Grove, for the first time ever, has been assigned a
visiting examiner from the Associated Board given the high numbers of students
taking grades this year. We also have an accompanist from the Royal College of
Music rehearsing with the students in preparation for their performances.
There have been a number of exciting trips and visits over the past few weeks.
A gifted and talented group of Music First students were taken to hear the
Meta4 String Quartet perform a programme of Shostakovich, Schumann and Salles
as part of the City of London Music Festival. Despite the challenging
repertoire, the students rose to the occasion brilliantly and asked a series
of insightful and well informed questions about the music. On the 28th June,
we also took our star studded Turkish Music Ensemble to perform at the Opening
Ceremony for Teach First where, as ever, the virtuosic skill of Memet Sucu on
his Saz wowed the entire audience.
The primary Music First students too are all set to deliver some stunning
performances over the next couple of weeks. On Tuesday 6th July, the choir at
Highbury Quadrant will be joining forces with other local Primary Schools to
perform as part of the Pure Voices concert at the Union Chapel. By popular
demand, the choir will also be re-forming for a performance as part of the
Highbury Quadrant Cultural Week on Thursday 15th July. On the same day, the
choir will be competing for 'air time' as the hard working students at the
Primary Hub will be be showcasing their work so far to family and friends here
at Highbury Grove. With items on the programme such as 'So Far Jazz' and
'Shark Attack', it looks set to be an extremely eclectic performance!
The new Music First partnership with the internationally renowned Royal
Academy of Music will be launched on July 13th at a special workshop
performing improvising and composing day at the RAM for 30 of our primary age
children. Also taking part will be children from Lewisham Academy and Kuumba
Youth Music. Future plans include concerts to be presented by Music First at
the Royal Academy and a mentoring scheme between our students and Academy
students from both Junior and Senior departments. We are very excited about
all the fantastic opportunities this new partnership will bring. We are
indebted to Krystyna Budzynska from the Junior Academy for all her hard work
in helping us to make it all a reality.
Finally, not a group of people to shy away from competition (unlike our
efforts in South Africa - yes, we're still bitter) the Music First students
are preparing for an inter-house music competition. Representatives from each
of the four Highbury Grove houses - Ignis, Terra, Ventus and Aqua - will be
competing for a coveted spot in the House Music Competition Final on Wednesday
14th. So, as preparations 'kick-off' for what will undoubtedly be a closely
fought battle, I'm off to confirm our all star judging panel and find myself a
Vevuzela.
P.S. As we move from monthly to half termly releases of the newsletter, expect
the next issue in October. To all our supporters, thank you and have a
wonderful summer!
STOP PRESS
Congratulations to
Nathan Theodoulou
on his appointment as Creative Projects Director for Music First from
September 2010.
Newsletter No 8 - 7th June 2010
The orchestral piece, 'Crash Bang Wallop' by composer Simon Wyld was just one of the many highlights performed by the Highbury Grove School Orchestra in the school concert on May 12th. Wyld's title also seems to be a fitting description of life at the end of last half term as we hurtled towards the finishing line of the first half of the summer term - as ever, life at Music First was pretty busy!
Working backwards, the half term ended with a fantastic fundraising event at the Orangery in Holland Park and the celebration of Chris Outram's birthday. In a wonderfully generous gesture, Mr Outram insisted that in lieu of gifts, donations be made instead to two charities he was connected to - Beat (a charity that provides information, help and support to people affected by eating disorders) and Music First. A combination of students from Music First @ Gillespie Primary School and Music First @ Highbury Grove were invited to the event that took place on the 27th May. The trip 'out West' was made in style on board a luxury coach and a delicious tea had been prepared for the students upon their arrival. Well fed, the students went on to perform a variety of solo and ensemble works including Barrier Reef by the Primary children, a fantastic Saz performance by Memet Sucu and a chamber performance of a Music First classic, Charpentier's Te Deum. We have been absolutely amazed by the generous donations that have come in following the event and would like to thank Chris Outram, Clive Strowger and everyone who has donated so far - we absolutely could not keep going without your support. (In excess of £6,000 at the moment).
On the 12th May, we had the first fully staged concert at Highbury Grove since moving into the new school. From 9 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon, our fantastic new concert hall was filled with the sound of music as rehearsals went on. From the resounding performance of the Highbury Grove Brass group blasting out the Rocky Theme tune with much panache to the beautifully controlled rendition of the Turkish Song Uzak by Melis Duruturk, this concert certainly had something for everyone to enjoy. The highly anticipated Highbury Grove Piano Concerto lived up to all expectations and was performed brilliantly by Cyan Koay and the Chamber Orchestra. It was great to see so many students involved in the concert and being so positive about the experience - even with the nerves! For some, it was the first time they had performed on stage but, in true Highbury Grove style, they handled it like absolute pros. Every student, whether playing as part of the school orchestra, singing in the choir, playing in the Turkish music ensemble or performing in small groups or solos gave the concert 100% and this really paid off. The quality of music was extremely high and the behaviour and focus of all the students throughout was superb. The audience too had a wonderful evening and were heard humming the closing song 'Hero' all the way home!
The Music First hub on a Thursday also continues to go from strength to strength and the newly formed Junior Orchestra are progressing very well under the baton and leadership of Lynn Selwood. As well as having shared lessons on their chosen string instrument, students are now learning the recorder and working together as a choir. We are also looking forward to showcasing our term's work to the parents of the Hub students on July 15th. It looks set to be an exciting event as students will be performing pieces as an orchestra, in smaller groups, on the recorder, as a choir and showing off their improvisation skills! Our numbers look set to grow as local primary school Newington Green prepare to join the ranks of young Islington musicians who come to the hub.
As we enter the last half term of the academic year, our secondary students are working hard to prepare for their music exams, with over 50 students taking Music Medals and a further 16 taking a grade exam. Indeed, as I write this, there is a rather uncanny quietness in the school as year 11s and the sixth form sit their public exams. With the imminent arrival of ten Year 8 students and their trumpets to rehearse Holst's Jupiter however, I am not sure this peace and quiet will be maintained for very much longer....
Newsletter No 7 - 5th May 2010
An erupting volcano in Iceland....A complete shutdown of global air space costing the economy millions....The closest fought election campaign in years....At Music First, however, it has been business as usual! Despite the fact that we had music teachers stranded from Athens to Antigua, with some (notably the ones where a white sandy beach and hammock were involved) less anxious to get back than others, we ploughed on regardless in the first week back after the Easter holidays.
Our main focus for this half term has been the preparation for the Highbury Grove School Concert on the 12th May. The evening looks set to be very exciting with an extremely eclectic and varied programme being put together for the occasion. Included on this programme is a world premiere of the year 7 string composition, 'Jabberwocky'; a special performance from the Highbury Grove Band - Groove Collective; music from the Turkish music ensemble; Greig's Piano Concerto with year 11 soloist Cyan Koay and much, much more! If you are free on the 12th May from 1730-1900 please come along to support. There will be a collection for our Grand Piano Fund at the end of the concert.
We have also had massive successes with the Music Medals pilot which ran last term. 100% of the sixteen students who took their medals passed, some with excellent. We have received the medals, certificates and feedback sheets from the Associated Board and the head teacher, Truda White, will be making a special presentation of these in assembly. We have also entered sixteen students for Grade exams at the end of this term and another fifty are due to take a Music Medal in the summer.
Thursday 29th April was also an important day for Music First as it marked the opening of the Primary School Hub at Highbury Grove with our latest Music First staff member, Kirsty Wilcockson at the helm. With 40 primary students descending from Highbury Quadrant, Gillespie and Laycock, 8 music staff and 2 TAs, as well as the secondary string group, secondary choir and jazz band rehearsing at the same time, Highbury Grove was buzzing with musical activity from three to six. Perhaps the most exciting part of the afternoon for the primary students was when they were paid an unexpected visit by the legendary conductor Maestro Lynn Selwood (who also happens to teach cello at Highbury Grove as well...) fully kitted out with tails and baton. As the Maestro put them through their paces, rehearsing the canonic works 'Chocolate Treats' and 'Way Up High', other fantastic sessions in theory and choir were also being run by our brand new team of Thursday hub staff.
So, as ever, not a quiet start back to term but a very positive one! With lots to work towards, the students have a real sense of purpose and focus and this is coming across in their playing and in their behaviour which has been excellent. Our only concern now is that the pesky ash has returned once more, but apart from one student who maintained he was unable to practice due to his trombone being 'stuck in Turkey', I don't foresee this being too much of a problem.....
STOP PRESS
Saxophonist Tyler Rix and fellow musicians represented Music First at the Mayor's Rhythm of London Festival on April 26th - performing to thousands of Londoners in Trafalgar Square.
A group of Music First students have been invited to take part in a special string workshop on July 13th at the Royal Academy of Music.
Newsletter No 6 - 1st April 2010
After a well earned half term break, the students and staff returned to school with renewed energy and focus, motivated by the success of the Union Chapel concert. Things got off to a flying start with Music First students forming part of the programme for the opening of the Assembly Rooms at the Islington town hall on March 8th. We had some really excellent performances from the Music First musicians as well as some inspirational playing from our Music First Mentors from Dame Alice Owens School including award winning saxophonist Tyler Rix. It was fantastic to see the Jazz Band improvise and play with such an accomplished musician and provided a wonderful example of how, in the future, we will be able to develop peer led groups and ensembles. The Jazz band were kept busy performing for the Highbury Grove School governors dinner the following Friday.
There has been some very exciting progress being made in students' one to one lessons this term. With the pressure of the concert over, there has been more focus in the lessons on solo performance, technique and, (of course!) scales. We have run an Associated Board Music Medals pilot this term with 10-15 students completing their first formal examination on their instrument. All entered at different levels depending on ability and students are awarded a bronze, silver, gold or platinum medal upon successful completion of the exam. It has been great to see the students practising hard in preparation to take their medal and will inspire their peers who are taking them next term. We are also finalising our Associated Board grade exam entries for the summer so were hoping for a lot of practice over the Easter holidays!
Our primary schools have also been busy this term. The 18th March was a very exciting day for us at Music First as, for the first time, we welcomed 60 primary school children and their families to join our secondary students at the Music First Thursday Hub. The students arrived after school and were taken through a whole range of activities from playing musical twister in theory to whole group string sectionals and singing. They then gave a fantastic performance of their work to their families at the end of the afternoon. While some of the students were, understandably, as excited about the freshly baked made cookies complete with musical note icing as they were about playing, the whole afternoon was a huge success and created a brilliant atmosphere around the school. A big thank you to Tara Franks for organising the afternoon and to Carol Pepper for all her help. We would also like to thank the Year 8 Specialist Catering School for making and decorating the cookies at break!
As always, there are some exciting events to look forward to. On the 12th May there is a school concert here at Highbury Grove including our attempt at the first ever Highbury Grove School piano concerto. The concert begins at 17:30 and all are welcome. In June, the choir at Highbury Quadrant are also performing as part of the Pure Voices concert in the Union Chapel. Finally, we look forward to welcoming Kirsty Wilcockson to the team as she starts work in both our primary and secondary schools next term. As our team at Music First continues to grow one thing is becoming increasingly clear were going to need more cookies.
To watch the BBC report of the Union Chapel Concert and to see the film that was shown as part of the evening please click on this link!
Newsletter No 5 - 4th March 2010
It's official - Music First is dominating the headlines in 2010! Well, while that might be a slight exaggeration, we did make an appearance on the BBC London News on the 11th February with a number of our students being interviewed about the project. This was just the icing on the cake however, for what was a very remarkable day.
On the 11th February, over 200 of Music First's finest congregated in the Union Chapel to take part in a really extraordinary concert. The students worked so hard all day to rehearse and prepare for the arrival of their families and invited guests at five-thirty and I am sure that for all who were there, it was an unforgettable occasion!
The
concert saw some truly fantastic performances from both the Primary and
Secondary Choirs, the Jazz Band, the String Group, the Senior Orchestras and
the Junior Orchestras. With every performance there was energy, commitment,
and most importantly, obvious enjoyment and pride from the students who were
performing. The grand finale saw the world premiere of Nathan Theodoulou's
Waltz played by the Mass Music First Orchestra. With students having to
perform from the pews, given the lack of space for everyone on stage, the
conductor certainly had a job on his hands; but the performance went
seamlessly and was the perfect end to the evening.
Throughout the afternoon rehearsals, the excitement was felt by all; and none more so than those students who were performing in public for the very first time. The performers were extremely well behaved for the afternoon. It was great to see so many different students from so many different schools working together in this way. All dressed in their black Music First t-shirts, they were all united by music and their performance.
We were also lucky enough to attract some important visitors to come and watch, including our local MP and Mayor of Islington and we would like to say a big thank you to everyone who came and supported us on the day, and who have supported us so much already. As Music First continues to grow and develop and as we work towards our next (yes, our next!) concert, we really need this momentum behind us.
Looking forward, we have a number of exciting events coming up. On the 8th March, a selection of Music First students will be taking part in a performance workshop at the opening of the New Assembly Rooms on Upper Street in Islington and we are also planning a soloist's recital concert here at Highbury Grove. So, much to look forward to and lots of hard work still to be done! I hope to see lots of you at future Music First events and who knows, maybe next time we'll make the National News....
STOP PRESS
We are delighted to announce that Kirsty Wilcockson has been appointed as the new Primary Music Co-ordinator and will take up the post in the summer term. This is an exciting development and we are looking forward to working with Kirsty to develop the Music First project further.
Newsletter No 4 - 2nd February 2010
What a month it has been! We’ve braved snow, we’ve braved ice and sub zero temperatures and have somehow found ourselves in February with a brand new school, unpacked crates and business as usual. It has been a really exciting time with the students returning full of energy and excitement after a month break over Christmas. With a new school to be proud of, they are performing brilliantly not only in music but across the school as well and our new surroundings really seem to be making a difference.
Amidst all this, it has been a busy time for all of us at Music First and the new facilities in the Music Department have already been put to good use. A number of visitors to the school have seen the Orchestra hard at work as we prepare for the Union Chapel Concert on the 11th February. These visitors have included a group from the Brewers’ Company who have been so supportive of Highbury Grove and Music First and a special performance of the Waltz, Stateside and Greensleeves was given by our Year 8 and 9 orchestra for the occasion.
Rehearsals at other schools have also been going well. The work in Primary Schools has resumed once more with the fantastic choirs and instrumentalists from Highbury Quadrant and instrumentalists in Laycock and Gillespie working hard in preparation for what will be for some, their very first public performance. This week we have the privilege of hosting all the Primary Instrumentalists across all three schools at Highbury Grove for the afternoon as, for the first time, all the schools come together to rehearse as a mass Music First Orchestra. We have also made a number of visits to Dame Alice Owen’s School to work on the repertoire with a group of Music First mentor students who will be helping out on the 11th February. It is fantastic to have these experienced musicians performing alongside some of our students who, quite understandably, are a little daunted by the prospect of performing in public.
If possible, please come to the Union Chapel in Islington on the 11th February and support our young musicians. They have worked really hard to make this a very special evening and it would be fantastic to see lots of people there. For our friends and supporters of Music First there will be a drinks reception at 2 Compton Terrace directly after the concert kindly hosted by Roger Mears and Joanie Speers. Please email pepper.c2@highburygrove.islington.sch.uk if you would like to attend the reception. The concert starts at 17:30 and will be finished by 19:00. Tickets can be purchased on the door for the price of £3. With Jazz band, Choirs, Chamber Groups and a world premiere of Nathan Theodoulou’s Waltz performed by the mass Music First Orchestra, it will be an evening to remember!
STOP PRESS
We will be appointing a new Primary Co-ordinator for Music First to start at the beginning of the summer term 2010. This is a post of responsibility and the new member of the team will have a key role in helping us to plan the future. More details on the websites www.musicfirst.org.uk and www.highburygrove.islington.sch.uk.
Also we are delighted to announce that Islington Borough Council is now a partner with Music First and is providing core funding for our programme.
Newsletter No 3 - 6th January 2010
A very happy new year to you all and welcome to Music First 2010 – already looking set to be our most exciting year yet! Before we start looking forward to some of the fantastic events in store over the next few months, we would like to congratulate the students for all their hard work at the end of last year.
A number of very special performances and concerts took place throughout December starting with the Highbury Quadrant ‘Winter Performance’ on the 3rd. The concert involved years 2, 3 and 5 and included demonstrations by the woodwind group in year 5 and the string group in year 3. Years 2 and 5 combined to create a choir and it was truly inspiring to see all of them up on stage – with every word of every song committed to memory – singing with such enthusiasm and energy. Our work at Highbury Quadrant will resume immediately at the start of this term so if you missed them in December, there will be plenty more opportunities to hear them!
We also took a smaller chamber choir of Highbury Grove students to sing carols at Highbury New Park care home. It was a very special morning and I know that a number of the students were both humbled and moved by the residents of the home. The choir sung beautifully and was a wonderful Christmas gift to everyone there. The same choir also performed in front of the whole school in the end of term assembly seeing everyone off on their Christmas holidays in true style!
As we return to school, one of the most exciting developments is the fact that we are moving into a brand new school building. This is going to be very exciting for Music First as we have fantastic music facilities – more practice rooms, a larger ensemble room, better pianos (including a baby grand piano which is extremely exciting!), a recording studio and ICT resources. The new department sits directly above our new concert hall and we will be able to record all future performances taking place in the hall from the studio. I know that the new building and its facilities will inspire the students to work even harder and make the most of the amazing opportunities that will arise from working in such a space.
Looking forward, the concert on the 11th February at the Union Chapel in Islington is drawing ever closer and rehearsals will resume in full swing once we have moved in. The concert will include performances by the Music First Orchestra and the Music First Jazz Band as well as a number of vocal performances from our various choirs. There will also be a school concert in March taking place in our brand new concert hall.
So, a busy time ahead for all of us at Music First and much to look forward to but in order for the real work to start, I should probably stop now and go and unpack some boxes…..
Newsletter No 2 - 1st December 2009
As we enter into the home straight of the term, we can look back at a number of exciting events that have taken place as well as look forward to our end of term performances.
Our year 9 orchestra took centre stage at the Highbury Grove School Academic Achievement to perform a rousing rendition of State Side. Opening the ceremony they played to a very high standard greatly impressing our guest speaker for the evening, Alan Davies.
On the 19th October we took the newly formed Highbury Grove String Quartet to the residency of the US Ambassador to hear the Harlem String Quartet. The students were inspired hearing a professional quartet perform live and as a result of the evening, we are investigating the possibility of creating a formal link between us and the quartet. They have already agreed to come back in January to perform for free to a greater number of our students. We also have a number of other ventures and links in the pipeline including Youth Music, the Orian Symphony Orchestra, the Apollo Music Project and the Royal Academy of Music.
Rehearsals are going well for the concert on the 11th February at the Union Chapel. All three Specialist Schools enjoying the challenge of learning the newly composed Waltz with the year 9s and year 8s now able to play the piece the whole way through quite an achievement given it is by far the longest orchestral work they have studied. The primary students are warming up for the concert with a performance on the 3rd December at Highbury Quadrant in which four year groups (years 2,3,4 and 5) will either be singing or playing their violin or cello. The Music First @ Islington group are also planning an informal presentation of this terms work for each other over the next couple of weeks. A senior Big Band at Highbury Grove has been set up and runs on a Tuesday and are already looking set to take the Islington jazz scene by storm!
We are constantly amazed and honoured by how many people we have met who are keen to help and support us. On the 24th November we attended a truly wonderful event - a concert at the home of opera singer Naomi Itami kindly organised by Diana Clark was arranged to raise money and awareness for Music First. Diana Clarks commitment to help support Music First is a tribute to her late mother, Iris Azian Shaw, a classically trained musician and lawyer devoted to child advocacy and genuine justice for children caught up in the court and custody system. Iris Shaw admired the work of Maestro Dudamel and would have been enthusiastic about Music First. The 24th November concert saw world class performances from violinist Hideko Udakawa and Soprano Meta Powell. Presentations were given about the work we are doing and as a result of this one evening £1000 was raised enough to buy lessons and an instrument for a pupil for an entire year! The generosity and support we had was amazing and we cannot thank our hosts enough.
As Christmas approaches, we have end of term assemblies and performances to prepare for and we are taking a group of singers to sing carols for our local care home in Highbury New Park on the 8th December. Perhaps one of the most un-missable performances of 2009, however, currently being rehearsed and prepared is the staff Christmas pantomime, the Wizard of Oz, complete with songs, dances and audience participation. Watch this space...
Autumn term - 13th November 2009
After a silent 6 weeks over the summer holidays, the hallways at Highbury Grove School are filled once again with the sounds of flutes, trumpets, cellos, clarinets and violins to name only a few. Music First@Highbury Grove is now being run across years 7, 8 and 9 which means almost 90 students are now receiving highly specialized and focused musical training for three-four hours every week! The year 8s and 9s have returned with a new found confidence on their instruments and are coming to the music department before school, after school and during break times to practice. The year 7s too have had an amazing start to the year. All the year 7 students have now chosen and have been given their instrument and are already making incredible progress. We have already had the ‘One Note Samba’ performed by the brass section, Blues in D performed by the strings, some small group playing and even a clarinet solo from the woodwind and some beautiful singing from every member of the group.
There are also some exciting new developments taking place at the moment such as the formation of the first ever Highbury Grove string quartet. We also hope to form the first ever woodwind trio seen at the school as well as a brass quintet. After half term, the Highbury Grove School Big Band is being launched and preparations are well on the way to making this a massive success.
Music First@Islington that rehearses on a Thursday after school has already begun and along with preparations during Music First@Highbury Grove sessions we are gearing up for a concert in the Union Chapel on the 11th February. Exciting developments here include opening up the Thursday choir rehearsal to parents in the community and we hope to get lots of parents joining us to sing.
In the spirit of community building, a lot of collaborative work is also taking place between Highbury Grove and local primary schools. A highlight each week are the visits to Highbury Quadrant primary school where we are running a singing project for year 5s and year 2s. Nathan Theodoulou is busy composing a piece for the primary and secondary schools to perform together on the 11th February at the Union Chapel and Samantha Spence has resumed the fantastic work with the primary string programme. As of February, we are planning on expanding the Thursday programme for children in the primary schools as well turning Highbury Grove school into a Sistema style ‘hub.’
All in all it is a busy but exciting time for all of us at Music First and there are some wonderful events coming up. We are taking a group of string players from Highbury Grove School, for example, to the US Embassy in Regents Park to hear the Harlem String Quartet perform. Later this month there is also a staff visit to the El Sistema Scotland Conference in Raploch home of the ‘Big Noise’ project. The conference includes observing rehearsals with the children in Raploch, speeches from Richard Holloway and Nicola Coleen and a chance to meet with and talk to some young players from the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra from Venezuela. Furthermore and in true Scots tradition the visit culminates in a ceilidh for all the delegates! Fun times indeed.
End of first year for Music First - 17th July 2009
It is a very busy time for Music First at Highbury Grove! Both the Year 7 and Year 8 music schools are working towards end of term concerts performing everything from the ‘Rocky’ theme tune to Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra. We have also set up a practice club which runs before school and during break and lunchtimes and we have been amazed at the way in which students have been turning up for their practice slots and then signing up for more. To reward all the hard work of the students over the year, we are having prize giving ceremonies with prize categories such as ‘Musician of the Year’, ‘Jazz Musician of the Year’ or ‘Most Improved Effort and Attitude.’
MusicFirst at Islington is still rehearsing on Thursdays after school and is busily recruiting young people to join us in September. At Primary level, the new students are about to be measured up so that instruments can be ordered and they, too can start their exciting musical journey in September.
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