Fake A Smile – Niccole and the Hackney Borough Youth Choir. February 20, 2020 by Claire Sivier We are delighted to share our Hackney Borough Youth Choirs recent recording at Rising Tide Studios. As well as performing the song Fake A Smile live at the 2019 Hackney Music Service Gala at the Hackney Empire, HBYC provided backing vocals for this original song written by a pupil at Stormont House School an outstanding Hackney secondary school for pupils with complex and inter-related special educational needs. The studio experience was quite different from the live performance experience as the choir were not recorded as one big group, but instead recorded in small groups of three, in a recording booth, with headphones and monitoring. There was no opportunity for singers to ‘hide’ in the crowd. We are very proud of our choir and all involved! You can listen to the recording below and see a photo montage created of the experience below. Hackney Music Service would like to give a huge thanks to our Network Partner Paul Ryan at Rising Tide for accommodating us, to David Harries for recording the group, to Lauren Dyer for arranging the backing vocals, to Jane and Lauren for their wonderful vocal work with the choir as HBYC Leads, to Kelvin Ghann for being everything always to everyone, to families for all their support bringing singers along to rehearsals and performances, and last but not least to the singers for all their tremendous hard work – and a special thanks to Niccole for involving us all in her beautiful song! We look forward to further collaborations with Rising Tide in the future – they are the most fantastic local resource, and if you are not already aware, please visit their website here – there are opportunities for rehearsal space, mentoring, holiday projects, and we will be working closely with Paul to work out a programme to increase opportunities for primary-aged pupils to access their offers – watch this space! To find out more about our Network Partners – visit our partner’s page here For more information about HBYO and all of our wonderful ensembles and groups, visit our Ensembles page. Network Partners, Young peoplechoirs, ensembles, Network Partner, news, young peopleShare : Tweet
Sing Every Day December 9, 2019 by Claire Sivier Photo credit – Andrew Wilkinson Photography In 2019 Hackney Music Service Network Partner the VOCES8 Foundation led a special project with year 1 children and their teachers at Shoreditch Park Primary and Thomas Fairchild Community School. Called Sing Every Day, the project involved teacher training for the classroom teachers and singing workshops for the children led by members of the a cappella group Apollo5. Below, Ann Wright, Director of Education, VOCES8 Foundation reflects upon the project. The children and teachers learned a variety of warm-ups for their bodies, brains and voices that included creating a magic potion, Peanut the cat on a trampoline and singing I’m alive, alert, awake enthusiastic. They also learned rhythms and melodies from the VOCES8 Method and explored body and vocal percussion through this Method. Both schools learned a wide variety of songs to use as part of lessons (Mr Double Trouble for Maths was a favourite at Shoreditch Park); to perform in assemblies including One in a million by Emily Barden which celebrates the power of working together to achieve our dreams; and to mark the 50th anniversary of the moon landing including Apollo5’s arrangement of When you Wish Upon a Star which the children performed at the VOCES8 Centre in concert with Apollo5. The project was evaluated by Professor Graham Welch and a team of researchers from UCL. Their findings point to the wonderful way in which the classroom teachers embraced the project learning to lead singing confidently and use it every day. The children’s singing improved significantly and at the end of the project scored well above a national database of singing evaluations conducted in UK schools. Additional wider benefits of the project include a positive correlation between the children’s singing development and aspects of executive function, particularly their phonological working memory. You can see and hear the children and their teachers in this short film about the project: For more information, about VOCES8 Foundation please visit their website here. Network Partners, Uncategorized, Young peopleNetwork Partner, schools, singing, workshops, young peopleShare : Tweet
Join the LSSO – London’s premier Youth orchestra October 2, 2019 by Claire Sivier Join the LSSO – Auditions will be held from October 21st 2019 Hailed by Sir Simon Rattle as “an incomparable ambassador for the dynamism and excellence of British youth” the London Schools Symphony Orchestra (LSSO) has for over sixty years been celebrated as a potent symbol of the talents and achievements of London’s finest young musicians. Managed by London’s Centre for Young Musicians, a division of the Guildhall School, the orchestra aims to give its members a complete experience of the orchestral repertoire, from Bach through to Beethoven, Bartok and beyond. More information: Courses take place during school holidays in Dec/Jan, April and July. Venues for rehearsals take place in SE1. 3 concerts a year held at the Barbican. Course dates and further application forms available on the CYM website – www.cym.org.uk. How to apply? Applications forms and further information available from Elaine Lewis – elewis@cym.org.uk. Centre for Young Musicians (CYM) is a Hackney Music Network Partner. Enquires regarding this opportunity should be directed to CYM via the contact information above. Deadline, Holiday Courses, Music Opportunities, Network Partners, Young peopleShare : Tweet
Urban Artist School – Open for applications June 5, 2019 by Claire Sivier Urban Artist School’s Level 4 is a course for urban music artists who are serious about entry to the music industry. Our course focuses around the concept of you as an individual artist and supports you in developing your repertoire, recorded catalogue and brand development towards the music industry. They are looking for talented musicians to join the Urban Artist School – a one year accredited programme, which aims to develop artists and help create sustainable careers. They will support your development to enable you to generate ideas quickly and respond to the creative potential of your work effectively and fluently. They are looking for talented musicians to join the Urban Artist School – a one year accredited programme, which aims to develop artists and help create sustainable careers. We will support your development to enable you to generate ideas quickly and respond to the creative potential of your work effectively and fluently. The course starts in September 2019 and runs for 30 weeks. Classes will run over 2.5 days per week. All participants will work towards a level 4 qualification – equivalent to the first year of a degree. For more information, please visit the Urban Development website. Run by Urban Development and supported by Arts Council England, The Brit Trust, Youth Makes Music PRS Foundation, Vivendi, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Network Partners, Young peopleNetwork Partner, news, workshops, young peopleShare : Tweet
Applications are now open for The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain 2020 June 5, 2019 by Claire Sivier Young musicians who are aged 13-18, play at Grade 8 distinction level or equivalent and are totally committed to music. Musicians who are offered a seat will be attending three orchestral rehearsal residencies, tour dates, three performances throughout the year and between 5-10 days of NYO Inspire activity. Subject to confirmation – the activities take place in schools and concert halls around the UK throughout the year. Auditions will be held in London, Manchester, and Birmingham during late September – October 2019. Residency Dates Saturday 28 December 2019 – Monday 6 January 2020 – NYO Winter Residency Tuesday 7 April 2020 – Saturday 18 April 2020 – NYO Spring Residency Monday 27 July 2020 – Saturday 8 August 2020 – NYO Summer Residency Additional NYO Activity Dates Saturday 15 – Sunday 23 February 2020 – NYO Inspire Ensembles NYO welcomes musicians to be part of the NYO 2020 and break through to the next level of orchestral brilliance, perform the most challenging music with the world’s greatest conductors and inspire other teenagers through NYO Inspire. NYO additionally recruits teenage composers. Auditions are FREE and applicants will receive feedback. Bursaries are available to cover travel to and from the audition as well as the applicant’s place in the orchestra. Auditions are friendly, positive, and great learning experiences. NYO Tutors will share playing tips in a workshop, and all applicants will receive performance feedback. More more information please visit the NYO Website. Network Partnersensembles, Network Partner, news, young peopleShare : Tweet
Opera in Schools – Laika the Space Dog February 25, 2019 by Claire Sivier Laika The Space Dog – English Touring OperaMusic: Russell HepplewhiteDesign: Jude MundenCast includes Abigail Kelly, Emma Watkinson, David de Wynter and Maciek O’Shea The English Touring Opera (ETO) – Autumn Opera in Schools – Laika the Space Dog ETO is reviving its award-winning opera for children Laika the Space Dog, which tells the story of the Russian dog that was sent to space as part of the Soviet space programme. The opera’s thrilling story is told in many diverse ways by nine professional performers – and also includes archive film, filmed animation (created with children) and puppetry. The characters include the idealistic young student Mikhael, the great scientist Korolev, the dog-hating Valentina, and of course the little dog herself. The piece features also a specially made theremin (the original electronic instrument), along with percussion, clarinet, cello and bassoon. The action takes us from an apartment in Moscow to Gorky Park, to the Kremlin (where we meet President Khrushchev), and finally to the Cosmodrome in Baikonur, brought to life with stunning design, and from where we launch the famous Sputnik rockets. The piece is highly interactive and includes songs for everyone. A comprehensive teachers’ pack and CD support the project Location: Each performance will take place in the school who books the show Cost per production: Cost 290+VAT Dates: Bookings date depending on the school and ETO availability. For more information and to book please email: Daniel.coelho@englishtouringopera.org.uk For more information about ETO visit: http://englishtouringopera.org.uk/ Photo Credit: Robert Workman Network Partners, Performance EventsNetwork Partner, Performance, schools, young peopleShare : Tweet
