intune
summer 2007
ISSUE 2
a chance for you to get involved!
CELEBRATING
650 YEARS AT THE MERCHANT ADVENTURERS’ HALL
Welcome to the NCEM education and community newsletter – the space for you to find out more about events and activities. In this issue find out how the Minster Minstrels got on at the Merchant Adventurers’ 650th celebrations, read about the summer holiday ‘Musical Play in a Week’ course and there is still the chance to join the new Early Music Vocal Ensemble affiliated to the Minster Minstrels.
The Minster Minstrels were key to the celebrations which were held at the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall to mark its 650th anniversary. The Company of Merchant Adventurers’ of the City of York joined forces with the National Centre for Early Music and the Riding Lights Theatre Company to run this special education project for young people aged 9-10 years old which culminated in a series of performances following the history of the Company and the Hall through drama, music and fine art. Local school children from Park Grove and St George’s RC Primary Schools took part in this initiative and worked with Cathryn Dew, Education Manager at the NCEM and the Minster Minstrels to learn songs and music sourced from the Middle Ages through to the 20th Century. The music accompanied two plays the first of which looked at ‘The Spirit of Adventure’ including looking at the building of the Hall in1357 and the important historical events up to the year 1600 and the other looked at the ‘History Makers’ and the impact the Merchant Adventurers had on the City of York.The plays were performed in the Hall to a specially invited audience. Ailsa Reid, the Director of the Minster Minstrels who meet regularly at Canon Lee School on Saturday mornings, was delighted with their performance.
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She said: “It was wonderful for the Minster Minstrels to be part of such a prestigious event, and I was impressed by their professional attitude towards the important role of accompanying the action on the stage.The show really demonstrated how each individual member of the ensemble has developed over the past months, and it was tremendous to see how they pulled together and played as a real ensemble.”
This was an excellent project and showed how well local organisations can work in partnership. David Thomas, Audience Development Officer at the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall said the project had been an overwhelming success: “It is the first time the Company has undertaken a project of this nature and it provided an excellent opportunity to involve young people in their heritage through art, drama and music. It is fantastic to be able to work with so many local organisations and will hopefully be something that we can repeat in the future.” This project was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
get involved
MINSTER MINSTRELS VOCAL ENSEMBLE ON THE ROAD Young people have the chance to be part of York’s new Early Music Vocal Ensemble. This new initiative has been set up by the NCEM and the City of York Council with funding from Youth Music. It will provide a singing group to accompany the well-established Minster Minstrels, York’s Early Music Instrumental Ensemble. A series of singing taster sessions has taken place in schools across York, including Canon Lee Secondary, St Wilfrid’s RC Primary, Lord Deramore’s Primary, Headlands Primary and Clifton Without Rawcliffe Junior Schools. Following on from the taster sessions, young people between the ages of 10 and 18 who sign up, will attend three special vocal ensemble workshops at Canon Lee School beginning in the summer term.
Under the direction of experienced singing leaders Sue Hollingworth from the Voices Foundation and Cathryn Dew, Education Manager at the NCEM, participants will be introduced to a wide range of songs stretching from the Middle Ages to the 18th century, from the court to the countryside. The workshops will culminate in a performance in the prestigious York Early Music Festival on Saturday 7 July at the Unitarian Chapel in St Saviourgate. Cathryn Dew said this is a wonderful opportunity to sing under the guidance of singing experts. She added: “Singing together in a group is really exhilarating and helps to develop many musical and social skills.
“You do not need to know anything about Early Music, all you need is commitment and enthusiasm and to be prepared to join in and have fun.” It is hoped that, following the performance, the vocal ensemble will join the Minster Minstrels on a regular basis. For further information about the Early Music Vocal Ensemble project for young people who are interested but not attending a taster session, please contact the NCEM on 01904 632220 or email info@ncem.co.uk.
ARABIAN NIGHTS CHOSEN FOR MUSICAL PLAY Due to popular demand, the NCEM and the Riding Lights Theatre Company will be running another ‘Musical Play in a Week ‘ this year based on stories from the ‘Arabian Nights’. The summer project will run from Monday 13 – Friday 17 August and will take place at the NCEM daily from 10am to 4pm, culminating in a final performance at the Friargate Theatre on the Friday evening. In just one week young people aged between 9 and 14 years will get the chance to learn and perform this new, specially written musical play by Paul Birch with music directed by Cathryn
Dew based on thrilling tales from the ‘Arabian Nights’.The story of the play follows a quest filled with danger, mystery, adventure and wisdom and participants will encounter strange sights and magical worlds as they act out the memorable characters from these timeless stories. Participants are not expected to have any previous experience of music or drama to take part in this project – just lots of commitment and enthusiasm.
The course costs £40.00 (concessionary rate of £20.00 for families on low incomes). For further information and an application form, please contact the NCEM on 01904 632220 or download a booking form at www.ncem.co.uk in the Community and Education section.
creative learning
AIM HIGHER JAZZ WORKSHOPS HIT THE RIGHT
NOTE!
The ‘Funky Grooves, Jazzy Beats’ Aim Higher workshops, led by trombonist Dennis Rollins are proving to be a tremendous success. Five schools in the region have taken part in the first two workshops which are aimed at young people in Years 9 and 10 in cool progression spots of the country, as a way of encouraging them to consider going on to Higher Education.The NCEM is running a total of six ‘Funky Grooves, Jazzy Beats’ workshops over a two year period and Dennis is ably assisted by University of York music students Phil Merriman and Raphael Clarkson. The schools that have taken part so far have included Barlby High School and Brayton College in Selby, Graham and Pindar Schools in Scarborough and Upper Wharfedale in Skipton involving GCSE music students and also those with an interest in playing music. The young people have really connected with this project and learnt some valuable new skills, including how to work as a team towards a common goal and to improvise confidently. In just four hours the group created an inspirational improvisational piece of music, with many participants playing solo in front of the group.
Dennis Rollins commented: “It is incredible how they all came from being humbly quiet to blossoming into young improvisers in such a short space of time. They really did well and I am very proud of them.” Music students Phil and Raphael were delighted to see the young people losing their inhibitions and gaining the confidence to take solo parts.They also observed that the more experienced musicians were keen to help their peers, making the experience greater than just playing music. Pam Wilson, who co-ordinates Aim Higher in North Yorkshire said that this was an excellent initiative and a very effective project for engaging the attention of young people. She added: “We are planning to use this project as one of our main case studies to show the importance of Aim Higher and how it helps to engage and interest young people and provide a supportive environment in which they can consider higher education.”
BOLLYWOOD COMES TO YORK! Find out more about Bollywood music and dance in a special oneoff workshop run by the Bombay Baja Brass Band on Thursday 31 May at 2.30pm. The BBC TV and Yorkshire Television will be filming on this day, as they are making documentaries linked to the 2007 International Indian Film Academy Awards which will take place in Sheffield in June. The Bombay Baja Brass Band is one of Europe’s first Indian brass bands and the 8 musicians come from a variety of musical backgrounds ranging from Bhangra to Jazz and Classical playing a range of instruments including trumpets, trombones, saxophones, dhol and percussion.There will be a chance to experience a taste of Indian history and the Bollywood film industry.The workshop is open to young people aged 8 and upwards. Tickets cost £3.50. The Band can also be seen in concert on Thursday 31 May at 7.30pm. Tickets are £12.00 (concessions £10.00 and young people £3.50) and are available from the NCEM Box Office.
early music festival news
YOUNG PEOPLE IN BEVERLEY As part of this year’s Beverley & East Riding Early Music Festival (25 – 28 May) young people will have the opportunity to take part in and find out about two initiatives. Hopscotch is a brand new project which the Festival is running in conjunction with Music4U, the Humber Region Action Zone. Remember Ring-a-ring-a-roses, Scarecrow Tig, Oranges and Lemons and Ackabacka Soda Cracker? Musicians will, over 5 weeks, help young 'song leaders' in Beverley Primary Schools to learn or rediscover the traditional sounds and games of their own playgrounds. Using a specially crafted ‘Song Stop’ as a gathering point, the Song Leaders will play singing games with younger participants and pass on their new found knowledge. Older children can explore the life of the Tudors with the Counterpoint CD-ROM teaching resource.This resource, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, is closely linked to the National Curriculum for Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3. It uses music, drama and a wide range of classroom based activities to explore what it was like to live and work during Tudor times. During these workshops, young people and their teachers will get the chance to take part in activities such as learning to read with the Tudor alphabet and writing their own metrical psalm.There will also be the opportunity for practical music making, recreating a performance of original Tudor music by composers such as Thomas Morley and Thomas Tallis. The workshops will culminate in an open workshop at 3.00pm on Saturday 26 May at the Wesley Rooms,Toll Gavel Methodist Church to which young people aged 10 –14 years and their parents are invited.
Stop Press…. the new Melody Monkey Songbook 2 is now available at £25.00 + VAT plus postage and packing. For more details visit the Music4U website at www.humber-music4u.com and go to the Early Years section.
INTERNATIONAL DIRECTION FOR UNIVERSITY CHAMBER CHOIR University Chamber Choir joins music director Robert Hollingworth at the internationally acclaimed York Early Music Festival. Students from the University of York’s music department are to work with one of the world’s finest vocal directors – Robert Hollingworth of I Fagiolini – on a programme of music reflecting this year’s Festival theme of Power & Politics within Church & State. Working with the student choir in May and June, the performance will take place in the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall on Sunday 8 July. The YEMF’s educational programme is made possible thanks to funding from Youth Music; the Garfield Weston Foundation; Awards for All; Mayfield Valley Arts Trust and the City of York Council.
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contact us For further information about any of the activities, events or resources mentioned in this Newsletter, please contact the NCEM on 01904 632220, email info@ncem.co.uk or visit www.ncem.co.uk To book tickets, please contact the Box Office on 01904 658338 or book on-line at www.ncem.co.uk National Centre for Early Music St Margaret’s Church Walmgate York YO1 9TL All details are correct at the time of going to press but we reserve the right to amend the published programme if necessary. Promoted by York Early Music Foundation Registered Charity No. 1068331