Lancashire Music Service. Serving You Right TUNE IN 2007.pdf · the world. Zozo, and Sam are expert...

1 TUNE IN AUTUMN 2007

Lancashire Music Service. Serving You Right

♫ ICreaTe PROJECT

♫ NEW E-LEARNING WEBSITE

♫ CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS

♫ COUNTY BANDS ON TOUR

Directorate for Children and Young People

TUNE IN

Volume 11, Issue 1 5 November 2007

2 TUNE IN AUTUMN 2007 3 TUNE IN AUTUMN 2007

All correspondence to:

Mr. S. Grills (Editor)Lancashire Music ServiceThe Woodlands CentreSouthport RoadChorleyLancs.PR7 1QR

Tel. (01257) 234450email: [email protected]/curriculum/music

3. News In Brief.Various bits and pieces

4. Carnival Of The Animals.Initiative by Lancashire, Cumbria Music Services & Lancashire Sinfonietta

6. Hot Sunny Days, Jazz & Pizza.The County Jazz Orchestras on tour

8. Teacher Focus.We speak to David Little (LSBB Musical Director)

11. ICreaTe.New initiative led by David Ashworth

12. LYCB Italy Bound.The Concert Band on tour

14. LSCB At Ghostly Borwick.First residential course for the Schools’ Concert Band

16. ‘E’… It’s Great To Be In Lancashire.Our new e-learning resource website developed with Charanga

18. Next Issue.A taster of our next issue

18. Concert Corner.Information on up and coming concerts

19. Concert Band Flautist Wins Sonaré Flute.Elizabeth Meyer and her new flute

19. And Finally.Some light hearted snippets

CONTENTS WELCOMETO

TUNE IN

When I think back to the very first editions of ‘Tune

In’ I remember them as being two sides of A4 printed in black and white, a basic newsletter if there was ever one. Since then ‘Tune In’ has grown to become a full blown colour magazine giving Music Service staff and hopefully school staff both at primary and secondary level a wealth of information about what is going on musically in Lancashire and what the Music Service is trying to achieve.

These days there is so much to report on, it is what articles I can leave until future editions unlike the early days when I had to scurry around trying to find enough stories to fill an empty page!

Anyway I’m getting too self indulgent so let’s get on with this latest edition. Most of our County Ensembles went on tour in the summer so we have a look at how they got on. The County Youth Concert Band has been asked to perform at the Schools’ Prom at the Royal Albert Hall. This is fantastic news; they are the second group

to perform at the Schools’ Prom following on the heels of the County Youth Jazz Orchestra. So far every County Ensemble has gained an award in this national festival; shows that here in Lancashire we can compete with the cream of the country.

Again in this edition we talk to David Little a teacher hailing from Longridge who has come through our system. Also we have more information on two major projects, Carnival of the Animals will involve hundreds of Lancashire’s school children along with the Lancashire Sinfonietta and Cumbrian Music Service. The ICreate Project which looks at the use of ICT alongside music, dance and poetry continues to progress, this will cumulate with a major concert in June.Sticking with ICT over the coming

months you will see the Music Service developing more and more projects and resource packages using ICT as a major resource. We are starting to offer schools projects using software and hardware designed to help school staff and pupils at KS2, KS3 and KS4 with song writing, composition, arranging, recording and much more. We have in partnership with software company Charanga launched an e-learning website. At the moment this site is open to all Wider opportunity schools and teachers but it is growing rapidly, I personally feel it is a very exciting initiative.

I could go on but that would bore you even more, so enough of me turn the page and see what’s going on here in Lancashire!

Oh… by the way. Happy Christmas!

NEWS IN BRIEF

LYCB At Schools’ PromIn our last edition I told

you about the County Concert Band winning through to the finals of Music for Youth held at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall back in July. The band members did us all proud being awarded the ‘Highly Commended’ Award and so they have been invited to perform at the Schools’ Prom in the Albert Hall, London in November.

LMS & CharangaThe Music Service and music

software company Charanga have been developing an on-line resource to help in the delivery of both instrumental and curriculum music. The website went live in September; in it’s first phase this superb resource will be available to all our Wider Opportunities teachers and all participating primary schools in the Wider Opportunities programme.

However the site is growing fast and we will be extending its availability to many more schools and teachers so watch this space!

ICT RoadshowThis term we are trialing a

package for both primary and secondary schools using music software to aid composition, song writing and arranging to name but three. Francis Ajiteru will deliver the courses so keep an eye out for more details in the very near future.

Brass Band MembersThe Fulwood Music Centre

Junior Brass Band has been working with young brass players for nearly two terms now. Giving students of between grade 1 and 2 AEB the opportunity to play together it has grown from it’s early beginnings to over twenty strong, but Les Weddell (Musical Director) says “we can still take more”.

Any pupil wishing to have a go contact: Gary Fox on 07887 831564 for further details.

Carnival of the Animals p6.

County Bands on Tour p6&12.


CARNIVAL OFTHE ANIMALS

by Kevin Hamel

French composer Saint Saëns composed The Carnival of the

Animals to be performed with friends at his Mardi Gras party. Based on his careful and humorous observations of animals and people, these wonderful musical portraits are just as fresh and amusing today as they were in 1886.

Lancashire and Cumbria music services have joined with Lancashire Sinfonietta to generate a wealth of creative opportunities and challenges

for primary children throughout Cumbria and Lancashire.

Conservationists, West African musicians, a classical Indian and Bollywood dancer - even a Hip Hop poet - have joined the team to produce an astounding array of online, CD Rom and DVD resources to underpin the project.

The project started with the Lancashire Sinfonietta recording Saint Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals in Manchester University

hall. It culminates in a celebratory interactive schools concert in Preston’s Guildhall in March 2008.

Between January and March, there are unique opportunities for primary schools across Lancashire and Cumbria not only to interpret Saint-Saëns ‘Carnival of Animals’ through music, science, dance, design and technology, and literacy but also to get involved in lots of different ways.

Provisional CDRom and DVD content

Carnival of the Animals: video performance of Saint Saëns’ Carnival of Animals.

Move it! animals moving and interacting, with observations from conservationists and musicians.

Musical instruments: explained and demonstrated by Sinfonietta musicians.

Spaces and Places: designing habitats and spaces for animals: David Gill, director of South Lakes Wild Animal Park and the education team of the Aquarium of the Lakes.

A West African Carnival of Animals: Zozo Shuaibu and Sam Maitland, Sierra Leone musicians.

An Indian perspective: Bharat Natyam and Bollywood interpretations with Vinata Godbole.

Carnival Songbook: Songs based on Saint Saëns’ Carnival of Animals (requires free Vanbasco karaoke download/Sibelius Scorch).

Rhymin’ Roos: performance poetry with an animal theme with Cantaloop’s Dannie Dee.

Teacher resourcesCarnival Online: extensive

password protected teacher resources, including video and audio downloads

Carnival!Schools are invited to participate

in a number of exciting Carnival of the Animals workshops and events from January. More are being planned. Watch out for updates on www.tuned-in.org

Lancashire Sinfonietta Schools Workshops

The musicians of the Sinfonietta will be leading a series of lively and inspiring workshops in school based on the Carnival of the Animals. For more details of how to get involved contact [email protected]

African Carnival Zozo Shuaibu and Sam Maitland

are master musicians from Sierra Leone, who developed www.tuned-in.org ‘s nationally acclaimed West African Drumbeats programme.

African rhythms, colour and vitality underpin Carnival in many parts of the world. Zozo, and Sam are expert storytellers. Their tales are based on traditional West African elements, Zozo and Sam will:

Show how animals may be represented and interpreted through African rhythms, song and dance.

Assist children in retelling traditional and original stories with an animal focus, helping them to incorporate these within their own Carnival celebrations.

Carnival Rap!For the original performance of

the Carnival of Animals, Saint Saëns invited a poet friend to introduce each movement with an original and amusing verse.

Dannie Dee is the ingenious front man of electrifying West Midlands Hip-Hop band Cantaloop. A supremely talented performance poet and expert freestyle rapper, Dannie has even composed raps for Don Alfonso in Mozart’s opera Così fan Tutte!

Dannie continues the tradition of introducing Saint Saëns strange menagerie through verse during his performances with the Lancashire Sinfonietta. In addition, he is available for workshops in schools,

where he will introduce exciting and ingenious ways of observing and recording animals through performance poetry.

Looking EastVinata Godbole is an

accomplished Indian dancer and storyteller. Originally trained in Madras, she is in great demand as a performer, teacher and workshop leader in schools and colleges. Vinata featured in a number of episodes of Teletubbies interpreting the Panchatantra animal fables. She has also used her talents to raise funds for wildlife conservation projects.

Vinata explores connections with Saint Saëns’ animals, and will interpret Lancashire Sinfonietta’s performance of The Carnival of the Animals through traditional Bharat Natyam and Bollywood dance. Vinata will be available for workshops in Cumbria and Lancashire schools.

Look out for more information coming very soon but if you are interested in this major musical event contact the Lancashire Music Service on 01257 234450.

Vinata Godbole: Indian Dancer

Members of the Lancashire Sinfonietta who have recorded Carnival of the Animals

Zozo Shuaibu part of the African Carnival


HOT SUNNY DAYS, JAZZ,AND PIZZA

IN ITALYby Charis Gardner

At 8.00am we all arrived at Woodlands thinking what are

we doing up at this ungodly hour! “Is everyone fettled?” Stu shouted as we piled onto the coach. With that Lancashire accent we knew for sure that Stuart would never speak a word of Italian…

Thirty-six hours later we arrived at the hotel in Montecatini, and after a nice swim and some chill out time we went to bed to rest before our adventures to come.

The first gig in Diacetto went great! After a great meal provided on site, both bands performed on a large outdoor stage with an enthusiastic crowd of Italians cheering us on.

The following day we took a trip to Florence. At what must have

been 40ºC we took a brief guided tour around the area- seeing the sights was breathtaking, but I think most people were holding their breath waiting for the shopping time that followed! In the heat of the moment Stuart Grills felt the need to purchase a groovy leather jacket (the silver fox!). To top off the day we set up a stage in the hotel reception and had a fun ‘jamming session’ performing to barman Mario and another group of English musicians!

On the 27 July we went to see the leaning tower of Pisa, it was spectacular… and it really was leaning! After lots of pizza for fuel we played our second gig in Gavinana

Montagna Pistoire. Although the

stage was tiny but the audience was very appreciative, LSJO managed to ‘woo’ the Italians by marching around whilst playing ‘Tuxedo Junction’. Zoë and Faye’s singing got them on their feet dancing to ‘RESPECT’.

On our last full day we went to Sienna to eat even more pizza and do even more shopping! In the main square a street performer was pulling pranks on unsuspecting passers by, including Jo Mangona and Gwen Grills- hours of entertainment! Later

that day we set off for our final gig, minus Ollie’s wallet and nearly minus a LSJO trumpeter!

In Montecarlo we played to a growing audience. It was a great gig; both bands played their best and had fun whilst doing so! It was a nice surprise when during the break we witnessed a live operatic performance sung by a very enthusiastic local!

We all had a brilliant time, lots of swimming (underwater races and ‘Gladiator’ games!), and lots of jazz, we were ready for home, but not until we’d had yet another round of pizza!

A big thanks to all players who have left the band to go to university, this includes Callum with his perfect pitch and amazing compositions,

Li’l drummer Pete, Dan- lead trumpeter and arranger of many vocals, ‘Play that funky music Pete’ and our very own Italian pianist “Luigi Cappuccino”! Not forgetting Rachel and Andy who couldn’t make it on the tour but have also left for uni.

A bigger thanks to Stuart, Paul and all the other tutors who put up with us during our tour of Italy 2007. We learnt so much and thoroughly enjoyed playing under your direction!


TEACHER FOCUSWITH

DAVID LITTLE

Where did you go to school?

I went to Longridge CE Primary School where I have vague

recollections of Stuart Grills coming in to teach the school’s brass players. At 11 years of age I went to Longridge High School. I really enjoyed these five years, especially the music making. There was a music centre held at the school every Monday night and Stuart Grills directed a wind band there. I seem to remember the standard being quite good and as well as playing trombone I sometimes got chance to play drum kit which was a real treat at the time! I then joined the area Concert Band that was run by Stuart at Newman College.

What’s your instrumental specialism?

Bass trombone. I’ve always been a bass trombonist unlike most who change from tenor to bass later in their studies. I’m so glad to be a trombone player. It is such a versatile

instrument and learning to cope with a wide range of different musical situations has been one of the great joys of music for me.

What made want to play that instrument and where did you have lessons?

My dad was once a very good clarinet player (RNCM student) and having ceased playing, he

always kept his valuable B&H Imperial 1010’s and lovely Conn tenor sax hidden away safe and sound. This gave instruments a certain mystique to me and I remember having many a sneaky look at them when dad was out! When I was twelve, my younger sister Julie started to learn the cornet at Longridge Junior Band with Josette Coupe who now works with LMS. Really, I wanted to play the drums but there was no bass trombone player in the band at the time and so that’s what I was offered. Josette taught me from beginner up to grade 8 and did a great job. Along the way I also had lessons with Stuart Grills (which were always great fun) and later with former LMS teacher Michael Foden. I’ve never met anyone quite like Mike. He had the reddest hair and biggest glasses I’ve ever seen but he was a good player and I really liked him. With grade 8 passed, Josette very responsibly suggested that I go to a bass trombone specialist and she helped me to make contact with Neville Roberts, the legendary bass trombonist of the Halle Orchestra. This was a really levelling experience. I though I was the ‘bees-knees’ at seventeen years of age, but Nev soon brought me down a peg or three!

What is your role with the Music Service?

Although I have been an instrumental teacher and service manager for Wigan Music Service since 1997, I’ve been pleased to keep a connection with my friends at LMS through my work as Director

of the Lancashire Schools Brass Band. Over the years, many of the players in the LSBB have graduated into Lancashire Youth Brass Band directed by Peter Read. I was a member of the then called Lancashire County Youth Brass Band for about 7 years and they were some of the happiest memories of childhood I have. Still today, my closest friends are those I met in the County Youth Band. When I joined the band I was the youngest member and nowhere near good enough! Again, there was no bass trombonist and I was just in the right place at the right time. It was a very steep learning curve as I was dragged up in standard by the best young brass players in the County. Peter Read was inspiring as a conductor and as a player: Musical and demanding, yet often light-hearted and amusing, the rehearsals were great fun and I owe much of my fast progress over those years to that band.

What is your favourite aspect of the job?

Of course the best part of the

Lancashire born David Little came through the County

system. He was not only a member of the County Youth brass Band but he also was a very active member of our regional bands in the Preston area.

David is now the Musical Director of the Lancashire Schools’ Brass Band and he is also carving a very fine musical career out for himself. I caught up with him to find out what makes him tick.

continued on p10

David working with the Lancashire Schools’ Brass Band


ICreaTe

job is the culmination of a period of rehearsals with a satisfying concert performance where everyone gives their very best. I still get a great buzz out of concert giving with youngsters. Whether they are very elementary groups or county level ensembles, the magic of live performance cannot be underestimated. I’ve been lucky enough to conduct my various youth brass ensembles in some of the county’s most prestigious venues including Symphony Hall Birmingham and the Royal Albert Hall. There is a terrific sense of achievement on these occasions and the students make you feel very proud. Having said that, to see the smiling faces of a group of beginners (and their parents) at their first music centre concert is almost as good!

I know you still perform a great deal; do you still get a kick out of playing?

Yes, of course. I’ve always though it to be important to keep

my standard of playing up. Senior students need to be able to respect your musicianship and to keep in touch with the professional world of music making can only add to your teaching skills. It’s difficult to commit to regular playing so I’ve not been able to be in a brass band for a very long time. Luckily, I get booked to do a fair number of professional gigs throughout the year and I have to put myself under pressure to do a good job! Apart from playing fairly regularly with the Andy Prior Orchestra a couple of years ago, I’ve also been a backing musician for James Morrison, Bobby Shew, Phil Woods, Conti Condoli, John Dankworth, Cleo Laine and many more famous names from the jazz world. I also play in the Intrada Brass Ensemble which is a 10 piece orchestral group based in Preston.

Which college did you train at?

I went to the University of Huddersfield where I was taught bass trombone by Leslie Storey and conducting by John Longstaff. Happy days!

What or who was it that made you want to become a professional musician?

I can’t really do anything else! I was very average at school in terms of academic achievement and my obsession with music during those formative years didn’t make way for much other extra curricular opportunity. I think I always wanted to be an instrumental music teacher more than a player – they always seemed to have a good time at work! The joyous memories of my own membership of Lancashire County Youth Brass Band and Preston RMS Concert Band just make me want to give the same opportunities I had to the students I work with today. I think they call it a sense of vocation!

continued from p9

ICreaTe is an exciting project that aspires to create an

innovative fusion of live music and ICT software in a learning environment that will inform and direct an alternative music curriculum across Lancashire and Cumbria. It will evolve and develop in response to identified need and will seek to build on strengths and support weaknesses in provision and activity. It will involve collaboration between a range of partners with the common aim of using music as a medium to develop greater understanding between a diverse range of communities and cultures, both urban and rural.

David Ashworth is leading this initiative and has devised a series of projects using ICT and music technologies which aim:

•To develop creative learning across the curriculum through the use of ICT•To introduce and develop

composing to children and young people.•To engage children and young people in live musical performances.•To ‘leave a legacy’ by ensuring that the activities are sustainable and providing ‘on the job’ training for school based teachers. •Mapping of ICT musical activities in the school and wider community.

Trainee teachers, whether specialist or non-specialist, at the project schools should be actively involved in working with children and with school based teachers. The trainee teachers should contribute to or generate research outcomes associated with the project.

Look out for more details of these projects in future issues of Tune In.

David Ashworth is a freelance education consultant, specialising in music technology. He is the Lead Consultant on Music and ICT for the National Association of Music Educators.

Other recent work has included consultancy for Musical

David Ashworth: Consultant on Music and ICT.

Futures; advisory work for QCA, BBC, TDA, Sonic Arts Network and Teachers TV and CPD design and delivery for the Specialist School and Academies Trust and many LEAs and Music Services.

Above: The children performing the actions of the song.

Below: Obviously having a great time!


LANCASHIRE YOUTH CONCERT BANDITALY BOUND

by Ted Hoyle

DAY 1Arrive Chorley at 6.30 am! Load-

ing was relatively organised and we departed on time at 7.30.

Journey to Dover is uneventful and we arrived in Calais at 7.30 pm. Settled down to watch Lion King (again) and soon dropped off to sleep.

DAY 2Germany and Switzerland passed

by and we eventually crossed the Alps and passed into Italy – not long to go now!

Three hours later we arrived at our destination and checked into the Hotel ‘Cassa Rossa’ in Montecatini. After an excellent meal we had a walk down into the town, wandered round the evening market and eventually returned to our rooms at around 10.30 pm.

DAY 3Breakfast at 8.00am and af-

ter the tables had been cleared we rehearsed for about 2 hours. Many cobwebs were blown away (it seemed ages since the concert at St. Christopher’s) but the band work hard and we were ready for our first concert.

Lunch in the old part of Monte-

catini, via the Funicu-lar Railway, and some time to relax and enjoy the scenery. Back to the hotel for dinner at 5.30, then depart for Buggiano Castle about 5 or 6 miles away.

I have to confess that I had grave misgivings about this concert. On a pre tour visit we walked up the nar-row streets to the castle and it soon became clear that all the gear would have to be carried up by hand. Not only that but I couldn’t imagine that we would actually have an audience! The organisers told me that I should not worry and when we arrived they were as good as their word.

All the instruments were carried in a trailer pulled by a three-wheel vehicle, the like of which I last saw transporting baggage at Preston Station in the 1960’s and after a short rehearsal we realised that we indeed had an audience of fifty or sixty.

The band played well, the audi-ence responded enthusiastically and after the concert all the chairs were cleared, tables put out in their place and we were treated to an excellent reception that the local residents had prepared for us, an altogether satisfy-

ing end to our first full day in Italy.

DAY 4We were expecting the weather

to be hot and sunny, but nothing pre-pared us for the heat and the crowds that greeted us in Florence.

Visually, Florence was staggering and after statues, shopping, ornate churches, shopping, tourists, nar-row streets and more shopping we returned to the hotel exhausted and ready for dinner at 7.30 pm.

DAY 5The morning was spent at leisure

and we then travelled to Lucca for lunch and some time to look around a much smaller town than Florence (equally fascinating and beautiful though)

The church of Santi Giovanni e Reparata in Lucca would be our venue later in the evening. We had a wonderful church to play in, an interesting and varied programme of music as part of the Puccini festival, but we played the whole concert to an audience of only seven! To say that were disappointed would be an

understatement but you have to un-derstand that on music tours abroad these things occasionally happen. It’s ironic but a testament to their professionalism that the LYCB played one of the finest concerts that I have heard recently!

DAY 6Hot and sunny again – perfect for

a morning on the beach! We travelled about 15 miles to Viareggio, a coastal resort not far from Pisa where the beach area was very well organised. For about 5 Euros we had a café, plenty of shade, numerous sun beds and an inviting stretch of supervised and patrolled sea. Everybody had a chance to relax (I could have stayed all day) but after a quick lunch in the café we set off for nearby Pisa.

We completed the journey on one of the tourist trains – coaches are banned from the city centre – and soon joined the mass of people who had come to see only one thing: the leaning tower. After an hour or so we returned to the hotel for dinner and to prepare for our final concert in Migliarino.

For reasons still not clear, the venue for this concert was changed at the last minute and we started with only a handful of people in the

audience. However as the evening progressed the numbers increased and we finished with a small but very enthusiastic crowd – we played at least 2 encores before they would let us go! Back at the hotel we gathered in the bar area for an informal pres-entation session and then to finish packing for the journey home.

DAY 7&8Breakfast then coach loading – a

very familiar routine when on tour, and after a last look at Montecatini and some group photographs round the pool we were ready for the thirty or so hours on the coach.

These days it seems that delays are inevitable when travelling and our homeward journey was no exception. Firstly we spent about three hours at a standstill in the Swiss Alps (we later realised that the Swiss authori-ties simply close the motorway overnight when doing road-works!) and early the next morning the coach suffered a puncture on the motorway in France.

Our excellent driv-

ers safely got the coach onto a quiet cul-de-sac and started to change the wheel. Meanwhile, our ever-re-sourceful tutors went for a walk and twenty minutes later returned with fresh croissants for the entire band! Two hours later we were on our way again and arrived back in Chorley, tired and weary after nearly thirty-six hours on the coach.

All in all we had a very enjoy-able and successful visit to Italy and thanks should go to all the people who helped with the organisation of the trip: the ‘Friends of the LYCB,’ Peter Read and Anne Connal from the Lancashire Music Service, and my own personal thanks to the hard working team of tutors who were again superb.


LSCBAT

GHOSTLY BORWICKby MARGARET STREET

And so I set off! From Preston! At 3.45pm

expecting to arrive at Borwick early to get ‘acclimatised’ as it is our first residential course there. I queued on the A6 until driving onto the M6 at approximately 5.00pm and then queued all the way to Borwick arriving a little after Christine Lorriman who works with LYCB as a woodwind tutor. “What a horrific drive” was the comment of most parents; whilst their children were taking in their new ghostly surroundings and being suitably both scared and exhilarated at

being given the opportunity to explore such fantastic buildings in a safe environment. All they had to do was to obey the notices “not to climb the ropes, slide over ponds, or jump over the canal” and not succumb to every young person’s dream to live dangerously!

And so to work, after delaying dinner (sausage and chips plus salad) until most people had arrived we set up our rehearsal room in ‘Old Borwick’ and played for an

hour or so to get acclimatised to the acoustics and the format of the band. Mrs Moody and I were drafted in to play the lower

instruments line as we have a shortage of bass

instrument players. The band would welcome any student wishing to play bass clarinet, tenor saxophone and baritone saxophone as well as their main instrument. The shortage of brass instrumentalists, especially lower brass, is nationwide therefore this is a plea to all teachers of young brass players to encourage your pupils to come and join us.

Now back to our Borwick weekend, most adults were suitably tired after the journey but a small percentage of youngsters were not! However we made sure all band members were in their rooms fast asleep before retiring for the night ourselves. This was at approximately 1.30am when the conversation dwindled and gentle snores were heard. One young member of the Schools’ Band on her first ever night away from home and family was among a group being told about the ‘ghosts’ of Borwick, consequently Mr. Sagar (the raconteur) was forced to reassure Sophie that there are no such things as ghosts; though she didn’t look too scared to me.

Saturday breakfast saw a full assembly of starving youngsters

queuing at the canteen and devouring large amounts of cereal, toast and jam, hard-boiled eggs, juice, tea and coffee. Rehearsals started at 9am prompt and continued (with breaks) until the evening and so our first LSCB course settled into a format of full band and sectional rehearsals with ‘leisure time’ built in.

No mention so far of the one of the aims of the course to rehearse new music to help us prepare for the concerts planned in the year ahead. The LSCB tackled both original music and arrangements but one of their favourite pieces was ‘SPONGEBOBS SQUARE PANTS’! When I bought the music the retailer was adamant that the kids would love it but I had never heard of it. My children used to watch ‘Thundercats’, (I knew their music) so is that telling you something about my approximate age?

Another favourite piece was the music of ‘QUEEN’ most of the band members knew some of the tunes and everyone was enthusiastic about learning the piece despite it being challenging to all instruments.

It’s a funny old world when the tunes of my youth come back to ‘haunt me’, (we couldn’t be in a better place), and I can still be ‘in tune’ with my pupils and as enthusiastic though maybe not quite so energetic in our music making. Watch out for these two pieces in our forthcoming concerts.

At the end of the course I asked a few of the band members to tell me in one phrase the best thing about the course, here are just a few:

“It was cool” (James Thomas)“Sponge Bob” (Anna Kember)“Ghosts” (Sophie Midgley)

And the final two comments overheard between pupils. “Are we coming back here next year?” “I hope so”.

So do I.Another favourite piece was the music of ‘QUEEN’

Members of the Lancashire Schools’ Concert Band at Borwick Hall. The LSCB having a great time in rehearsal.

Band members with tutors Sam Moody and Margaret Street.


‘E’… It’s Great To BeIn Lancashire

by Mark Burke (Charanga)

E-Learning? – well I ’m not exactly sure

what it means myself. Is it multimedia CD-ROMs, web sites and web 2.0 communities? Is it software, e-mail, blogs, wiki, text chat? What about computer aided assessment,

educational animation, simulations and games, or is it learning management software, virtual classrooms, web-based teaching materials? Confused?

The answer is of course that e-Learning can use some or all of these things but how do they stack up against 5 minutes with a skil led inspirational teacher? I’m pretty sure you could tell me the answer.

This Autumn Term sees the launch of Lancashire Music Service’s e-Learning platform. It ’s an e-Learning partnership

between the Music Service and my company Charanga. Charanga may well be an unfamiliar name to many so I’d l ike to tell you a bit about us.

In 1975 while I was at school in Bolton I met Paul Fletcher, a great lad who became my best mate. He taught me some silky football skil ls and I taught him to play guitar. We grew up. I went to the Royal College of Music; Paul studied computer science. Later I played guitar, toured, and taught. Paul led European artif icial intell igence projects from his base at Barcelona University. We met regularly on Las Ramblas where we talked much about computer-aided learning, about teaching and about music. In 1996, 21 years after we first met, we set up Charanga with the aim of producing software that would help people learn guitar.

Charanga released a CD-ROM called Guitar Coach in 1997 and over the last 10 years we have built the business through new releases to a point where Charanga software now accounts for a very large proportion of instrumental software sold in the UK and North America. People tell us we should be proud of that achievement but actually we’re most proud of the fact that we’ve seen off big competit ion over the years by sticking to our traditional Lancashire values: innovation, engineering integrity, high quality and value for money.

Speaking of value for money, I met Jim Grisdale following a workshop I ran at the Federation of Music

This Autumn Term sees the launch of Lancashire Music

Service’s e-Learning platform.

Services conference in 2006. Charanga wanted to open up i ts proprietary technology and multimedia-authoring tools to teaching organisations that had the ambition and vision to see that e-Learning was an opportunity rather than a threat. In subsequent meetings I think neither of us was surprised to find that we shared many of the same values.

In my opening paragraph I set out a false premise of e-Learning versus skil led teacher. I doubt there is any serious thinker in education today who believes that e-Learning in areas such as music can ever be effective without the input of good teachers. Combining high quality technology with face-to-face teaching is often called blended learning and that is the vision for our work here in Lancashire.

From this term Lancashire Music Service has at its disposal a system, which includes an e-Learning platform with a growing bank of interactive resources, lesson planning and course building tools. It has multimedia authoring tools, a networkable software platform and a system for students to access your lessons at home.

It ’s powerful but it ’s just one half of a partnership. The coming years wil l see Lancashire Music Service establish the model for a contemporary Music Service, supplying music education expertise and services to every child and to all sections of the community.

I’ve been lucky to travel widely with work over the years and I’ve come to a couple of conclusions; f irstly, it ’s great to be back in Lancashire and secondly in this partnership, we’l l stick to what we do best and you do what you do better than anyone else.

Mark Burke (Director of Charanga)

After login this is the opening screen you will see.Above: Three different resources that can be used with a

class out of the hundreds that are available on the site.


Poulton Music Centre will hold it’s Christmas Concert on Saturday morning the 15 December starting at 10.00am. For further details contact Ian Whittaker on (07887) 7830990.

Lytham Music Centre has it’s Christmas Concert on Thursday the 6 December starting at 6.00pm. For further details contact Ian Whittaker on (07887) 7830990.

Finally staying in the Fylde area Kirkham Music Centre’s Christmas Concert is on Monday the 3 December at 6.00pm again for further details contact Ian Whittaker on (07887) 7830990.

Clitheroe Music Centre will give a festive concert on Tuesday the 11 December starting at 7.00pm. Contact Margaret Street on (07887) 830992 for further details.

Accrington Music Centre’s Christmas Concert is on Thursday the 13 December. Contact Margaret Street on (07887) 830992 for further details.

On Friday the 8 February Kirkham Music Centre with special guests the Lancashire Schools’ Jazz Orchestra will give a joint concert at Carr Hill High School. For further details contact Stuart Grills on (07850) 025783.

The LYCB with the LSCB will be jingling all the way at their Christmas concert on Saturday the 15 December in Preston Minster starting at 7.30pm. This is ticket only, please contact Edward Hoyle on (07887) 830995 for further details.

If you would like to publicise your school concert send the details into me Stuart Grills

(Editor), address at the front of the magazine.

CONCERTCORNER

Congratulations to Elizabeth Meyer who is now the

proud owner of Sonaré flute, with a hand-cut solid silver head-joint by Powell Flutes of America. She was awarded the prize at the “Flute Kitchen” in Harrogate. The summer flute course, run by Windstruments of Bingley, takes place annually during August and is generously sponsored by Trevor James/Miyazwa, Powell flutes and Sonaré.

Each company donates a prize to the course and the Sonaré flute is awarded to the student who the tutors believe would benefit most from up-grading their instrument at

this stage of their development. The tutors include Paul Edmund-Davies (ex-Principal flute of the London Symphony Orchestra), Samuel Coles (Bordeaux Symphony Orchestra), Lisa Nelsen (freelance Canadian flautist) and Christine Lorriman (Lancashire Music Service).

Elizabeth, who attends Ribblesdale High School has her lessons at Clitheroe Music Centre and is also a member of the Lancashire Youth Concert Band. She will be travelling to London with the band in November to play in the Schools Proms at the Albert Hall.

Concert Band FlautistWins Sonaré Flute

by Christine Lorriman

TUNE INNext issue...

Here are some more rib ticklers, go on you know you like em!

How many guitar players does it take to change a light bulb?

Twelve. One to change the bulb and eleven to say they could do it better.

Female five string banjoist shouting at her boyfriend in a crowded shopping mall:

“Don’t forget, sweetheart, I need a new G string.”

How many punk-rock musicians does it take to change a light bulb?

Two: One to change the bulb and the other to smash the old one on his forehead.

String players’ motto:“It’s better to be sharp than out

of tune.”

Why is is good that drummers have a half-ounce more brains than horses?

So they don’t disgrace themselves in parades.

What is the difference between a french horn section and a ‘57 Chevy?

You can tune a ‘57 Chevy.

What’s the definition of a “nerd?”

Someone who owns his own alto clarinet.

And Finally

Where are all the brass band instruments?

We have a look at another Lancashire teacher working in the area.

Christine Lorriman presents Elizabeth Meyer with her prize.

20 TUNE IN AUTUMN 2007

NEED TO PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?

NEED TO PLAY IN A BAND?

NEED TO HAVE EXPERT TUITION?

THEN YOU NEED THE LANCASHIRE MUSIC SERVICE

contact:Lancashire Music Service

Tel. (01257) 234450email: [email protected]

www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/curriculum/music

Lancashire Music Service. Serving You Right TUNE IN 2007.pdf · the world. Zozo, and Sam are expert...

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Transcript of Lancashire Music Service. Serving You Right TUNE IN 2007.pdf · the world. Zozo, and Sam are expert...