Highnotes issue 37, summer 2018

THE MAKING MUSIC MEMBERSHIP MAGAZINE | SUMMER ISSUE 2018

Music on the doorstep Energise your group through new ways of performing • PAGE 8 & 9 KEEPING MUSIC ALIVE How music, dance and speech festivals are leading an arts intervention• PAGE 10 WHEN THE MUSIC CHOOSES YOU A look at New Orleans jazz • PAGE 18 & 19

Thanks to Help Musicians UK, I could afford to study to become an opera singer.

Our work gives people like Soraya a chance to follow their dreams.

Help us help musicians.

Donate at helpmusicians.org.uk or call 020 7239 9100

Registered Charity No. 228089.

CONTENTS & EDITORIAL

CONTENTS NEWS

5 In brief 6 Around the UK FEATURES

8 10 12 18

New places, new spaces Keeping music alive A memorial in music When the music chooses you

FROM OUR TEAM

14 Membership and services 16 Projects 26 Making Music people MEMBERS

11 20 23 24 25

Blow your trumpet Exploring music Drop the mic Readers’ page Corporate members

If you have suggestions or would like to contribute to Highnotes, please contact the Commissioning Editor, Natalie Joanes, on 020 7939 6041 or editor@makingmusic.org.uk The copy deadline for Highnotes Autumn 2018 (published 1 September) is 29 June Any views or opinions expressed by external contributors may not necessarily represent those of Making Music Highnotes is the official journal of Making Music, The National Federation of Music Societies, 8 Holyrood Street, London SE1 2EL 020 7939 6030 info@makingmusic.org.uk www.makingmusic.org.uk

Welcome Hopefully all ‘beasts from the East’ are now gone and we’re in for a sunny Make Music Day on Thursday 21 June. Register your event at makemusicday.co.uk or find one to attend.

Orchestra Tax Relief (OTR) services for members are now up and running – not just for orchestras and not just for those paying tax! OTR could help your group become more financially resilient, so follow the short flowchart to understand if it’s for you: https://bit.ly/2q3wxYW Recruiting members under 35 continues to be a major challenge for groups, so you might want to register for a youth volunteer to visit and report on what might be inadvertent barriers in the way your group presents itself to newcomers.

Email xenia@makingmusic.org.uk Music libraries have been a large part of my work since January and there will be (hopefully good) news from Bristol and Surrey by the time you read this. See makingmusic.org.uk/news I look forward to seeing many of you at the Philip & Dorothy Green Young Artists performance on 26 June in London which includes our Annual General Meeting, or at one of the Making Music Council meetings around the UK.

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Barbara Eifler CHIEF EXECUTIVE, MAKING MUSIC Email: barbara@makingmusic.org.uk Twitter: @BarbaraEifler Cover image: Slinfold Concert Band Photo: Kevin Quigley

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If you’d like to sing and harmonise, then join with other singers and attend our 40th Annual Harmony College. It’s a residential event held at the Jubilee Campus of Nottingham University.

Open to men and women, joining the College Chorus is a great introduction to this unique style of harmony. You will be given music and learning tracks in advance, receive expert tuition and then, along with your fellow choir members, perform on the college show.

Other Courses Available You can learn more about barbershop harmony by opting to attend other specialist courses offering a wide choice of barbershop harmony related subjects and other singing topics.

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NEWS

IN BRIEF Right: Fretful Federation Mandolin Orchestra and Esmeralda Conde Ruiz

ADOPT A COMPOSER

Left: Alex Lomeiko, PDGYA winner 2018 Photo: Sheena Haywood Photography

Stars of tomorrow

An affordable way to book young talent The Philip and Dorothy Green Young Artists (PDYGA) award celebrates the best of the UK’s young musical talent, as well as providing Making Music member groups with an affordable way of booking the stars of tomorrow. Each year the award is presented to six of the UK’s most talented young musicians. Making Music members can book these artists for a set fee of £250 (or £500 with accompanist) and then claim a £150 subsidy for a solo artist or £250 if the soloist comes with an accompanist.

The award was created in 1961 and has helped to launch the careers of dozens of young musicians including Steven Isserlis, Elizabeth Watts and Craig Ogden. It is made possible

by the generosity of the Philip and Dorothy Green Music Trust, which promotes young artists and composers.

This year’s PDGYA Presentation Concert will take place in London on the evening of Tuesday 26 June, and will include the Making Music AGM. The concert is free to attend to members, includes a drinks reception where you can meet and mingle with other members and is a great chance to see the young artists perform in person.

You can browse these and other bookable artists in our Selected Artists Guide out this month (if you’re a member it’s included with this issue of Highnotes).

Book your place at the concert at makingmusic.org.uk/concert

Sing Mendelssohn at the Royal Albert Hall The Really Big Chorus invites you to perform Felix Mendelssohn’s Hymn of Praise (8 July, Royal Albert Hall), and Faure’s Requiem. Bob Chilcott, who will be conducting the choir says: ‘Mendelssohn knew how to write a good tune: when you first sing his music you wonder why you’ve never done so before’. Sign up or book audience tickets at www.trbc.co.uk

You can hear this year’s Adopt a Composer commissions live at the first of the premieres: 12 May in Norwich with Bellfolk Handbell Ringers and Peter Yarde Martin; 16 June in Edinburgh with the Edinburgh Concert Band and Gaynor Barradell; 17 June in Glasgow with Merchant Sinfonia and Anna Appleby. Find out more at: makingmusic.org.uk/event If your group would like to apply to take part in the Adopt a Composer project, apply by Monday 11 June at: https://bit.ly/2q9mYI8

GIVE YOUR VIEWS ON MUSIC EDUCATION

Did you know?

Subsidies aren’t only available for booking P&DG Young Artists.

There are two other subsidies available to promoting groups when booking professional artists. Visit: makingmusic. org.uk/subsidies

A national enquiry has been launched by ABRSM to explore and understand perceptions of the opportunities and barriers to music education. The findings will feed into a report produced

by The Music Commission at the end of 2018 and will include recommendations for policymakers on the priorities for improving opportunities for learners to progress.

We will be completing the survey and want to hear from you. We’re keen to make ABRSM and others understand that a significant number of over-18s are learning music – or are not learning music because of barriers or difficulties that may be quite different to those faced by under18s.

Email your views to: barbara@makingmusic.org.uk

Summer 2018

HIGHNOTES

5

NEWS

AROUND THE UK COVENTRY

KENT

Entente musicale

Above: Invicta Jazz Orchestra

A musical exchange Finding your ‘twin’ can bring great rewards as the Invicta Jazz Orchestra (IJO) – a Kent-based group – discovered recently. The group of about 30 musicians plays a range of standards, funk and Latin, and having played at the Marlborough Jazz Festival, set their sights further afield on creating an exchange with a similar band in Europe. After some google research and emails back and forth to various bands and large town venues in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, the IJO connected with Le Liberty Band in Arras, Northern France.

The IJO ventured to Arras for a weekend and played a joint concert with Le Liberty – one set from Liberty, then a set from the IJO, culminating in all 50 musicians joining together on stage for a few numbers. On the following

6

HIGHNOTES Summer 2018

The Heart of England Co-operative Orchestra celebrated its centennial last year. Starting life as the Centaur Road Boys’ School Orchestra, it became the ‘Co-op Orchestra’ when the local co-operative’s education committee started supporting it in 1922.

Centenary highlights included the world première of a piece for orchestra and massed choirs celebrating the work of author Gerald Durrell, a private concert for the National Exhibition of Funeral Directors and a concert celebrating the history and heritage of Coventry. In the spirit of the orchestra’s co-operative education roots, some of its members visited the schools they worked with on the Coventry project to demonstrate instruments and play for them. The Co-op Orchestra looks forward to participating in Coventry’s UK City of Culture 2021 festivities. coventrycooporchestra.org.uk BRISTOL

day, both bands got together for a similar event in one of the two main squares in Arras, attracting an audience of tourists and locals.

There was also time for social activities, where the bands got to know each other.

Le Liberty Band then travelled to Kent with the IJO hosting, and played two concerts with them in a similar format: one in Cranbrook and another in Tonbridge. Band secretary and alto sax Geoff Piper highly recommends twinning. “Even though it’s a lot of fun, you don’t have to go abroad – groups can twin with a group in a very different part of the UK.” Members from both bands formed friendships, having paid social visits to one another and there are plans for another musical exchange in 2019. invictajazz.com

Did you know?

In 2017 our staff travelled 7,954 miles around the UK to put on I&A events: that’s 7.1m double basses laid endto-end! In the time it takes to travel that distance, you could listen to Beethoven’s 5th symphony 3,509 times or Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited album 2,328 times!

Several years of planning has come to fruition for three Making Music members, Long Ashton Orchestra, Redland Green Choir and Burnham and Highbridge Choral Society. In July they will be performing Ludwig van Beethoven’s ninth symphony (Choral Symphony) together at Clifton Cathedral, under the baton of Nicholas Bromilow. The orchestra and Redland Green Choir have collaborated on works before, ramping up to Giacomo Verdi’s Requiem last year, which helped them to take the next step. A first endeavour on this scale for all involved, the project was conceived by Nicholas, supported by the Paragon Music Trust and is being steered by representatives from each group. For the orchestra, it will be the culmination of a three-year cycle of Beethoven symphonies. redlandgreenchoir.org.uk facebook.com/ BurnhamAndHighbridge ChoralSociety

NEWS

Member announcements New appointments, anniversaries, awards and projects Lutterworth and District Choral Society recently performed Christopher Wood’s Requiem, a work inspired by the crowds that gathered to mourn the Queen Mother in 2002. Having attended a workshop on the piece in 2016 highlighted by Making Music, events came full circle when the group had the chance to perform the work in full with the composer in attendance. You can next see the choir singing Christopher’s new Easter work in April 2019. lutterworthchoral.co.uk

Rainham Ladies Choir is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.

Starting out with a handful of ladies, founder Joan Bigwood built the choir into a local institution in the Medway towns in Kent. Highlights for the choir include singing at Rochester Cathedral, the opening of the Dartford QEII Bridge in front of the Queen, and touring around the UK and Europe. The choir’s Gala Commemorative Concert is on 6 October 2018.

Richmondshire Choral Society performed the premiere of a new work at the end of 2017 – a Christmas cantata written by one of its very own members. Jubilate Natale was originally put down on the page by Mark Harrison 25 years ago but he rewrote it recently to include the Richmondshire Orchestra. Mark and the choir are happy to share the work for performance – contact the choir directly for more information. richchoral.org.uk

rainhamladieschoir.org.uk

Aylesbury Festival Choir, originally the December Festival Choir, is turning 60 years old.

Starting out as a Christmas carol-singing choir, it has performed major works with professional soloists and orchestras. Choir founder and conductor, David Aylett composed a large choral work on the 50th anniversary and was awarded Making Music’s Lady Hilary Groves Prize in 2004. Today, the choir continues to enjoy performing a wide range of music under conductor Nick Austin.

Earlier this year, the Brent Singers, Devon, joined by Xprecion choir, premiered a work by musical director and composer Philip Arkwright for Holocaust Memorial Day. The piece is entitled SHOAH from the Hebrew word, Sho’ah, which means catastrophe or devastation. Text and the music were interspersed with readings and quotations telling of the story of the horrors. A retiring collection raised £235 for the continuing work of the Holocaust Education Trust. brentsingers.org.uk

aylesburyfestivalchoir.net

60-second interview

6sec0ond

Left: Cantamus Choir

inte

Sheila Haslam, Secretary of Cantamus Choir tells us what makes the choir special.

Describe the choir in three words?

Lively, dedicated, loyal When was the choir first formed?

1968: Pamela Cook, a singing teacher chose a group of 12 singers from her pupils – in 1971 the choir entered the Montreux International Choral Festival with 18 teenagers, winning 2nd prize.

Which musical styles do you sing?

Plainchant, madrigals, jazz, ethnic, classical, music theatre and contemporary, commissioned works (and some gifted by Nigel Osborne, Elizabeth Maconchy and Howard Goodall.)

How do you get the best out of the singers?

High expectations, patience, affection and never saying a piece is difficult.

What are some of the highlights from the last 50 years?

Twice World Choir Games champion, Choir of the World, BBC2/ Sainsbury Choir of the Year (adult and youth sections). Exchange visits with choirs from Australia, USA, Canada, Japan, Israel plus

w

rvie

Would your group like to feature in a 60 second interview? Email editor@makingmusic.org.uk

many Eastern and Western European countries. Greatest loss: death of Pamela Cook, MBE, in 2013.

What are the biggest challenges you face today?

Tours abroad – restrictions on places to stay and lack of public funding. Pressure at school means that there’s less time for music.

How will you be celebrating 50 years?

In early February we had a concert featuring both Cantamus and Cantus Amici (alumni group) to mark Pamela Cook’s birthday. We’ll also have a weekend in October for all members to enjoy social events and a joint concert at the Albert Hall, Nottingham.

What is the group most looking forward to in the year ahead?

Returning to Montreux; hosting two choirs from abroad plus three Christmas concerts, one with Cantus Amici. cantamus.com HIGHNOTES Summer 2018

7

FEATURE

New places, new spaces Performing music in new ways can help your group to develop artistically The stage is set, the spotlight awaits. For many music groups putting on a performance is the climax of the season. As well as giving the audience an enjoyable evening out, it’s a chance to show off months of hard work. But the hassle of arranging all this – from finding and securing a venue to getting the audience in and organising the smooth running of the event itself – can be a headache.

With creative thinking, some of these problems could be solved by changing your performing habits.

Make it a social You could set up a community afternoon tea or barbeque and get members to cater, or team up with local businesses for catering – with your group’s music to complete the experience.

Or join forces with an existing event like a fundraiser or charity shop launch.

The emphasis of this situation will be on the tea or barbeque but will give your members a chance to adapt and experience a different way of performing. It could also raise the profile of your group – perhaps opening the door for you to be invited to perform at similar occasions.

8

HIGHNOTES Summer 2018

Go to where the audiences are It’s convenient to rely on a well-established pool of regular audience members but why not think about going to a ‘ready-made’ audience at a festival or shopping centre? Performing in different spaces can also put you in the way of new audience members that you wouldn’t normally reach. If they liked your performance, they may come along to one of your concerts and bring their friends.

Flashmobs are a great (and cheap) way of spreading the word about your group to people who wouldn’t normally plan to go to an event, as well as giving your musicians a new and exciting way of performing. Doing a series of these on your high street or in your town square with different music on the same day or on different days over a period of time will help you reach even more people. This doesn’t just apply to audiences – performing is the perfect way to show what you can do and attract new members.

Performing to ready-made audiences can also provide social benefits to the community and be really rewarding for your members, for example going to a hospital, care home or prison.

FEATURE

See our online resources for ideas and advice: • makingmusic.org.uk/resource/ performing-care-homes • achoirineverycarehome.wordpress.com • makingmusic.org.uk/resource/tipsmaking-music-prisons Change things up For musicians, whatever their ability, the chance to perform in a concert can be a key motivation for joining a music group. But if you’re running a mixed-ability group that caters for both beginners and advanced musicians it can be a tricky balancing act to maintain their interest and development. Varying your performance programme could ease the pressure by creating new performing challenges and energising your long-term members.

You could find out whether there are any exhibitions opening at local galleries, museums, libraries or community arts centres and ask if they would like you to perform.

It’s likely to be difficult getting all your group there at the same time so you could arrange for some of your members to perform on different days. This offers a fresh challenge to members and also could solve the logistical issue of not all the group being able to perform all of the time.

Spending some rehearsal time working in smaller groups towards these smaller performances instead of working as one

large group could also allow time to focus on members’ musical development – ultimately happy musicians make happy members.

Creative staging Performing in unusual spaces, whether stations or shopping centres, marquees, lobbies or exhibition galleries means that you’ll need to adapt to the new acoustic and set up differently. You can use this to be more creative, for example by having a double choir, creating echoes and offstage effects – or you may even be able to use choreography.

You might need to reassess your repertoire to fit the space or event, which means researching and testing out new ideas. You can stretch yourself as well as your music group in this way. You could even consider teaming up with another group if you need more voices or instruments. Collaborations can lead to all sorts of new horizons, from new repertoire to new audiences, not to mention making new friends along the way: makingmusic.org.uk/resource/top-tipscollaborating-other-music-groups See our resource for more ideas and guidance on alternative performances: makingmusic.org.uk/resource/ alternatives-putting-formal-concert

Make Music Day 2016, Edinburgh Photo: Robin Mair Photography

“It’s convenient to rely on a wellestablished pool of regular audience members but why not think about going to a ‘ready-made’ audience?

Summer 2018 HIGHNOTES

9

FEATURE FEATURE

Keeping music alive Steven Roberts, chair of the British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech, talks about how the organisation is leading an arts intervention Our organisation has never been more relevant than it is today. As the devastating impact of the English Baccalaureate is becoming increasingly clear, with many schools finding it impossible to keep emphasis on the arts in the foreground, we need alternative strategies to enable future generations to grow up viewing, creating and performing art.

The Federation, which celebrates its centenary in 2021, is offering an alternative approach. As an umbrella body, our members are made up of educational – often competitive – performing arts festivals around the world with professional adjudicators. Together, we offer performance opportunities to around half a million people every year, the majority of which are young people, but including adults too. Our adjudicators include professional musicians, dancers, actors, teachers, conductors, directors, choreographers – examiners all united by a shared passion for arts education.

Following a festival performance, the adjudicator offers a constructive critique, which aims to guide, help and support continued development in the performer’s chosen discipline including tips on technique, performance, interpretation and stage presence. As a result, the festival environment doesn’t have a pressurised competitive atmosphere even though trophies are awarded and the best performances receive prizes.

Our festivals also allow entrants to experience being on both sides of an attentive audience, enabling good listening and viewing. The audience, being populated with performers’ friends, families and peers, provides a nice opportunity to practice ahead of a large recital or even exam, with the knowledge that they will have positive feedback from an adjudicator at the end. It is this strain of encouragement that runs through all our 10 HIGHNOTES Summer 2018 10 HIGHNOTES Summer 2018

festivals. Opportunities like this can help younger people build confidence and valuable transferable skills as they grow, mature and enter their chosen career even if it has nothing to do with the arts at all.

How can you get involved?

Your group can participate in one of the festivals – or help out behind the scenes. Many festivals programme non-competitive classes, so whether you’re an adult music group that plays or sings for fun or an aspiring professional musician, there’s something for all levels and abilities. In almost all cases our festivals are facilitated entirely by volunteers; people who understand the value of the performing arts, often having participated themselves, and most festivals are always on the lookout for more people to join their teams. The festivals take place throughout the year and can be found in most parts of the UK, as well as internationally. If you’d like to help us with day-to-day running of the festivals or organisational work on the committees, we’d love to hear from you.

We’re also always on the lookout for bright, enthusiastic and talented musicians and music teachers to join the Federation as adjudicators, so that we can ensure people have creative performance opportunities, both now and in the future. It’s important too, that people of all ages continue to get involved in our festivals at every stage of their creative development, so there is always a ‘class’ for everyone – for learning, for practicing and even just for fun!

You can find out more and see which festivals are on near you on our website. Follow us on social media to keep up to date with festival news. federationoffestivals.org.uk @FestivalsHouse facebook.com/MusicDanceSpeech

Above: 2016 North West Championship Photo: Thomas Cheetham, Cheetham Photography

“...our festivals are facilitated entirely by volunteers; people who understand the value of the performing arts, often having participated themselves ...”

MEMBERS

BLOW YOUR TRUMPET Finding a balance The stereotypical image of old men in blazers singing traditional hymn tunes is one that many men’s choirs, including we at Wessex Male Choir (WMC) are working hard to dispel. The choir, formed in 2001, has won over 20 prizes in national and international competitions. Our aim is ambitious: to balance the traditional and the modern, attracting new choristers and promoting a vibrant, entertaining and forward-looking genre.

We’re undertaking a range of joint ventures with like-minded partners, on both a national and regional basis, such as collaborating with local choirs to both promote ourselves to the wider community, and showcasing different choral styles to encourage men to take the step from thinking about singing to joining us.

We’ve been running a free men’s

singing workshop led by Mark Burstow from Bournemouth Male Choir, with a grant that we’ve obtained to promote singing for health and fun in the community.

The choir is planning a joint commission with Peterborough and Bournemouth male choirs, specifically written and arranged for male choirs.

WMC is also looking to reach new audiences, and to this end, we will be performing at an outdoor rock festival this summer.

We’ve been trying out other ideas too, such as taking song requests from our members and audiences to

Left: Wessex Male Voice Choir Photo: Steve Iles

David Langley discusses how member group Wessex Male Choir is championing the relevance of male choir singing for the modern age

help us broaden our repertoire. We’ve been recruiting new members by encouraging men in the community to sing for specific events such as charity fundraisers, and collaborating with school and college choirs.

If you want to join or work with us, please get in touch. Or get tips and share the journey at our blog: wessexmalechoir.wordpress.com

Back to school How musicians in Surrey are helping a local school orchestra to thrive Like many secondary schools, Glebelands School has an orchestra.

But unlike other school orchestras, this particular one has some unusual members – musicians from the local community. Amidst the young violin, flute, guitar and percussion players sit adults, some in their seventies.

When Margaret Lawrence, music teacher at the school, recently took up the sax and joined local Making Music group Slinfold Concert Band, she realised that she’d found a great pool of musical talent and had the idea of involving fellow players in helping out at the school. Margaret joined forces with Andrew Duncan, former teacher, deputy conductor of Slinfold and conductor of the New London Concert Band, and with lots of

patience and persistence, she got the school on board.

As a one-person music department, Margaret says she appreciates the opportunity to discuss repertoire and other band matters with another experienced and knowledgeable musician. The orchestra is joined by clarinettists, saxophonists and percussionists from both the Slinfold and New London bands on a regular, weekly basis – at any one time there can be up to eight volunteers in the group, sitting among the students and playing or helping them with their parts. Andrew, who also conducts the orchestra, says, “It’s a chance for band members to play something more straightforward and to relax, but most of all, do something to support music

education in the community.”

And it’s not just about the music – the students get to grow and develop from interacting with adults in a capacity other than their parents or teachers.

Margaret says, “The volunteers who play in the orchestra have modelled performance etiquette and given our students extra motivation and confidence to succeed. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the orchestra simply wouldn’t exist without them.”

The volunteers also support the orchestra’s concerts and theatrical performances, and with a production of My Fair Lady on the horizon, are proving that it’s possible to help turn big ideas into a reality right on the doorstep. slinfoldconcertband.org newlondonconcertband.org.uk HIGHNOTES Summer 2018

11

FEATURE FEATURE

A memorial in music Composer Patrick Hawes’ new symphony for 2018 is dedicated to all those who gave their lives in The Great War – and you can take part Some of Patrick’s earliest musical memories are of his grandfather – a former soldier partially deafened by gunfire – singing It’s a Long Way to Tipperary and Mademoiselle from Armentières. The stories of his great Uncle Harry Hawes, killed in the Somme in 1916, were also early memories, so it’s no surprise that it was personally important to Patrick to mark the centenary of the First World War. “I wanted to create a memorial in music to all those who were victims of the First World War. It is so easy to forget that we owe our freedom and ways of life to those men and women who died for us. I would like to think that, during this centenary year, our nation will bequeath substantial and approachable works of art to future generations.” The result is The Great War Symphony, which was recorded early this year at Abbey Road and will be released by Classic FM/ Universal in September.

The world première will be at the Royal Albert Hall on 9 October 2018 in aid of the Armed Forces charity, SSAFA, and in partnership with Classic FM. The première will feature soloists Louise Alder (soprano) and Joshua Ellicott (tenor) performing alongside the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, London Youth Choir, Berkshire Youth Choir, Invictus Choir, the Band of the Household Cavalry, State Trumpeters, Fanfare Trumpeters of the RAF and the Corps of Drums and Bugles of the Royal Marines. In addition, the National Youth Choir of Scotland, Cross Border Youth Choir (Ireland and Northern Ireland) and Ysgol Glanaethwy (Wales) will be beamed virtually into the Royal Albert Hall from around the country.

Patrick is looking for singers to join him on stage 12

Summer 2018

HIGHNOTES

in New York for The Great War Symphony première at Carnegie Hall on 11 November 2018, the exact centenary of the Armistice. “The poignancy of performing the US première of the work on Armistice Day makes this a really special event and I’m hoping to have a large British contingent with me to mark this unique occasion.” Organised by Distinguished Concerts International New York , the performance is open to individual singers and groups. See how to apply: dciny.org/musicians/audition-information It is Patrick’s biggest and, he feels, most important work to date. “The logistics of the whole project have been immense, but that seems fitting given that I’ve tried to distil the whole of the Great War into the symphonic genre. As Mahler once said, ‘the symphony is a world’ and I would like to think I have encapsulated the world of the Great War in my setting of a whole range of texts such as poems, letters, diaries and epitaphs which evoke pride, sacrifice, horror, love, loss and ultimately peace.”

The Great War Symphony is in four movements, each reflecting a year of the war – Praeludium (1914-1915), March (1915-1916), Elegy (1916-1917) and Finale (19171918). The texts include Wilfred Owen’s 1914, Siegfried Sassoon’s diary entry on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, Margaret Postgate Cole’s The Falling Leaves, as well as lesser known words from Sydney Bolitho’s Gallipoli and Moina Michael’s We Shall Keep the Faith.

The work is written for SATB choir, tenor, soprano and orchestra and you can access rehearsal CDs and performance materials at hawesmusic.com. Making Music members will receive a 15% discount. Visit http://bit.ly/2FXt4S0 for more information.

Above: Abbey Road Studios Photo: Tony Simpson

“...performing the US première of the work on Armistice Day makes this a really special event and I’m hoping to have a large British contingent with me ...”

Patrick Hawes

Hawes Music

The Great War Symphony

EX CATHEDRA ffrey Skidmore Je

Vocal excellence, made in Birmingham

Summer Music by

Candlelight Ex Cathedra

Tue 19 & Wed 20 June, 8.30pm

Jeffrey Skidmore conductor

A programme of glorious music for a magical midsummer evening, performed by the soft glow of candlelight as daylight fades.

This enchanting sequence of words and music will send you home singing of Summertime…

Birmingham Cathedral

Call 0121 780 3333 or www.excathedra.co.uk

for SATB choir, soprano, tenor and orchestra SHEET MUSIC AVAILABLE NOW

Finzi qe:Layout 1 29/03/2018 10:58 Page 1

Finzi Friends Charity No. 1089033 Finzi Friends is a registered charity whose declared aims include “...promoting the knowledge of, appreciation of the life of, and performance of the works of Gerald Finzi (1901-1956)” and extend to encompass an interest in Finzi’s musical world.

BULK BUY DISCOUNTS Up to 15% off

PLUS an extra 15% discount for members of

(quote code GWS-MM15)

www.hawesmusic.com

Finzi Friends now invites applications for financial support in pursuit of those aims, for projects planned for 2019 and beyond.

Applications may be made by organizations (choirs, chamber groups, orchestras and so on) or individuals (performers, composers and authors, including students).

Contact should be made, in the first instance, by letter (inc. email address if possible) asking for further details, addressed to: Adrian Williams Treasurer, Finzi Friends Bell House 72A Old High Street Headington Oxford OX3 9HW UK

FROM OUR TEAM

MEMBERSHIP AND SERVICES

CONTACT US info@makingmusic.org.uk / 020 7939 6030

Helping you get the most from your membership

INFORMATION & ADVICE EVENTS, AND INDIVIDUAL VISITS Whatever advice you need on running your group, we’re on hand with a host of events and visits this summer.

• Helping your group to thrive Sat 12 May, Maidstone • Growing your membership (with a focus on under 35s)

A listening exercise

Weds 30 May, Southampton

A big thankyou to everyone who filled in our membership survey last autumn

Fri 18 May, Hull

The results are extremely valuable in helping us to decide how best to use your membership fees.

The good news •

•

•

•

Members are happy with their membership – 84% said they were satisfied or more than satisfied with their membership and less than 1% were dissatisfied.

You know that we care – the average score for ‘how strongly do you agree that staff care about members’ was 8.7 out of 10 (10 being ‘Strongly agree’).

The most valued aspect of membership is in line with the last survey results from 2014 – practical services and advice – followed by lobbying and advocacy, being part of a wider community of musicians and then artistic services.

Practical services scored highly in terms of satisfaction. 91.5% of responses rated our practical services as being 4 or 5 out of 5

14 HIGHNOTES Summer 2018

• Individual visits and consultations

Fri 25 May, Barnstaple

(only 1.1% rated as 2 or less).

Fri 1 Jun, Isle of Wight

Some areas for improvement

makingmusic.org.uk/events

The 2014 survey highlighted that members think we are focused on vocal and classical groups, and that they don’t know about all the services we offer. 2017 results show progress has been made in both areas, but that more work needs to be done.

New online resources (Nov-Mar) • •

•

New areas for improvement •

•

Almost half of respondents said they didn’t know that anyone in their group can register online and access member content. Here’s how: makingmusic.org.uk/ addingcontacts Some members reported having difficulty finding resources on the website. We have made some changes to the search function so key resources appear nearer the top, and have introduced resource summary sheets so all resources on a topic can be viewed at a glance – there will be more to come.

• • •

Did you know?

75% of renewals were done online last year (up from 58% the year before)

• • • •

• • •

An introduction to: Signing choirs Access Danyal Dhondy’s choral companion piece to Fauré’s Requiem Working with Music Education Hubs 15% off hire or purchase of Patrick Hawes The Great War Symphony Learn to Play Day FAQs Making Music, Making Communities – report GDPR: What you need to know GDPR: Data Protection Toolkit GDPR interactive guidance tool 10 ways selling tickets online can help your group – and how to pick the right platform Template agreement for hiring out a musical instrument Data retention: what you need to know An introduction to: Pipe and tabor

Visit makingmusic.org.uk/resources for more resources and guidance

FROM OUR TEAM

CONTACT US info@makingmusic.org.uk / 020 7939 6030

Notes from the field

An update from our teams around the UK If you’ve come to an Information and Advice event, the Making Music Council or requested a group visit, then you’ll have met the Member Engagement team. Sharon Moloney covers England and Northern Ireland, and Abby Charles and I cover Wales and Scotland respectively.

We’re a team that travels well and Information and Advice sessions reach across the country. Sessions on ‘Helping your group to thrive’ have been most popular so far this year, with 26 attending in Reading and we’ve been holding sessions throughout the spring from Perth to Plymouth.

Recently we’ve been trialling more ways to connect with groups by visiting rehearsals and committee members. Queries have included data protection, child safeguarding, Gift Aid, PRS and online ticketing. It’s useful to

meet groups playing music we’re less familiar with, like the Taborers Society, whom Sharon met in January. And groups who have good practice to share like the choirs Abby met in Wales who partner with other choirs for joint performances.

It’s hard to get around everyone so in Wales and Scotland we email an area update. We had a great response to the first updates of 2018, with members returning queries, requests for visits and concert publicity.

Make Music Day next month is a brilliant opportunity for us to meet and work with members.

We’re all planning activities for groups to join in with so look out for events in Bristol, Edinburgh and Wales. And if you would like us to visit your group, get in touch. We’d love to meet you!

Alison Reeves Area Manager, Scotland

New members A warm welcome to the 110 new members who joined us between 1 December and 15 March!

Zero Degrees Show Chorus Yours In Harmony Hanover Choir Musarc Me Time Pop Choir East of England Musical Theatre Orchestra The Music Project Brigg Singers

Minehead Male Voice Choir Hebden Bridge Piano Festival Pinsuti The Brunel Sinfonia Sutton in Ashfield Electronic Organ Society Culture:Music Thrapston Plaza Opera Company Cambridge Handel Opera Company

Manchester Community Choir The Exon Singers Wessex Male Choir Voxcetera LLP Cotswold Edge Brass Festival The Big Reveal The Lewis Project Penshurst Choral Society Stafford Lancers Horsford Strings Westhill Music London Pro Arte Choir The Market Harborough Orchestra The Outsiders Didcot Concert Orchestra The Crooked Singers The Worksop Youth Choir Southampton Concert Wind Band Stourbridge Performers Group UK Harmony Brigade Bristol Concert Wind Band Maggie’s Choir Culm Valley Music Society Thornbury Clarinet Choir Latchford Music Makers Whitehead Ladies Choir Stoke Newington Early Music Festival Multitude of Voyces Hertfordshire Community Youth Choir The Inspire Choir Spinnaker Chorus Coningsby and Tattershall Strummers Front Room St Neots Big Band Kirklevington Singers Cor Nedd Cor Abergwaun Songbirds Singing Group Harmony (Erskine) Strings Incognito Philharmonia Chorus Encore Singers New Sound China UK City Voices Cardiff Silver Spectrum Wind Band Bidford Area Community Choir Via Nova Ensemble

St Peter’s Consort South London Sinfonia Investec International Music Festival Loughborough Male Voice Choir Boston Ukulele Group Thurgoland Community Choir Thornbury Jazz Festival Farnham Festival Ladies Who Sing East Malling Research Station Music Club Surbiton Symphony Orchestra Gwyl Gorawl Ryngwladol Cymru / International Choral Festival Wales Ltd The Chantrelle Singers Weardale Community Choir Hackney Community Orchestra DaleDiva Diamond Divas Canbury Singers Wirral Community Big Band North Wales Association of Male Voice Choirs Cor Meibion Caernarfon Cor Meibion Orffiws y Rhos Cor Meibion Ardudwy Cor Meibion Bangor Cor Meibion Bro Aled Cor Meibion Bro Glyndwr Cor Meibion Brymbo Cor Meibion Brythoniaid Cor Meibion Caergybi Cor Meibion Caerwys Cor Meibion Colwyn Cor Meibion Cymau Cor Meibion Denbigh Cor Meibion Dyffryn Ceiriog Cor Meibion Dyffryn Nantlle Cor Meibion Dyffryn Peris Cor Meibion Dyfi Cor Meibion Flint Cor Meibion Goronwy Cor Meibion Hogia’r Ddwylan Cor Meibion Llangollen Cor Meibion Llangwm Cor Meibion Maelgwn Cor Meibion Newtown Cor Meibion Orthopaedic Cor Meibion Penybontfawr Cor Meibion Trelawnyd

Summer 2018

HIGHNOTES 15

FROM OUR TEAM

PROJECTS Keeping you up to date with projects and programmes

Above: The Elysian Singers Photo: Oliver Bowring

MAKE MUSIC DAY 2018 After clocking up around 180 events last year, we’re aiming for 500 on the UK map in 2018!

This international celebration of music, always on 21 June and free for the public to attend, gives you an opportunity to: •

•

Siren song

•

An elysian première for new companion piece to Fauré’s Requiem Commissioned by Making Music and funded by the Nicholas Berwin Charitable Trust, Still the Sirens is intended as a companion piece to Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem.

But, as Martin Hurst, singer and chair of Making Music member group Elysian Singers observes, it also stands alone. “Although it uses the same forces as the Requiem, it’s a piece for its age.”

Danyal studied music at Cambridge University and composes for live performance, film, and theatre. He works with some of the UK’s leading youth and opera companies around Europe and his string arrangements feature on the recordings of many bands and songwriters. He was nominated for a British Composer award in 2015 and an Arts Foundation Award in Opera Composition in 2012.

16 HIGHNOTES Summer 2018

Still the Sirens draws on seven different poems ranging from the likes of John Donne to Maya Angelou, whose words resonate with issues in our own times. As expressed by Danyal, the piece “explores the very different feelings evoked by the great political upheavals of our time, which seemingly threaten the common values of global liberal humanism…”

If you’re a Making Music member you can listen to the Elysian Singers’ performance and download the digital orchestral and vocal parts, and full score for free from our website for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, after which standard costs will apply. Visit: https://bit.ly/2GS1FVW

showcase your group and the music you perform or promote make local connections and get new people involved with you link up with others like you in over 120 countries.

It’s not too late to put on an event!

•

Did you know?

For Make Music Day in the US, participants will gather next to the world’s largest letter ‘M’– built out of limestone on a hillside in Platteville, Wisconsin – for a concert exclusively featuring percussion instruments.

•

•

•

Anything musical: rehearsal, performance, workshop, come and play, flashmob… (you could include free Make Music Day song Bring Me Sunshine, arrangements available or do your own).

In a public space? Try pub, town square, library, hospital, shopping centre, museum…

Fancy a challenge? Take that sax quartet to the remotest location in your area and share online.

Behind closed doors? Show what you do in your rehearsal room, school assembly, workplace choir, living room practice via live streaming, video, photos on our social media and You Tube channel.

There’s lots of help - to find out more, sign up to offer your space to musicians or as a performer, or to register an event visit: makemusicday.co.uk or email Alison: alison@makemusicday.co.uk

count

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web hure or see broc

Let your performers shine on stages worldwide. t: 01273 244 572 music@travelbound.co.uk w: travelbound.co.uk/music-tours

Registered Charity Number: 1122957

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Due to the generosity of our donors we are able to offer ELEVEN FREE PLACE scholarships at our week long residential Summer Music School in the Yorkshire Dales Download an application form from the website, email us at admin@m4p.org.uk or ring us 0800 023 5631.

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03/04/2018 13:55

FEATURE

When the music chooses you Natalie Joanes finds out how music from New Orleans can be for us all There’s a general consensus among all the interviewees that there’s something in the water in New Orleans. Ed Buckner (former drum major), Keanon Battiste (trombonist) and Emanuel Lain Jnr (president of People United for Armstrong Park) all grew up surrounded by music.

New Orleans, celebrating its 300th birthday this year, has reverberated with music since its founding.

Throughout the 18th century when the city changed hands between its French and Spanish occupiers, military marching bands were a common sight in the Place d’Armes.

Later, in the early 1800s around the time the Americans took custody of the city, Haitians, Creoles and Cubans crossed over from the Caribbean by ferry while freed slaves of African descent arrived, each bringing their unique musical styles and rhythms, most notably improvisation and syncopation. This riot of influences would later result in the birth of jazz in the early 1900s. Social aid clubs, established because insurance companies refused to cover freed slaves, offered a brass band for funerals and at least one public parade per year with music. The parade also became a place for young black musicians, banned by Jim Crow laws from performing in music venues, to show off their talents.

18 HIGHNOTES Summer 2018

Behind the second line The enduring tradition of the New Orleans parade continues to this day. For Ed, Keanon and Emanuel who all grew up in the city, although music was in their households, high school was the most significant springboard to their involvement in music. Says Emanuel, “I used to play football and see the marching bands, and wish I was doing that instead. Each [city] ward had their own second line band – and you’d feel a great sense of pride as they walked by.”

New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA) jazz typically has a front line consisting of a trumpet or cornet that carries the melody, clarinet or saxophone that harmonises with it and a trombone beneath.

Drums keep a steady beat and brass tuba or sousaphone holds the sound together. But the quintessential feature is the ‘second line’, which follows behind the band and consists of dancers and anyone else who wants to join in.

Imitation not duplication “Some bands walk slowly, others fast and incorporate different styles and it’s 100% improvised,” says Ed, founder of the Original Big 7 Social Aid and Pleasure Club, who now dances

FEATURE

instead of playing music. Does religion play a role in this type of music? “Yes - there’s a church on every other street corner in New Orleans and a choir in each of those churches, and you can feel the influence.” And how about those long parades? “You have to be in shape if you’re second lining – you can be playing and dancing for up to five hours!”

Ed and Keanon agree that although they were formally trained and can read music, you don’t need to be able to do this to participate in a second line band – they’ve seen people emerge to join in with the parade with everything from tambourines to a triangle and screwdriver. “Don’t focus on reading the music but play from your soul”, advises Keanon, leader of the All for One Brass Band.

‘We dance even if there’s no radio’ When Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005, many musicians left for Houston or Atlanta. 110 out of 126 schools were damaged or lost and where music education had been as ingrained (and as cool) as playing quarterback for children growing up in the city, music programmes disappeared.

Ed, Keanon and Emanuel are each working in different ways to revive and maintain community music. Projects include: setting up and running music education programmes to reach at-risk youth, free Jazz in the Park, revitalising second line Thursdays and playing a key part in the NOLA Fest project which promotes New Orleans culture and music beyond the city.

Crossing boundaries Kinetika Bloco, a group of young brass and woodwind players, drummers, steel pan and dancers from South London count NOLA jazz in their repertoire. But if this type of music is so much of its city and its people, can it work over here? Tamzyn French, Kinetika Bloco’s manager, says it can.

“From an educational standpoint the music is great for our players. We are a mixed ability band and New Orleans jazz can be simple and complex at the same time as people learn the basic tune, create harmonies and improvise over the top. It is accessible to all, multi-layered and challenging at the same time.” But it’s not just about music education. Kinetika Bloco is a ‘carnival band’, focused on movement as well as the music. “We basically want to have a party … the audience becomes part of the performance as they join the party.”

With Make Music Day on 21 June, NOLA Fest will be bringing Keanon’s All for One Brass Band across the pond to join forces with Kinetika Bloco and UK bands to bring NOLA jazz to London’s South Bank. For information about how you can take part, where to watch them or where you can attend workshops on second lining, including its history, attire and dance, visit: makemusicday.co.uk

New Wave Brass Band at the 2016 French Quarter Festival Photo: Rebecca Todd for NewOrleans.com

“… the audience becomes part of the performance as they join the party.”

With thanks to Sebastian St.John, founder of NOLA Fest for helping to provide the content for this article. www.NOLA-Fest.com

Summer 2018 HIGHNOTES 19

MEMBERS

EXPLORING MUSIC Members tell us about the music they love. Email editor@makingmusic.org.uk

Jukebox Readers share how a particular piece of music inspires them

Right: Steve Hoddell

The Marriage of Figaro by W.A. Mozart youtube.com/ watch?v=8OZCyp-LcGw

I was never introduced to classical music as a child, and did not learn to play any instruments. But in 1972 the English National Opera brought a production of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro to Bristol and my then girlfriend (now my wife) bought tickets.

Although I had been listening to some classical stuff before then, this was a completely different experience. I loved every minute, and we bought tickets to see it again the following week. Figaro was such fun, but with such beautiful music as well; and Valerie

Masterson’s brilliant portrayal of Susanna was a revelation – opera could have great acting as well as music.

I was totally hooked on classical music, and when our daughter started to learn the violin, I did too. I played violin for twenty years and then, on impulse, I bought a double bass, and since my retirement in 2005 I have been playing that, in a variety of different orchestras. For me, being part of the process of making music has been extraordinarily satisfying, and of course, as a double bass player, I find myself much in demand.

To complete the circle, I am now rehearsing for a concert which will open with the overture to Figaro; the music that inspired me in 1972, but this time with me playing rather than just listening.

Steve Hoddell Frome Symphony Orchestra and Keynsham Symphony Orchestra www.keynshamorchestra.org.uk www.fromesymphony.org.uk Email us and tell us about your favourite song or piece of music editor@makingmusic.org.uk

West African drumming The Mande drum music of West Africa – from what was the Malian empire, including modern day Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia and Senegal – is perhaps the most complex and virtuosic of all African drumming repertoires. In its traditional context as an accompaniment to dance and song, it was central to spiritual ceremonies such as harvests, weddings, births, and funerals.

The principal instrument is the jembe, a goblet-shaped hand drum of wood and goatskin, thought to have been created in the 12th century. In a typical ensemble, one or two jembes are accompanied by up to three dunduns – cylindrical wooden drums skinned at each end, played with a stick. Different sized dunduns are used to create different pitches: they often have a metal bell attached.

Each instrument in the ensemble plays a different, short repeating pattern; over this multi-layered background the lead jembe drummer (jembefola) plays solos of both improvised and set phrases. He (traditionally a ‘he’: women played shakers but not drums) also plays ‘calls’ to signal changes. He aims to match his phrases to the steps of the dancers, and can use his 20 HIGHNOTES Summer 2018

Left: Dumisani African Drumming Group Photo: David Cosby

The Dumisani African Drumming Group gives an overview

virtuosity as a way of inciting a dancer to greater speed and intensity.

Dumisani African drumming is a community group in Great Yarmouth which performs music based on this tradition, for fundraising and community events. We find the power of the rhythms a great tool for encouraging participation, breaking down the barrier between performers and audience, getting people moving, and generally celebrating life! https://en-gb.facebook.com/dumisaniafricandrumming/

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Sunday 20 May · Brian Kay

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The Lark Ascending · Tasmin Little Royal Albert Hall, 7.00pm

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Sunday 8 July · Bob Chilcott Fauré – Requiem Mendelssohn – Hymn of Praise Royal Albert Hall, 7.00pm

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FROM OUR TEAM

DROP THE MIC If you have any software, hardware or performance tips you would like to share, email editor@makingmusic.org.uk ACCESS NEW REPERTOIRE

CORPORATE MEMBER SERVICE

Online ticketing David Holroyd reviews Trybooking.co.uk’s services At Formby Choral Society we regularly sell tickets to audience members through TryBooking. Although there is a small charge made (to the buyer) for buying tickets and a small percentage fee charged to us (including a fee for payments made with credit cards) the convenience and simplicity is great.

At Amadeus: the Chamber Choir, we have used TryBooking to monitor and control ticket sales for our Christmas concerts, which have been embarrassingly oversold before. So last year we had numbered seats, and as people bought tickets they would be allocated those seats so that we were not in danger of having to turn people away on the night. The Box Office facility of TryBooking also has a ‘secret’ discount code, which allowed me to allocate tickets without actually having the cash in hand –

very handy for those who wanted to reserve tickets but pay at the door.

There are other similar websites and providers, but I appreciate the very personal and hands-on approach of the TryBooking people. I have had emails offering help when they have spotted a new event being created without any supporting artwork or logos. And they are always pretty prompt in responding to queries – early on I couldn’t always spot the (usually obvious) way around the dashboard. Recent updates have made the interface more intuitive and helpful. Being able to clone an event is useful.

The costs are minimal and the benefits are certainly worth it.

David Holroyd, Formby Choral Society/ Amadeus: the Chamber Choir

If you’re wondering where to get inspiration for your repertoire, Resonate is a free to access database of new music. It’s a joint initiative between the Association of British Orchestras and the PRS for Music Foundation with funding from The Foyle Foundation and to date, there are about 764 works, 202 composers and 234 commissioners to browse through.

Resonate celebrates the wealth of music commissioned and premiered

by British orchestras from Britishbased composers. Providing an overview of a generation’s worth of new music, the resource is an open database that offers details of new works going back to 1990.

Alongside instrumentation, duration and other basic information the site is rich with additional material including soundclips, videos, programme notes and links to view the score. Visit resonate.abo.org.uk

Hit the right notes 6 ways to prepare before your singing performance 1.

Do a vocal warm up in order to make sure you’re in the best possible position to sing; it will hopefully lift any preperformance tension and reduce damage to the larynx or vocal cords.

2. Avoid fizzy drinks and dairy products before singing as the acids in them can harm your throat. Alcohol will dehydrate you so avoid it and make sure you keep hydrated. Drinking gallons of water half an hour before you perform doesn’t work – it takes a few hours for your body to get hydrated so you need to start early.

3. Get a good night’s sleep! Nothing beats a solid, undisturbed night’s sleep

before a performance – give your body a chance to recharge and get the best out of yourself.

4. Do vocal warm-ups that feel comfortable and easy. It’s tempting to push yourself too hard when you’re nervous, but that never helps. Save the experimentation for your practice time!

5. If you have to wait somewhere in silence before you perform, do deep-counted breathing. It’ll help remind you to control your breathing when you’re performing and keep you calmer.

6. Remember that the audience is looking forward to your performance and wants to hear you do well – they’re on your side!

Do you have any tips or advice for fellow musicians? Let us know! editor@makingmusic.org.uk HIGHNOTES Summer 2018

23

MEMBERS

READERS’ PAGE Got something to say? We’d love to hear from you: editor@makingmusic.org.uk.

Why I make music Who? Gillian Guest What? Pipe and tabor, Taborers Society

I started out learning the piano from the age of seven but I never got on with it and instead I picked up the recorder and oboe.

In 2004 I fell seriously ill, and following a bout of blood poisoning, my right hand was paralysed. Although I regained some movement I was no longer able to play.

Having been a child of the ‘60s, I gravitated towards folk revival music, as I was attracted to its quirky notes

and rhythms. I picked up The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs in a bookshop one day and on the cover was a bear dancing to a man playing a couple of odd seeming instruments – I found out that these were the pipe and tabor and decided I’d like to try playing them.

I attended a workshop, which gave me a rudimentary understanding and then taught myself how to play. It was just right – although there are only three holes in the pipe, using your left hand you can get a wide range of notes depending on how hard you blow. And it leaves your right hand free to beat the tabor, which suits my damaged hand. It’s a bit tricky to learn at first – but now I find it hard to think of a tune without accompaniment.

I’ve had the chance to play all over the world at traditional music festivals. I also love the history of the pipe and tabor and wearing costume from the medieval to Edwardian periods! I’m looking forward to dressing up and leading the wagons for the York Mystery Plays with The Taborers Society again later this year. www.pipeandtabor.org

Be more barbershop Music is obviously the most important thing about a concert. But without being negative about the excellent local choir, the recordings I own probably have the technical edge.

So why am I here tonight? For a show – for an event. But that’s the bit I often don’t get from the performers. Maybe ‘performers’ isn’t even the right word to describe a group dressed in black with – hey! – a purple scarf or tie, staring resolutely into their scores and strictly avoiding eye contact with the audience.

It’s perhaps over-optimistic of me to 24 HIGHNOTES Summer 2018

expect a choir with an age range of 50+ to be shimmying to the music, but there are surely degrees between their current (ahem, lack of) stagecraft and the nearprofessional dancing of an enthusiastic gospel choir or a barbershop group in extravagant matching outfits.

Could they at least have a go at singing some stuff without music…? Or making us audience at least feel that we exist and that they’re doing this for us? I live in hope...

Anon Email editor@makingmusic.org.uk

BOOK REVIEW The Confident Choir: A Handbook for Leaders of Group Singing Michael Bonshor This is an invaluable resource for anyone leading a choir packed full of tips and practical exercises, as well as interviews with choral singers.

The book begins by exploring posture, body language and eye contact, and has some particularly useful exercises that could be used with singers lacking in confidence. It then moves on to explore how the choir is organised and acoustic conditions, and how these factors can affect performance confidence.

Most interesting are the chapters looking at collaboration and communal learning, and on conductors and verbal communication. Both chapters explore the social dynamics of choirs – which is particularly relevant to Making Music’s research into youth engagement.

Bonshor looks at the role of peer relationships in developing confidence and outlines a number of trust-building exercises, as well as tips on managing the natural conflict that can occur between people in groups.

The book builds the case for singercentred choral conducting and “an egalitarian, facilitative and cooperative approach that is based on mutual trust and respect”. The author explores the importance of mutual respect between choir members and leader with insights into the constructiveness and credibility of choir leaders’ feedback, how it can build or shatter confidence, and how it can influence someone’s decision to leave the group.

Although there are sections that are more aimed at those working with low confidence or new singers, there is plenty in this book for choir leaders working with singers of all levels and abilities to take away.

Xenia Davis

CORPORATE MEMBERS

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Join us at Guildhall this summer Passionate about singing?

The Guildhall School offers a range of summer courses for singers of all ages and abilities, delivered by expert tutors in our City of London campus.

2018 courses include: Contemporary A Capella Singing Taster (16 – 21 years) Singers’ Weekend: Jazz, Gospel & World Music Jazz & Rock Week Advanced Jazz Find out more and book your place at gsmd.ac.uk/shortcourses

FROM OUR TEAM

MAKING MUSIC PEOPLE Interested in getting involved? Visit makingmusic.org.uk/volunteers

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

GLYNNE STACKHOUSE

ROOS SCHIFFER

TRUSTEE AND CHAIR OF THE SELECTED ARTISTS PANEL

MEMBER CONTACT VOLUNTEER

When did you join Making Music’s Board?

How long have you been volunteering with Making Music?

One year

May 2014

What does your role involve?

Why Making Music?

Contacting member groups and informing them about our events in their region.

All its member groups, whatever kind of music they make, are of great importance in keeping music alive in their localities. Making Music helps those groups to thrive and flourish and that’s of national importance.

What do you do when you’re not doing Making Music Board-related activities?

I chair my local promoting group, Music at St Peter’s Wallingford, attend its concerts and many others, go to the theatre and cinema, and spend time with family and friends.

Do you play an instrument or sing?

I play the piano and the organ, and a friend and I play piano duets and fundraise for churches, charities and other organisations. Last year we raised nearly £1,000 for a cancer research charity. I also make some of the duet arrangements myself. My voice is no longer good enough for the chamber choir that I used to I sing with, however I sometimes still play continuo for them.

Who is your favourite musician or composer (past or present) and why?

Impossible to say! I enjoy listening to music of all kinds and periods and my favourite composer or piece of music is usually the last one I heard live. I like chamber music because it combines the expressive powers of the music with those of the individual players, but I also love the huge symphonic works of Bruckner, Mahler, Stravinsky, Shostakovich and so on where a good conductor can reveal new things every time you hear a familiar piece.

What was the last piece of music you listened to?

Bruckner’s 7th Symphony played by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Absolutely magnificent!

26 HIGHNOTES Summer 2018

What has been your most rewarding experience with Making Music so far?

Attending an event on youth engagement. Great advice, resources, and discussion. Making music with a group of passionate individuals can be the most wholesome experience. However I do understand that it is difficult to attract younger people (as a ‘young person’ myself).

What do you do when you’re not volunteering for Making Music?

I am an event coordinator at the University of London and run an independent music blog, maniceclectic.com. I’ve always enjoyed combining my passion for music with my love of literature and journalism. My main aim is to find a middle ground between academia and pop culture and create content that looks at music in its socio-historical context. I think music gives people an opportunity to enter into discussions they might otherwise feel is out of their depth and that is beautiful to me.

Do you play an instrument or sing?

Yes, I play the guitar and sing in the London Soul Choir.

I’ve always loved soul. I also appreciate that all parts get a moment to shine in the choir. The compositions are exciting and often take the original approach of mashing up two or three songs.

If you could invite three people, past or present, to dinner, who would they be and why?

To stick with musicians: Stevie Wonder, Gary Numan, and Erykah Badu. I think we’d have amazing discussions.

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