On Monday 9 December Devon Music Education Hub welcomed Gabrieli Roar to Exeter Cathedral as part of the UK tour of 'A Grand Georgian Christmas'.
Under the baton of Artistic Director Paul McCreesh and Chorus Directors Charles MacDougall and Emily Dickens, over 300 young singers from across the South West came together to sing historic carols and festive music that would have been familiar to many in early nineteenth century England. The stage choir featured members of Devon Youth Choir, The Legacy Choir and Schola Exe (Exeter Cathedral youth choir) with a larger chorus of primary schools children including Wynstream Primary, Ide Primary, Ermington Primary and Montpelier Primary, as well as young singers from across Wessex MAT in Dorset.
The choir were brilliantly supported by a group of professional singers and musicians playing period instruments including strings, flutes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, trumpets, drums, organ, harpsichord, ophicleide and two very special serpents.
The concept behind Gabrieli Roar is to 'raise the bar' on what young singers can achieve as Paul McCreesh explains:
“I am a great believer in the talents of young people. My firm belief that the higher one sets the bar, the higher young people jump has been entirely substantiated by the incredible achievements made by the young singers participating in our projects. They have demonstrated that the barrier between young and old, professional and amateur is indeed a largely artificial one.”
All of the young singers involved rose to the challenge and produced a very memorable performance to a full house at Exeter Cathedral. Thank you to Gabrieli Roar for bringing this initiative to Devon and well done to everyone involved.
Connecting and communicating through musical play
Sophie Fox from Magic Acorns joins our Strategic Lead for Early Years Music, Charlotte Gibbs, for this online CPD session for anyone working with 0-5 years olds. This session will take place from 2-4pm on Friday 24 January 2025 delivered via MS Teams.
This online session will explore ways we can create sensitive conditions for connection and interaction with babies and very young children. We will consider ways we can facilitate creativity, enable positive relationships through attuned adult-interaction and celebrate expression through musical play. We will look at some videos together to reflect on what we might see and to relate it to our own practice with very young children.
On Tuesday 3 December the Hub brought together over 260 young singers at King Edward VI Community College in Totnes for our first Come and Sing with Devon Youth Choir event. As well as performances from Devon Youth Choir under the direction of Hannah Stephenson and Anthony Chamberlain, we welcomed young singers from KEVICC, Newton Abbot College, Teign School and Ivybridge Community College.
As well as being a fantastic opportunity to showcase the individual school choirs, this was a great opportunity to sing as a massed choir under the leadership of Elfyn Jones. Thank you to all of the schools involved and to KEVICC for hosting this event. If you know a young singer aged 11-18 that is ready to take their singing to the next level you can find out more about Devon Youth Choir on our website.
Battle of the Bands 2025
Devon Music Education Hub are delighted to be working with R&K Systems and Music In Devon Initiative (MIDI) to present the Devon Secondary Schools Battle of the Bands 2025.
Bands and aspiring artists from secondary schools/settings across Devon, Plymouth and Torbay can apply to join us at one of our regional heats, where they will get feedback on their performance from music industry professionals – our regional heats will take place at the following dates and locations:
Tuesday 4 February 2025 | Petroc College, Barnstaple
Thursday 6 February 2025 | King Edward VI Community College, Totnes
Tuesday 11 February 2025 | Uffculme School, Cullompton
Thursday 13 February 2025 | Plympton Academy, Plymouth
A selection of bands will be invited to the Battle of the Bands Final at Exeter Phoenix on 25 February 2025, and could win the chance to professionally record their music and perform at high profile festivals.
Devon Music Education Hub would like acknowledge the generous support of our host schools for supporting these events.
Hub networking events in Plymouth, Totnes and Barnstaple
Devon Music Education Hub invites you to connect, collaborate, and create at our upcoming Hub Networking Events, designed especially for schools, Visiting Music Teachers, Hub-supported partners and anyone interested in finding out more about music education.
4-6pm Tuesday 28 January 2025 | The Venue, Barnstaple
What to expect:
Warm welcome Enjoy tea, coffee and cake whilst listening to musical performances from talented young people from the local area.
Meet your Local Music Development Lead A chance to meet/consult with the Hub’s Music Development Lead for your geographical area. Discover how they can support your music work.
Strategic Direction Learn about the Hub’s strategic direction and how it aligns with national aspirations. Have your say on how should develop our Local Plan for Music Education.
Programme of events and training for the year Get an overview of forthcoming events, workshops and professional development opportunities.
Develop new partnerships Explore opportunities for collaborative working and build new partnerships that will enrich the musical experiences of the young people you work with.
Whether you’re looking to network with fellow educators, gain insight into the future of music education, or simply enjoy some great performances, these events are not to be missed. We look forward to seeing you there!
