Highlights...
Spotlight on... Shirley Warren Primary School
 This e-newsletter contains the first of many 'Spotlight on...' features, as we look into what different schools, organisations and people do to make a difference to music in our city.
Take a walk around Shirley Warren School and you will see the impact music has made. Children in Year 2 sing their number bonds to ten, Year 5 pupils have bassoon lessons and children in the playground sing as they play.
The school is always excited to take part in the hub activities such as BBC 10 Pieces, Big Sings and working with Oasis Academy. In 2013 the school won a Platinum Singup Award for their vocal achievements, and recently the school choir sang on the Aurora cruise ship. The school's community choir brings in parents, governors, friends and staff of the school.
"There are so many amazing musical things happening every week, I get a buzz from seeing children shine when they sing, play and perform" said School Music Manager Helen Mead.
Children from Year 2 learn an instrument, beginning on ocarina and moving on to recorders, then more traditional orchestral instruments from Year 4. To keep up to date on music at the school visit the regularly updated school blog.
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Southampton music services wind bands pyramid concert
Congratulations to members of Airplay, Pulse8, Clarinet Chorale, Southampton Youth Wind Band and Piccolissimo on a very well-received pyramid concert on 18 January. It was the perfect exhibition of the high standard of young musicians we have in Southampton.
DfE recognises Great Oaks musical delivery excellence
The UK Government Department for Education posted the following article on their Facebook page recognising the great work which has been happening in the music department of Great Oaks in Bassett. Great Oaks is a special school in Southampton for students aged 11-19 with a broad range of complex learning needs. Music is a core feature of the school’s education offer with opportunities for all to learn to play music and to perform.
Included in the article is information about the schools unique iPad ensembles headed by music teacher Kellyjo Peters.
St
Anne’s young musician of the year competition
Maria Takeuchi at St Anne’s Catholic School is celebrating being
the winner of their annual Young Musician of the Year competition
for her impressive performance of Movement III from
Schumann’s Fantasiestücke op.73 on violin. Emily McCann was
awarded runner-up for her rendition of Adagio by Albinoni on tenor horn. Other finalists
included Helena Charlton, Simisola Onangua and Susannah Paice.
Head of Music Gemma
Nichols started the event three years ago with the aim of raising
the standard of solo performance. She said of the young musicians: "It was brilliant to see the girls really develop their performance skills over the three stages and all who took part are to be congratulated for their performances."
The
competition encourages pupils to practice and develop their skills through playing
to a live audience. The performers are marked on technical ability,
musicality and presentation. Congratulations to the young musicians!
RTSFC students form create theatre company
 Formed by students studying BTEC Musical Theatre, the group draw on issues affecting their own lives to create performances that encourage young people to consider important social issues.
The first challenge for SPEAKING UP was to create a piece of theatre about autism, after being inspired by student Shannon Cooley whose brother is on the autistic spectrum. The group were also inspired after reading Carly Fleischmann's autobiography ‘Carly’s Voice’.
Read more...
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Mayflower & SMS musical theatre course
Southampton Music Service and The Mayflower Theatre worked together to provide pupils from various primary and secondary schoools an opportunity to take part in a Musical Theatre Course throughout January. The course included a tour of the theatre, theatre singing workshops, and tickets to see a matinee performance of The Sound Of Music (Primary) and Saturday Night Fever (secondary).
One teacher from Moorlands Primary school said "It was simply
wonderful. The children loved the whole experience and were buzzing the
next day!"
In other news...
Two spaces remaining for Southampton music service Berlin exchange
SMS are looking for secondary school musicians with a Grade 3 minimum to join them in commemorating 70 years since the end of WWII. Southampton Music Services have specially commissioned a musical, with it’s premiere set to take place in Southampton. Working together with a group from the Anne Frank Secondary School in Berlin, students will participate in a residential week, rehearsing and performing “Who writes history?”, a specially commissioned piece of musical theatre exploring the “Kindertransport” of 1938 – 1940 where Jewish refugee children travelled alone from Germany to England.
Booking details, costs and further information is available here.
Stagecoach Associate Diploma in Performance Arts (ADPA)
Are you teaching the performing arts in a part-time setting? Stagecoach Theatre Arts school now have a Level 4 Internationally recognised teaching qualification for all who teach or work in the performing arts. Prices start at £225 for the two day fast track course, for information visit this link or email lhowes@stagecoach.co.uk |
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Southampton music services school instrument concert days and ensembles
From 23 Feb SMS staff will be taking part in a week-long series of
performances in Southampton Junior and Primary schools with the aim of bringing
live music into schools, encouraging young people to engage with music and
encourage them to take up learning an instrument.
This is the
first programme of live music. SMS will be presenting in schools in
the coming year, and are developing plans to bring live music into Secondary
schools in the future.
Despite the snowy weather (as seen outside Beechwood School below) all Music Services ensemble rehearsals went ahead as planned. If you are interested in joining an ensemble it's not too late to join one, click here for more information.
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