Carmel Smickersgill describes the culmination of her collaboration with the Junior Leeds College of Music Ensemble Creative as part of Adopt a Composer 2019/20.
I’m just on the train back from Leeds, full of energy and excitement after this morning’s session with the ensemble. We rehearsed and filmed the new piece in a fast-paced and intensive, but productive session.
If your group is a charity and wishes to continue holding electronic or hybrid meetings, you might need to update your governing documents.
Throughout the Covid pandemic, the Charity Commission for England and Wales took a flexible approach towards charities’ meetings to ensure they could still operate safely. Charities could meet online, by phone or have hybrid meetings, and could also postpone or cancel general meetings (AGM, SGM), even if their governing documents did not allow this.
Hayley Hodges of Voices of Exmoor talks about her group's creative workshop with their AaMC collaborator Hannah Fredsgaard-Jones.
The atmosphere was filled with nervous anticipation as we arrived on Saturday 9th April to take part in a creative workshop with our music creator, Hannah.
We had to use our brains right from the word go, as even the warm-up involved singing and movement – at the same time! We learnt how to use visualisation to help with breath control and we became more relaxed as we began to sing and harmonise with each other.
Welsh text below / Testun Cymraeg isod
Making Music is pleased to announce the appointment of Miranda Glen as its new manager in Wales.
Bringing a wealth of experience working in the charity sector, Miranda will support Making Music member groups in Wales and undertake campaigning and advocacy on their behalf, as well as the Welsh leisure-time music community in general.
Making Music was sad to hear of the passing of Tom Hammond (1974-2021), a former staff member and conductor of many of our member groups.
Tom was known across London and the south-east as a passionate and enthusiastic conductor. He always put the music first and was a champion for increasing access to music and enabling the understanding of it, bringing the composer to life from the notes on the page.
Workshop coordinator Carol Robinson of Dartington Community Choir offers her reflections on the group's annual concert at Buckfast Abbey, south Devon.
Sheila Biegala of Ugie Voices and Foss Foster of Aberdeenshire Saxophone Orchestra (ASO) describe the grand finale of their performance of 'Rhymes and Recollections'.
What a wonderful feeling of warmth, a glow from the satisfaction of a job well done and an enthusiastic audience. Even the beautiful Acorn Centre glowed! From the moment we walked into the auditorium we felt welcome, and the appreciation lasted right down to the last minute.
On 5 May, there are local elections in many local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales. When your local candidates come knocking, you may want to talk to them about your music group.
Below we have put together some asks you could pass on to your candidates: issues at a local level we have become aware of through contact with members. Use them if relevant in your area and adapt them as necessary.
Some general thoughts:
Ben Lunn looks back at the last 16 months of socially-distanced rehearsals, Zoom videos, bell caps, face masks, and a storm that nearly stranded the conductor in Heathrow - culminating in the Ugie Voices and Aberdeenshire Saxophone Orchestra recording and performing his work, 'Rhymes and Recollections'.
Jon Box of Shrewsbury Symphony Orchestra explains how his group has decided to programme and play work by women composers over the past three years.
In 2019, we decided that our spring 2020 concert would be Ethyl Smyth’s The Wreckers: Overture, Lili Boulanger’s D’un matin de printemps and an Amy Beach symphony. This was quite a radical step, but it had the full support of the committee, as we believed that there is no justification for the absence of works by women composers from standard playlists.
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