Autumn Events

It's been a fun week planning a mini suite of autumn events for us all in the East Midlands. So far we have an Audience Development seminar in Nottingham, a discussion about learn to sing courses and attracting new members in Leicester and hopefully a partnership event with Cultivate East Midlands about online marketing. And for those of you in the Welland area we're cooking up a get together to be held at Oakham school.

Between planning events and updating and improving the website time has been spent this week developing ways to encourage volunteering in the region. Watch this space and enjoy the weekend.

Choral awards for young people

To celebrate their 20th birthday Daventry Choral Society are delighted to offer this new award with the aim to encourage young people to join the choir. Four awards worth £240 are available for young people between the ages of 16-25 years and who are interested in singing in a large choir. Rehearsals take place at the Methodist Church, Daventry each Tuesday in term time, from 7.30 – 9.30pm. Click here to download an application form.

Music theory for singers

Sing in a choir but don’t know what the dots mean? A class for singers who want to learn to read music is being run by local community choir Fosse Singers. It aims to teach the basics of sight reading music and music theory in the context of a choir, though it is suitable for instrumentalists also.

Tuesday 2nd November at the Fosse Neighbourhood Centre, Leicester from 7-8:45pm £5

‘Don’t be put off by music theory – this class will help you to understand what the dots mean. Lots of singers who have a basic understanding of reading music find that it helps them learn songs faster and enhances their singing experience. We aim to make this evening as useful and simple as possible.’ Hannah Brine, leader of Fosse Singers

For more info and to book a place contact fossesingers@hotmail.com

Learn to sing this autumn

Wow - this autumn sees a whole range of opportunities for those interested in singing. Whether you're a seasoned soprano or a lapsed school chorister - whether you've never sung before in your life now's the time.

There are free learn to sing courses being held in Nottingham, Leicester and Derby this autumn so sign up soon and get yourself singing.

Please check the Making Music website for more details: Click here.

Join or enjoy a singing event over the weekend of 1st - 3rd October. The event is open to everyone of all abilities and the 123sing! website is packed full of ideas to help people get involved. Events can range from a concert for the community to a karaoke night with friends and neighbours, a singing workshop for beginners to a talent show at school or in the office. All types of music are welcome, so whether you love classical or pop, rock or musicals, you can get involved. Simply check out www.classicfm.com/123sing.

25 Choirs in Leicester

Loros have organised a 25 year anniversary concert which will be held tomorrow in Birstall, Leicester. 25 local choirs will be singing for 25 minutes each from 2.30pm - 9pm at Longslade Community College in Birstall.

The entrance fee is only £2.50 you can come and go as you please, stay for as long or as little as you like. Refreshments and a raffle and all proceeds go to Loros. Get on down there and enjoy some singing!

Brant Broughton Festival

If you don't make it to Glastonbury this summer then look no further than the Brant Broughton village festival. This year the residents of the village have organised a one-day event that includes live acts from across the country, workshops, real ale, activities for the youngsters. And all for under £15!

Visit the website for further inforamation.

Join the Summer Sundae Festival Scratch Choir

For the first time audiences flocking to this year’s Summer Sundae Weekender festival can take to the stage, as part of a specially commissioned festival choir. Festival audiences will rehearse on the Friday and Saturday, with participants then performing a handful of well known songs to a packed comedy tent on the Sunday. The choir is led by local voice practitioner Hannah Brine and is suitable for anyone with a love and interest in singing.

Taking part is easy. Register by the 9th August 2010 by sending an email with your name, contact details, and a list of any previous singing experience to summersundaechoir@gmail.com. Places are limited. For more details: www.summersundae.com

Working with young people?

The government has announced that it has put on hold plans to launch the new Vetting and Barring Scheme in England and Wales next month.

Until further notice, there will no longer be a requirement either for individuals working with children and vulnerable adults to register with the new scheme, nor for employers to verify the status of employees and volunteers on the register. This was originally intended to become a legal obligation for new employees and volunteers from November 2010, and for existing employees and volunteers from August 2015.

Instead, the current system whereby organisations use the CRB disclosure service in England and Wales to conduct criminal records checks for individuals working with children, in association with other child safeguarding measures they might implement as part of a wider policy, will continue to apply.

For further information click here.

African Sanctus at Derby Cathedral 10th July

The Derbyshire Singers will be performing a really exciting looking concert at Derby Cathedral next month. The chosen piece is David Fanshawe’s internationally acclaimed “ African Sanctus”.

The work blends elements of the Latin Mass & Anglican Liturgy with traditional African music based on unique recordings Fanshawe collected while hitch-hiking down the Nile from Egypt through Sudan, Uganda and Kenya to Lake Victoria in the early 1970’s.

The composer says that: “ After meeting a remarkable African of the Luo tribe named Mayinda Orawo – the ‘ Hippo Man ‘, he decided to change the title of the original work to ” African Sanctus “ (Holy Africa) The ‘Hippo Man’ represents the symbolic figurehead of all the legends and myths of Africa, at the same time he represents Africa as it is today – a changing world and one that I want to praise in my music”.

Tickets: £16; concessions £14; !8yrs and under £7 from Natural Choice, Ashbourne 01335 346096,(cards accepted) and Geoff Stevens, Matlock 01629 583630 or on the door.

East Midlands Peace Choir

So how does an East Midlands based choir become the personal UK peace choir to the Archbishop Desmond Tutu?

Choir Invisible are the Archbishop's 'Peace Choir', and are pioneering the role, with the aim of rolling the model out to create a network of ten international 'Peace Choirs' all singing as a force for good in the world. Choir Invisible now supports the Archbishop's work, singing their unique repertoire: songs about our common humanity that bring people together, fill them with hope and inspire them to act for the greater good.

It all began in July 2008 with a phone call out of the blue to Sally Brown, the Director of Choir Invisible. "I thought it was a joke," Sally says, "It was someone from Stoke on Trent claiming they'd like the choir to go and sing for Gordon Banks, Pele and Archbishop Desmond Tutu!"

Visit their website to follow the story: www.choirinvisible.co.uk

Lincoln Drill Hall

Last Thursday, 25th February, we held the first of our winter events in Lincoln at the Drill Hall. There were over twenty music makers who came to join Making Music, MusicLeader, Musicians' Union and the Arts Council in an evening get together. We met up after work just to enjoy a light bite and a drink and a catch up with music makers in the locality. Beth Noble, the Arts Council East Midlands - Music Participation Officer - kindly led us through some of the important changes that are happening at the arts council and informed us of some very interesting new projects and opportunities. It was great to meet so many member groups of Making Music and hear of the exciting events and concerts you're all involved with.

I also had a trip up to London (or down?!) to meet up with the other regional workers for Making Music. We have a quarterly team meeting where we catch up with who's doing what. A cold trip down with snow covered fields in Northamptonshire as I parted - all melted the day after on the return journey.

Busy busy - plenty of emails about the new website to deal with, articles for newsletters to write, catering arrangements to confirm. Phew. This weeks a little quieter. Becky x

Websites part ii

It's been a hectic week trying to get the newsletter out for Monday morning. The e-bulletin went out and a flurry of correspondence ensued which is always fun. Queries about links, info, dates etc. The next bulletin will go out on Friday 16th April so make you that you send me any news pieces for inclusion a week before (at least!)

Mukesh (one of our project volunteers) and I met up on Monday and spend hours frantically adding information to the group profiles on the website. With about 50 down that only leaves another 150. Click here to view the music group profiles on the website. And do get in touch to find out how to add your own music group details.

Today I met up with Scott Williams who is our regional representative for Volunteering England and their Olympic Games volunteering legacy. It was interesting to learn how Volunteering England are hoping to encourage longer term volunteering through harnessing the interest that the games generates. They're looking for volunteer roles that are linked to projects inspired by the 2010 Olympic Games - these they can advertise on a special website. Learn more here

Other tasks this week have been dealing with bookings for the forthcoming events; general member advice; writing articles for our national e-bulletin and preparing for our team meeting in London next week.

When away from Making Music work I've managed to write and record a song and am off to a training day about leading songwriting sessions. Great and now it's time for bed!
Happy Music Making,
Becky

New Website

Yippee. At long last we've finally got the new website to a state in which we're happy for it to 'go public'. There's still a fair amount of work to be carried out but we hope that it'll still be a useful place for you all to visit.

There's a calendar that you can enter details of all of your up and coming events and it can also be used as an anti-clash feature. If you are a member of Making Music you can login to the members area. Please email me to gain your login and passwords.

We're hoping to be a first point of call for Come Sing listings and useful music related news. Well have a visit and let us know what we need to be improving. www.makingmusiceastmidlands.org.uk


Last week I attended a 3 day first aid training course in Loughborough with the St John ambulance. Not only was it a lot of fun I'm just looking forward to dealing with any cut shins or damaged wrists at our next ARM. Now that I'm an official First Aider.

Right ho - just off into town to meet with Neelam who is setting us up with a regional Facebook and Myspace site.

Becky x

Website on its way!

This week I've been completing the organisation of our trio of winter events. Making Music East Midlands are running three events in partnership with Music Leader East Midlands. Events are taking place in Lincoln, Northampton and Derby in February and March 2010.

I've also been working with our web designer on our new East Midlands regional website. If all goes to plan it'll be up and running later today.

In a bid to be very organised I've completed my 2009 regional report where I've evaluated and reported upon all of the activities undertaken in our regional plan. Things are looking good and I'm pleased to report we achieved a fair few things but are upping the ante for 2010!

Well must dash - some guitar practice calls.

Happy New Year Happy New Year

Here I am basking the fridge-like climes of our front room movement only slighly hampered by the large woollen duffle coat I'm forced to don in a bid to avoid hypothermia and other likely diseases.

Back to the grindstone this week after a gentle break over Christmas. The ten days rest was marred only by slight niggling arguments with family and the theft of my new car, guitar, suitcase, Christmas presents and my Joan Armatrading CD.

So it's good to be back looking at Making Music business and planning for the year ahead. Work began with reorganising the filing system. Relabeling and archiving old files and I'm now ready to open the real 'to-do' list.

We're working on the regional volunteering plans and have whipped together a volunteering policy which is receiving comments and recommended edits. Our Leicester based volunteers, Landy and Mukesh, have very kindly helped in preparing other vital docuements.

We're also working on an interactive map of Music Groups in the East Midlands which will be a work in progress.

Aside from drafting dates for future workshops not an awful lot else to report at this early stage in the working diary!

Happy New Year.
Becky