Welcome... Jill Larner Head of Hampshire Music Service

Hampshire Music Education Hub HUB Newsletter 21 Summer 2020

At the beginning of March, the county youth ensembles came together for the first time in many years for a joint performance at the Chairman’s Concert. The evening included performances from the county youth band, choir, jazz centre, orchestra and wind ensemble and ended with all ensembles joining together to perform the finale from Mahler’s third symphony. The standard of playing from everyone was phenomenal and was enjoyed by the public, proud parents and guests alike. This was certainly a highlight of the year for all involved!

www.hants.gov.uk

Please see our website for news and forthcoming events: www.hants.gov.uk/hms Working for the benefit of all our partner organisations. Contact us with your news, comments and suggestions: music.service@hants.gov.uk , facebook.com/hantsmusichub, @HantsMusicHub

Chairman’s Concert

This term has seen some significant changes in the activities here at Hampshire Music Service and the Hampshire Music Education Hub. The start of the spring term was busy with preparations for a number of concerts, residentials and other events. Whilst we were lucky to be able to hold some of these, including the Chairman’s Concert and My Voice; Our Song, both at The Anvil, one of our hub partners, many others were sadly postponed. However, we have pulled together to ensure that music-making can continue during the Covid-19 lockdown. From everything from online learning resources and virtual lessons, to our ensemble members taking part in virtual recitals, it has been wonderful to see the imaginative ways our pupils, ensemble members and staff have kept in contact with each other, and kept on playing and singing. I look forward to the day when we can once again do all this together! Stay safe, and we will see you soon. More information about all our activities can be found on our website: www.hants.gov.uk/hms

Partnership news & events across Hampshire

Hampshire Music Youth Forum What a difference a couple of months makes! It was only two months ago that we were enjoying a varied range of music that ensembles and choirs were showcasing at the first ever Hampshire Music Youth Forum (HMYF) concert. Now stuck in lockdown, the musicians across Hampshire are still finding a way to perform together, even if it’s from the comfort of their own home! On 25 of February we were entertained by both school and area groups, brought together by the first HMYF concert at Winchester Baptist Church. We experienced Mountbatten School Junior Big Band, Hampshire County Junior Choir, and Westgate School Brass Quintet performing, as well as a variety of soloists. This concert was the first of its kind, premiered in an aim to bring together and unite musicians from all across Hampshire - a huge success! That was then, but now not even lockdown and social distancing can prevent our musicians from making music. A number of HMS ensembles have started to share virtual performances online, proving that our music can't be stopped. Hampshire County Youth Wind Ensemble (HCYWE) released their first virtual performance of the 1st movement of Malcolm Arnold’s Four Scottish Dances; Hampshire County Youth Orchestra (HCYO) released various videos of their members performing from home and there are the fantastic Friday Evening Recitals from various ensembles. We just loved seeing the Happy Birthday Captain Tom performance from HMS staff and Hampshire County Youth Choir members, with more to follow in the same footsteps. Hampshire Music Service has also been delivering online lessons, which is allowing Hampshire's musicians to continue learning and progress on their instruments from home. If HMS have taught us one thing, it is that no matter what, music plays an instrumental part in students’ lives across the county, and even the country. So much so, that we'll continue making music, and HMYF will continue bringing musicians together virtually until we can meet in person. Until then, the big question is…who is Barnaby??

Author: Matthew Jones, Yr.10, HCYWE member

A change in routine This newsletter would normally be packed with the news and events from the past term but due to the current situation, many of these have sadly been cancelled or postponed. Among these were: the Giant Sing, a mass singing event with Barnaby Bear for KS1 pupils, the WASO 50th Anniversary concert due to take place at The Anvil, several other HMS ensemble concerts, the annual HCYO course at Bryanston and others.

Happy Birthday Colonel Tom! Thursday 30 April was the 100th birthday of Captain Sir Thomas Moore, now honorary Colonel Thomas Moore, who raised over £30 million for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden. To celebrate with him, HMS staff and members of the Hampshire County Youth Choirs put together a heart-warming virtual performance. Arranged by Jock McKenzie and produced by Greg Walker, the piece of music included renditions of Happy Birthday and For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow, as well as the official march of the Duke of Wellington’s regiment, of which Colonel Tom was a part. A kind message of thanks was sent from Colonel Tom’s grandson and many HMS families sang along to the video after the 8pm clap for carers that day. Well done everybody!

Published 16.06.2020

Partnership news & events across Hampshire

HMS New Provision for 2020-21! It is once again the time of year for schools to request their Hampshire Music Service provision, but this year is slightly different. HMS are excited to offer eight new and exciting provision opportunities to schools in Hampshire. These include a range of offerings from early access KS1 singing to CPD for school staff. Within these are also Beyond the Beat and Rock2theBeat, two new and innovative programmes for whole-class and group-instrumental teaching that focus on the fun and teamwork that comes with ensemble playing. HMS is particularly excited about these as they run on a largely direct to

parent basis, a new way of working for the music service. Information about all these offers has been sent to schools, ready for starting in September 2020.

Where Are They Now? In this segment, we hear about ex-members and pupils of Hampshire Music Service and what they are doing, having left to go into further education or the workplace. Laura Rickard, violinist, was a member of HMS ensembles, leaving for higher education in 2012. After studying at the Royal Academy of Music, where she gained a first class honours degree, Laura has performed all over the world with renowned musicians and ensembles at highly esteemed venues. Some of these include the Los Angeles Philharmonic, performing with Rachel Podger at the Wigmore Hall and the London Philharmonic. Most recently, Laura has joined the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment on an extensive tour of South East Asia and performances at Glyndebourne. It is wonderful to hear that Laura is enjoying such an exciting professional career and it is fantastic that she still makes the time to support local music at the Romsey Chamber Music Festival.

A New Way of Learning Despite the majority of pupils in Hampshire remaining at home this term, Hampshire Music Service has been able to continue teaching many of its pupils in a new way. As well as a vast database of online resources, including everything from video demos to technical exercises, teachers now have the facility to teach their pupils in real time through a virtual platform. Schools, HMS teachers, parents and mostly importantly pupils have embraced this new way of learning with some fantastic results: “Thank you for the videos you sent, they will help me a lot with my songs!” “Online lessons are the highlight of his week. I just wanted to take this opportunity to express my thanks for all at HMS for setting up this enormous endeavour.” Whilst we cannot wait to get back into schools and rehearsals, this unprecedented situation has pushed the music service to new levels of creativity and innovation that present exciting possibilities for the future.

Making Music Together – Participate, Enjoy, Achieve!

Tel: 023 8065 2037 Fax: 023 8061 8241 Email: music.service@hants.gov.uk

www.hants.gov.uk/hms

Partnership news & events across Hampshire

Bitesize Hub Highlights

Thank you for your interest in Hub activities. Look out for the next newsletter in the autumn term

Rather than highlighting our upcoming events, as we would normally do, this issue will highlight some great moments from the previous term. Below is a selection of images taken at events and projects across the county. We look forward to when we can get back to normal and share new moments like these!

My Voice; Our Song In March, pupils from across Hampshire joined us at The Anvil in Basingstoke for My Voice; Our Song. This project, taking place in primary schools during the autumn and spring terms, offered workshops focusing on using group singing to support mental health and emotional wellbeing. In the March performance, participating schools got to perform together the songs learnt during workshops. Choirs from Amery Hill School and The Hamble School and a band of teachers took part, supporting the younger pupils and performing their own songs. The event was a fantastic way to bring together the work achieved during the vocal workshops with HMS and by individual schools.

#stayathomewithbarnaby Barnaby Bear has been keeping everyone entertained with his antics at home. He has tried his hand at everything from gardening to baking, as well as keeping up his instrument practice! Check out the Hampshire Music Hub Instagram account to see what he’s been up to @hantsmusichub or search for #stayathomewithbarnaby