Last week saw the end of term for MfE’s Daytime Groups, with concerts from all the Daytime Voices choirs and orchestras – see some of the groups in action below!

On Saturday, the Nottingham Chamber Singers held their ‘Words & Music’ concert in St Mary’s Church in Clifton Village – a fantastic performance for a summers evening and enjoyed by all!

Well done to all our groups for their hard work this term – looking forward to returning to the music making in September!


To fit with the hot weather we are currently enjoying – a Desert Island Discs special!

Let’s start with the theme tune, a desert island disc in its own right. ‘By the Sleepy Lagoon’ composed by Eric Coates has introduced the BBC Radio series Desert Island Discs since 1942 and is still used today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMMS4I6f7o4

Some of the most requested composers on Desert Island Discs include Beethoven and Elgar. Take a listen to these tunes and let the hot weather fool you into believing you’re sat on a desert island… What would you choose to take with you?

Elgar – Enigma Variations ‘Nimrod’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8NOVGHJmRs

Conducted by Leonard Bernstein and performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra in 1982.

Beethoven – Symphony No.6 ‘Pastoral’ 1st movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zKiDXbwdR0

Performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker.

If you enjoyed this, why not listen to our Open Voices leader, Cliff McArdle, choose his own Desert Island Discs with the U3A Beeston via Zoom on Wednesday evening, 6.30pm – link to join below.

Join Zoom Meeting (Wednesday from 6.30pm)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81037019352?pwd=eElwNTNrVFNIeUJtQStsWEtYcVZpQT09

Meeting ID: 810 3701 9352
Passcode: 068509


  • Amazon DOUBLE DONATIONS Prime Day alert!
    If you shop Amazon Prime Day deals on 12 & 13 July, Amazon will double donations: Simply shop with AmazonSmile ON in the Amazon Shopping app or at smile.amazon.co.uk/ch/1153412-0, and AmazonSmile donates to Music For Everyone.


Have a good week!

Your friends at MfE.

11/07/2022

admin@music-for-everyone.org

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

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#MfEMondays are Music for Everyone’s weekly emails designed to keep you up to date with MfE events & to circulate interesting finds, special features, and motivational moments for your Mondays! We are aiming to send out something new each week.

If you follow MfE on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) you may have seen a lot of activity last Thursday when we spent a ‘Day in the Life of…’ following Josh on his busiest day working for MfE. Josh conducts the Daytime Orchestras, Thursday youth bands, Strictly Strings groups and accompanies the Lunchtime Voices – a total of six groups! Four of these groups meet on a Thursday and we posted regular updates so everyone can see a typical day in the MfE world!

Here is a recap of his pictures for those that missed it or were not able to see it. In between many rehearsals, Josh pops into the office for an admin catch up and a trip to Windblowers to collect some music!

If you don’t already follow us, all the links to join Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are at the bottom of this e-newsletter.


As we move into May with the first glimmers of summer on the horizon, surely we should have a spring in our step and joy and hopefulness in our hearts? Unfortunately with the cost of living crisis, the various debacles in Westminster and ongoing situation in Ukraine, you might be feeling less than positive at the moment!

However, here at MFE, we firmly believe in the life changing and affirming power of music, and it would seem that we are not alone in this thinking –

“Life seems to go on without effort when I am filled with music”. – George Eliot

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything”. – Plato

“Music produces a kind of pleasure which nature cannot do without”. – Confucius

“As long as we live, there is never enough singing”. – Martin Luther

Most of us will have experienced a situation when listening to music or participating in music-making has brought much-needed relief or sense of perspective back into our lives. When we came across this video of the Kiev Symphony Orchestra playing Ukrainian composer Maksym Berezovsky’s Symphony No. 1, it certainly blew away some of the storm clouds away and let the warmth of the sunshine appear again. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/VviWab5J2ao


  • If you have a spare few minutes, why not try your hand at this Guess the Classical Composer quiz? Let us know if you get them all correct. Good luck! https://youtu.be/H2H0IoBB5os

Have a good week!

Your friends at MfE.

09/05/2022

admin@music-for-everyone.org

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

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#MfEMondays are Music for Everyone’s weekly emails designed to keep you up to date with MfE events & to circulate interesting finds, special features, and motivational moments for your Mondays! We are aiming to send out something new each week.

Congratulations to both Daytime Orchestras (Loughborough and Nottingham) for their fantastic end of term performances last week. Josh is incredibly proud of you all and looking forward to attacking the new repertoire in the summer term. New players are always welcome, especially in the string and brass sections!!  If you know of anyone who might be interested please let them know. For more details visit: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/whats-on/adult-music/daytime-orchestra/ or email josh@music-for-everyone.org

The Lullaby Bank has also had another successful term. Working in partnership with Inspire, Rachel Parkes has been leading the sessions for babies aged 0-9 months and their parents in West Bridgford and Beeston libraries. The groups offer the chance to sing and listen to melodies from around the world and provide a calm space for parents to bond with their babies. More details about the groups can be found via this link: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/health-well-being/the-lullaby-bank/

 


Musicians worldwide have been joining forces to show their solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

Violinists from around the world have joined together to perform the Ukrainian folk song “Verbovaya Doschechka”.  Illia Bondarenko a violinist in Kyiv filmed himself playing in a basement shelter along with nine other young violinists sheltering in Ukraine. They were accompanied in harmony by 94 violinists from 29 countries. He had to film in between the explosions because he could not hear himself play.  https://youtu.be/mQSIeD-x6dQ

The sheet music is available to download here for anyone on any instrument who wishes to create their own recording to raise support for those affected by the crisis.

In Nottingham last weekend members of the Nottingham Philharmonic Orchestra and friends joined together to play at the Brian Clough statue just off the Market Square. They performed the Ukrainian National Anthem and You Will Never Walk Alone to raise money for Ukrainian refugees.


 

  • If you’re in need of a soothing lullaby here is a jazzy take on the classic Brahms Lullaby by legendary pianist Dave Brubeck recorded as a gift to his grandchildren: https://youtu.be/fzLDcX-lG98

Have a good week!

Your friends at MfE.

04/04/2022

admin@music-for-everyone.org

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

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#MfEMondays are Music for Everyone’s weekly emails designed to keep you up to date with MfE events & to circulate interesting finds, special features, and motivational moments for your Mondays! We are aiming to send out something new each week.

A wonderful time was had by all on Saturday at our Family Sing day! It was a great turn out, in spite of fears that the glorious weather may tempt people away from singing and into the garden! A huge thank you and well done to all the children, parents, grandparents, friends and families who came along. We hope you enjoyed it just as much as we did!

Daytime Concerts!

This week our fantastic Daytime Orchestras are both giving informal concerts under the baton of our Principal Instrumental Animateur Josh,

to mark the end of the Spring term. Do come along to All Saint’s Church, Loughborough to hear music by Dvorak, Coates, Strauss and more on Tuesday 29th at 11am, and to St Martin’s Church, Sherwood, to hear works Schumann, Sibelius, Mendelssohn and more on Thursday 31st at 11am.

Beethoven lovers – Bookwise still has the Beethoven Book list available and the CD list is now also available from the donation of the gentleman lover and devotee of Beethoven who is terminally ill. Please email Jane McDermott at jachmcd@gmail.com and she will email you lists – available on a first come, first served basis.


As the end of our Spring Term nears, and we complete our regular groups’ end-of-term concerts this week, we are reminded of our favourite Leonard Bernstein quotation:

“To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan, and not quite enough time.”


  • Tomorrow, 29th March, marks 120 years since the birth of celebrated British composer William Walton (1902-1983). We are delighted to be including his rousing Agincourt Song in the programme for our summer school, for which places can be booked here. In case you need a bit of get and up and go this Monday, here’s his equally rousing Spitfire Prelude and Fugue — guaranteed to help you attack this week’s to-do list!

Have a good week!

Your friends at MfE.

28/03/2022

admin@music-for-everyone.org

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

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#MfEMondays are Music for Everyone’s weekly emails designed to keep you up to date with MfE events & to circulate interesting finds, special features, and motivational moments for your Mondays! We are aiming to send out something new each week.

This week saw all of our regularly rehearsing groups spring back into action! Four Daytime Voices choirs, two Daytime Orchestras, three Open Voices groups, one Flute Choir, one Swing Band, one Lunchtime Voices choir, one Chamber Choir, two Youth String groups and three Youth Wind bands! That’s approximately 500 people in one week. And all of them delighted to be back making music together.

Perhaps you weren’t aware of the wide variety of groups that MFE run on a regular basis. Do have a look at our website www.music-for-everyone.org to see information about all these groups and the upcoming youth and adult events.

In last week’s MFE Mondays we mentioned the Nottingham Festival Chorus workshop on Saturday 5th February. At the end of the workshop there will be free concert starting at 4:30 featuring music by Mendelssohn, Handel, Haydn and Faure. If you would like to attend, please order your pass by following this link https://www.music-for-everyone.org/nfc-concert-passes/


Many of us make New Year’s resolutions and often fail to continue them beyond the end of January! However, some people choose to make a musical New Year’s resolution. Here are a few examples –

“My goal in 2022 is to dedicate myself to practicing regularly for my weekly keyboard class so I can expand my musical horizons!” Project Manager

“My 2022 New Year’s resolution is to sing better even if it’s only the car or the shower.” Designer

“My music resolution is to play my trumpet regularly again. It’s just sitting in the case right now collecting dust. Thus year I’m going to get it back out and play more often!” Office administrator

“I don’t play any instruments, but I’m an avid music listener.  My goal is to find a new artist to listen to every month this year.” Web developer

What will your musical resolution be this year? Do let us know.


  • Why not start the year off by testing your musical knowledge? This online quiz is great fun but might have you scratching your head on some of the questions – http://classicaltest.net/  Congratulations if you manage 100%!

Have a good week!

Your friends at MfE.

24/01/2022

admin@music-for-everyone.org

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

Like us on Facebook

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*Support us with easyfundraiser*

#MfEMondays are Music for Everyone’s weekly emails designed to keep you up to date with MfE events & to circulate interesting finds, special features, and motivational moments for your Mondays! We are aiming to send out something new each week.

You did it! THANK YOU for all your votes for our Aviva Community Fund bid, Sound Waves. Because of you, we are through to the next round – the judging panel. We’ll hear their decision at the end of January and will let you know.

image1So HAVE A BISCUIT – baked by EOES alto, Karen – at the jolly East of Singers concert, ‘A Village Christmas’ in St Mary’s, Bunny, 7.30pm Saturday 2 Dec. There will be carols spanning 600 years, a wassail cup and biscuits, readings, and carols for you to join in singing. Tickets online here today and tomorrow, or by phoning the office on 0115 958 9312  From Saturday, tickets on the door only, so book early to secure a seat.

MfE 2Music for Everyone is supporting the CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL at All Saints Church, Steeple Row, Loughborough.  Pop along to visit the stunning church, decorated with over 130 trees, plus craft stalls and the all important coffee and cake stall! Ends this Sunday. You’ll find a warm welcome, and we hope we’ll inspire more folk join our Loughborough Daytime Choir on Mondays 10.00-12.00, or our Daytime Orchestra, Tuesdays 10.00-12.00. For more information on these groups please visit our website

And talking of SINGING, why not come to the Market Square – the steps of the Council House – to sing traditional carols and entertain the city? 10.30am-12noon on Saturday 9 December. There will be no need for you to bring Carol books as you will be provided with the brand new MfE Carol Collection! All singers welcome, bring your friends. Angela Kay will be conducting – perhaps with the help of a grandchild or six. The fair leaves us to entertain customers and kindly turns off its own music. Nothing stops us, so wrap up warm!