YOUTH MUSIC

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMonday – 8th September 2025

8th September 2025 Music for Everyone

Well done to all the recorder players who came along to our playing day on Saturday. Over 40 people received expert tuition from László Rózsa and Nigel Martin. So much was achieved in the day!

Booking open for BANDWISE & STRINGWISE!

These workshop days for young wind, brass, percussion and string players are a great way to build confidence and play alongside other young musicians from across the region. All players come together for the Big Youth Music Experience concert on Sunday 16 November at Nottingham’s Albert Hall. Booking details below – please share with any young musicians you know!

Bandwise: Saturday 8 November, concert Sunday 16 November

https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/byme-bandwise/

Stringwise: Sunday 9 November, concert Sunday 16 November

https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/byme-stringwise/

We are also taking bookings for our Christmas Vocals course for children ages 5-14, you can find out more information here

Our Youth Groups start back w/c 15^th September – new members welcome, just get in touch with anna@music-for-everyone.org to arrange a free taster session.

And now some very sad news,

Andrew James MBE, chair of MfE 2006–2017, died on Saturday 30th August. He passed away peacefully at home. His wife Valerie and their children were with him.

Andrew was a remarkable man, an architect by profession, an active Quaker and social entrepreneur, selfless in his charitable work. He will be greatly missed by so many people but most of all by his family and close friends.

MfE owes Andrew a great deal and will always regard him with gratitude. He was a member of the Nottingham Festival Chorus and a supporter of all MfE events. Beyond that, however, as chair, he took crucial steps to secure the long-term success of MfE as a dynamic music education charity. He oversaw the updating of the Nottingham Choral Trust’s image through its re-branding as Music for Everyone. He negotiated and introduced a robust new constitution and legal status (Charitable Incorporated Organisation). It was Andrew who came up with the idea of Bookwise, a chain of second hand bookshops, run by volunteers, to provide a sustainable independent income stream for MfE. Bookwise continues to provide just the financial underpinning for MfE that Andrew first dreamed about.

An MfE Event coming soon – Voices of Venice concert (5pm-6.30pm) St Nic’s Church, Maid Marian Way, NG1 6AE

Enjoy an evening of glorious music by Monteverdi and Vivaldi with the Nottingham Chamber Singers and Nottingham Festival Chorus.

Click here to book tickets or call the office on 0115 9589312

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

08/09/2025

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

https://youtu.be/-4MBbnQXyZ4?si=OXXs1XdKFpE3PwXi

#MfEMonday – 7th July 2025

7th July 20257th July 2025 Music for Everyone

Our youth groups gave a fabulous Summer Showcase concert on Saturday. Well done to all the performers and special mention to Lyra (viola) and Layan (violin) from the East Midlands Youth String Orchestra for their wonderful solo performances. A big thank you to all the adult helpers who supported the players during the term. If you know any young string, wind or brass players who might be interested in joining please spread the word or share this link: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/whats-on/youth-music/

Last week our Daytime Voices groups held their end of term sharing concerts with the famous cake sales raising over £900 for our Open Voices groups!! Thanks to everyone who came and supported.

The Nottingham Daytime Orchestra gave a brilliant performance last Thursday including some challenging Schumann and a Pirates of Penzance medley. Loughborough Daytime Orchestra will be showcasing their work tomorrow so please come along if you can: 11am, Emmanuel Church, Loughborough LE11 3NW.

We look forward to seeing you all in September for lots more music-making. Booking for the autumn term opens very soon!

Summer School, 4th-6th August, Trent College

We are looking for alto sax players who would like to take part so please spread the word! The sax ensemble will be exploring pieces including Shostakovich’s Jazz Suite and Van Morrison’s Moondance under the expert guidance of Keiron Anderson.

Click here for full details and how to book: Course: Summer School 2025

Pimms and strawberries at the ready!! Wimbledon fever has gripped the nation so here are some musical links to SW19.

The iconic theme tune to ‘Wimbledon’ was composed by Roy Mansfield, written in 1970s – it was called ‘Light and Tuneful’ and not composed as a sports theme but written for a sound library available to TV companies. It just happened to be chosen by the BBC for the intro to the Wimbledon coverage. Another of his compositions ended up being chosen as the theme to ‘Grandstand”

Follow the link for an interview with Roy about his music: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0j88lxx

Throwback to Lockdown craziness with this rendition of the Wimbledon theme tune from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. It was recorded remotely during lockdown in June 2020:

Finally…Leading British violist Graham Oppenheimer demonstrates the ultimate viola joke by turning his instrument into a tennis racket, complete with expanding foam and ultra tough glaze. Those of a nervous disposition should look away now!

https://youtu.be/fmxP3qlWDuU?si=af8ezw-EwGUpWN2n

Nottingham Chamber Music festival takes place this week from 10th-13th July with some exciting events in store.

On Friday 11th July, the Villiers Quartet will be performing at St Mary’s Church, The Lace Market at 7.30pm

https://nottchamberfest.com/events/villiers-quartet-haydn-fung-schubert/

There is the chance for string players to join in a play along of Schubert’s Rosamunde quartet in the afternoon!

https://nottchamberfest.com/events/vq-discovery-schubert-rosamunde-play-along/

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

07/07/2025

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

Best Classical Music For Winter: Top 10 Pieces

#MfEMonday – 30th June 2025

30th June 2025 Music for Everyone

Daytime Voices Sherwood bid an emotional farewell to their conductor Greg Treloar at their end of term concert on Thursday. Greg is leaving Nottingham to take up a new teaching position at St Thomas’ in Battersea. We are really grateful for everything he has done to keep the Sherwood Daytime Voices thriving, and we wish him all the best for the future. We are delighted to announce that Owen Jones who currently leads the Wollaton group, will be taking over at the helm.

Our choral workshop at St Martin’s Sherwood on Saturday drew singers from across the region for a day of inspiring music-making. Led by renowned choral conductor Neil Ferris, our singers explored well-loved choral classics and delved into newly written partner works by contemporary composers. Neil’s warm, cheerful approach, expert technical guidance and deep musical insight left everyone energised and musically enriched, despite the heat! The workshop concluded with an informal performance, showcasing the remarkable progress made in just a few hours together.

Upcoming Events:

A Summer Celebration – Saturday 05 July, St Luke’s Church, West Bridgford, 3:30pm

Music for Everyone’s Strictly Strings, Youth String Orchestra & Youth Bands present a concert to celebrate summer!

Tickets are available online here, by calling the office on 0115 958 9312 or on the door.

Recorder Day – Saturday 06 September, NTU Clifton

We are thrilled to be joined by 2 recorder maestros, Laszlo Rozsa and Nigel Martin, for this workshop day! Book your place here or by calling the office on 015 958 9312

With temperatures continuing to rise, here is a lovely wintery playlist to help you keep cool!

Monday Night Live! Monday 30 June, 7-9pm, Sherwood Methodist Church.

A fun-packed evening of entertainment for all tastes. Music, even dance from performers who all meet to practise at Sherwood Methodist Church. Up to 10 acts including The Belters, Sherwood Chorus and The Rise Choirs.

Free entry with refreshments and cake (including Greg’s famous chocolate squares – if you know, you know!) available during the interval. All funds raised in aid of the church.

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

30/06/2025

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

World Drumming Workshops (1:10pm or 1:50pm)

#MfEMonday – 29th April 2025

28th April 2025 Music for Everyone

We had a marvellous, magical and mythical weekend at our Vocals singing workshop and concert! There was some fantastic singing so congratulations to everyone who took part. We are now looking forward to our Family Festival Day – Saturday 7th June (Middle Street, Beeston)

From World Drumming workshops to singing sessions for the whole family to take part in and music to enjoy in the garden, there is something for everyone. We’ll also have a cake stall, second hand bookshop, drinks and games/activities in and around the venue.

Workshops available to book in advance as follows (£8 per adult / £6 per child, Includes Festival Entry)

Lullaby Bank (2:30pm-3:15pm)

Family Sing Workshop (3:30pm-4:15pm)

Festival visitors – Pay on the day. Entry from 1pm – 4.30pm (£4 entry for adults, £2 for children over 5)If a workshop isn’t for you, come along and enjoy an afternoon of relaxed music from the Family Sing participants, MfE groups and other ensembles in the garden with a piece of cake and other activities. Charity bookshop Bookwise are bringing a selection of books and sheet music for you to browse. Music in the Garden from Music for Everyone groups including: Beeston Open Voices, SAM Big Band, Wollaton Daytime Voices, Nottingham Chamber Singers plus special guests: Second Time Around Folk Club and Beeston Community Drumming Circle (BC/DC)

COMING SOON…Meet the Composer Open Workshop – Sunday 11th May, 2 – 4.30pm University of Nottingham, Music DepartmentHave you ever wondered how a composer goes about writing a piece for choir and orchestra? This is your unique opportunity to find out!To celebrate their 40th Anniversary the Nottingham Chamber Singers have commissioned a piece for choir and string orchestra from the gifted, Nottingham-born composer, Libby Croad. Come along and watch, or sing with the choir, and be part of the creative process as Libby introduces and explores her new piece, ‘The Nightingale’

Click here for more information and to sign up or see the attached flyer.

As the world pays its respects to Pope Francis this week we reflect on his love of music.

We know from interviews, and his famed frequent trips to record stores, that he loved music. Pope Francis’ music library, curated by Cardinal Ravasi, is the home of over 2,000 CDs and 19 vinyl records, among which are albums by Édith Piaf and Elvis Presley as well as Wagner, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Piazzolla and Pärt from the revered performers and conductors Pope Francis loved.

“Among musicians, I love Mozart,” he said in a 2013 interview. “The ‘Et incarnatus est’ from his Mass in C minor is matchless; it lifts you to God!”

Some of you will have heard the Nottingham Festival Chorus perform Mozart’s ‘Mass in C minor’ in February. Click here to have a listen to the sublime ‘Et incarnatus est’: https://youtu.be/3JuMyBtszG0?si=BvOTX7ogW02DP6En

Call out for donations of bottles or chocolates!! At our Family Festival we will be running some tombola stalls! If you are able to donate a box of chocolates or a bottle of any kind (wine, shampoo, water bottle, olive oil etc.) please drop them into Bookwise Nottingham (10 Goose Gate, Nottingham, NG1 1FF) or hand them in to Rachel Parkes at DTV Hucknall, Southwell or West Bridgford!
Lincoln Choral Society have a concert coming up on 10^th May at Lincoln Cathedral. See attached flyer for further details.

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

28/04/2025

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

Choral Inspirations: Singing workshop day with Neil Ferris, Saturday 28 ^th June, 10am-5.30pm

#MfEMonday – 7th April 2025

7th April 2025 Music for Everyone

Well done to all our amazing youth groups for their ‘Spirit of Spring’ concert on Saturday at Sherwood Methodist Church. From Vivaldi and Mozart to ‘Music in the Dark’ by Danny Elfman performed in streaming sunlight (as it was a lovely afternoon!) there was a varied programme for all to enjoy! Here are a few photos of them in action!

Limited places available – don’t miss out!

We are excited to welcome Neil who is Chorus Director of the BBC Symphony Chorus so you may have seen him at the Proms! He is conductor of the professional chamber choir ‘Sonoro’ who will be joining us at the Summer School and has worked with some of the finest choirs in the UK. We can’t wait to see what he has in store.

The workshop day will include choral favourites from Bach, Brahms, Franck and Elgar which will be paired with new works with fresh re-imaginings of the same texts such as the two versions of Panis Angelicus below:

César Franck – Panis Angelicus (https://youtu.be/_j7-XOmlob8?si=wXBTttKW5jGgtCPn)
Rebecca Dale – Panis Angelicus ‘Reimagined’ (https://youtu.be/ezfbwdMCNsE?si=WTjCy_tlbVnlfIjR)

Don’t miss this incredible experience! click here to book online or call the MfE office on 0115 958 9312.

Summer School is also booking up fast – Clarinets and oboes now fully booked and last few places left for flutes! Please email anne@music-for-everyone.org if you would like to join a waiting list.

Plenty of places left for all voice parts. To book your place please click here or call the MfE office on 0115 958 9312.

You might have seen King Charles playing twinkle twinkle little star on the carrot last week. Did you know that London has it’s own Vegetable Orchestra seen here on Saturday Night Takeaway with Gary Barlow!

With the School Easter Holidays just starting, why not see what edible instruments you can make?

Here’s something to get you started: How To Turn A Carrot Into A Recorder

MfE Music Amnesty! – Please return any sheet music you can find belonging to MfE. There will be a box on the mezzanine at Nottingham Bookwise or music can be posted to the office.
An upcoming concert that may interest you: Sleaford Choral Society Concert – Saturday 12th April in St Denys, Sleaford, 7.30pm.

Tickets online and at door, details on poster attached.

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

07/04/2025

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMonday – 17th March 2025

17th March 202518th March 2025 Music for Everyone

March is off to a very musical start! One hundred singers came together for our West End to Broadway event on Saturday led by the inspirational Rachel Parkes and gave a fantastic performance of hits from the shows including Les Misérables, Wicked and Fiddler on the Roof. They were joined by members of Open Voices with hits from Mary Poppins and fantastic solos from The Greatest Showman and Les Miserables.

Sunday saw our Bandwise and Stringwise musicians taking part in the Big Youth Music Experience concert at the Albert Hall. Over 130 young people performed a wide variety of music from Handel’s Concerto Grosso to the theme from Wallace and Grommit!

All finishing with combined bands and strings with a rousing rendition of the Toreadors Song from ‘Carmen’.

Well done to everyone involved!

Exciting news! Big Give week is here!!

Music for Everyone has been accepted to Big Give’s ‘Arts for Impact’ Week starting tomorrow (Tuesday 18th March) for one week only and we need your help!

The Big Give is a fantastic match-funding platform that will double every pound we raise (up to £2,500). That means your donation goes twice as far in supporting our much-loved Open Voices groups. These sessions bring joy, music, and connection to so many, and with your help, we can continue the great work. See the attached flyer for more information.

For donations to be doubled, they must be made through our Arts for Impact campaign page using a valid debit or credit card from midday Tuesday 18th March to midday Tuesday 25th March. Look out for our messages from tomorrow with the link to donate!

Job vacancy! We are looking for maternity cover for the post of Youth Programme Co-ordinator, Marketing and Finance Officer. Please follow the link or see the attached advert for further details and forward on to anyone who might be interested. The closing date for applications is Friday 11^th April.

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

17/03/2025

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMonday – 10th March 2025

10th March 2025 Music for Everyone

This weekend has seen over 130 young instrumentalists attend the twice-annual Bandwise and Stringwise workshop days at South Nottinghamshire Academy. Lots of music-making and fun was had, we can’t wait to hear all the groups in their concert at the Albert Hall next Sunday!

Places are now full for the From West End to Broadway workshop day this coming Saturday 15^th March, but why not come and support the choir in their early evening concert!

Tickets available to buy in advance here: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/from-west-end-to-broadway/ or buy on the door, subject to availability.

The bar will be open from 4.30pm to grab a drink before the concert at 5pm.

It was International Women’s Day on Saturday 8^th March, so we’d like to take a moment to recognise all the incredible women in music, from composers, performers and conductors taking over the world, to the strong women of MfE!

One woman who has recently gained attention is the first full-time female musician in the New York Philharmonic, Orin O’Brien. A double bass player, she was hired under the baton of Leonard Bernstein and a documentary telling her story won an Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film at the recent 2025 Awards. ‘The Only Girl in the Orchestra’ is available to watch on Netflix and you can read more of her story here: https://www.classicfm.com/artists/new-york-philharmonic/orin-obrien-first-woman-orchestra-interview/

The Nottingham University and Chamber Choirs invite MfE members to their next concert on Saturday 22^nd March 7.30pm in the Great Hall, Trent Building. Featuring Will Todd’s Mass in Blue with singer Lorna James and guest jazz trio Sharp Little Bones. The programme is a gorgeous mix of French, jazz-inspired and Lenten music. Both choirs are conducted by MfE’s wonderful Rachel Parkes – come and support the next choral generation! Tickets and more information can be found here: https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/event/university-choir-chamber-choir-2/
Teak 1970s piano is available, in great condition – pictures below. If you, or anyone you know, community groups or individuals, are interested, please email us and we will put you in touch with the owner.
PIANO STOOL WITH MUSIC COMPARTMENT. If you need a stool to go with the piano, we also have one of those on offer too! Contact the office for more details.

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

10/03/2025

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMonday – 10th February 2025

10th February 2025 Music for Everyone

We’re having a quieter February at MfE so here’s a reminder of what’s coming up in March – it’s going to be a busy one!

Bandwise & Stringwise is still open for bookings. If you know a young musician, please encourage them to sign up to receive their music pack! Workshops take place over the weekend 8^th & 9^th March, followed by a joint concert on Sunday 16^th March at Nottingham’s Albert Hall!

To sign up for Bandwise, click here: BYME – Bandwise 2025

To sign up for Stringwise, click here: BYME – Stringwise 2025

From West End to Broadway – Musicals workshop day on Saturday 15^th March.

At the John Godber Centre in Hucknall, the day is lead by Rachel Parkes with guest compere Simon Theobald. With songs from Wicked, Les Miserables and Fiddler on the Roof.

Easter Images – a concert by the Nottingham Chamber Singers on Saturday 29^th March, 7.30pm.

St Peter’s Church, Ruddington.

A rich sequence of outstanding choral and instrumental pieces, linked by readings will take you on a reflective yet joyful Easter journey.

Book tickets here: NCS concert: Easter Images

We have recently started to create some short videos about the many wonderful music opportunities we have at Music for Everyone, here’s our first 2 videos (created and edited by Nathan Duffy) featuring West Bridgford Daytime Voices: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snN1lXlHzCI and West Bridgford Open Voices: https://youtu.be/M3e_t5IgGXU

Please share far and wide, more videos coming soon!

Hearing Words in a sea of noise

Student Akshaya Jeyasri from NTU is recruiting individuals aged above 18 years, who learn/practice MUSIC: singing (with less than 2 years of formal music training) for a research study as part of her PhD, which investigates how people understand speech in noisy situations and if practising a skill for 2 hrs a week benefit this.

Why is this study important?

Hearing in noisy situations is a skill which is found impaired in people even with normal hearing and it also declines with age. Engaging ourselves in learning a skill can help us manage with the decline. This study will help us to find out the factors which affects the normal processing and see how the short course could benefit this.

What does the study involve?

You will attend 2 lab visits at NTU City Campus

Visit 1 (~3 hours) Could be split between 2 sessions if required. Each visit involves completing several tasks, including one that measures your brain activity.

Visit 2 (~3 hours): after 8 weeks/sessions of your course. In which you will complete similar tasks as the first visit.

Interested or have questions? Follow this link https://forms.office.com/e/xm1RXzsmic to participate and gain a chance to win £50 prize voucher.

Please reach out for more information. Email: akshaya.kannan2023@my.ntu.ac.uk

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

10/02/2025

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#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 musical musings for your Mondays! We are aiming to send out something new each week.

#MfEMonday – 20th January 2025

20th January 2025 Music for Everyone

Our Nottingham Festival Chorus singers have been working hard preparing for their concert at the Albert Hall on 01 February. We are really looking forward to hearing them and our four exceptional soloists in this wonderful performance of Bach’s C Minor Mass. Please come along and support your friends and fellow musicians. Tickets can be purchased here, or by calling the office on 0115 958 9312.

Bandwise and Stringwise are open for booking! Music packs will be going out next week, so don’t miss out, book today!

The MfE Musicals workshop and concert is also open for booking. Enjoy the glitz and glam of the theatre with our special guest compere and baritone soloist Simon Theobald, conducted by MfE’s Assistant Artistic Director, Rachel Parkes, and accompanied by Angela Foan.

Did you know that Mozart’s C Minor Mass (as featured in our upcoming NFC Concert The Singing Bride), was left unfinished? But why? Was it due to a falling out with the Archbishop of Salzburg, did he lose interest after the death of his son Raimund Leopold, or was it simply a practical decision to put paid work first? Jane Jones explores this question in an article entitled Mozart’s Marriage Mass – or how to make peace with your parents.

Applications for the Danny Morris Memorial Trust Fund are now open. The object of the Trust Fund is to facilitate, further and promote the study of the French Horn and its literature by providing assistance for horn players towards the cost of purchasing instruments, music, music related technology or for tuition fees. Singers and players of other instruments may also apply, but French Horn players will be given preference. More information attached.

If your diary isn’t already full, here are a few events taking place in the next few weeks:

Nottingham Philharmonic Orchestra – Fire and Ice, Saturday 25 January.

Aled Jones presents the NPOs Family Prom in the Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, where there will be a battle between the two elemental forces – Fire and Ice. Fiery music to warm you up includes Fawkes the Phoenix from Harry Potter, the Infernal Dance from Stravinsky’s The Firebird , and the theme from Chariots of Fire. Along the way there’s a musical trip on the Polar Express and a sleigh ride courtesy of Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kije, plus the Skaters’ Waltz and Let it Go from Frozen. Tickets are available from the Royal Centre Box Office, trch.co.uk 0115 989 5555, or through members of the orchestra.

Rotary Young Musicians Concert – Saturday 25^th January 2025, The Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton

This concert, which is being organised by the Long Eaton and Belper & Duffield Rotary Clubs, aims to give young people an opportunity to perform in a professional environment to a paying audience. Any youngster who can play an instrument, sing, is in a band or a duo/trio/group etc is welcome to apply to take part. Application form attached. There is some flexibility on the date of submissions. For more information please initially contact Dave on dave.ashley782@hotmail.co.uk or on 07738 552178.

Sinfonia Viva – Durufle Requiem, Saturday 08 February

The choirs of Southwell Minster, Coventry Cathedral, Derby Cathedral and Leicester Cathedral are teaming up for the first time alongside Sinfonia Viva to perform the Requiem by French composer Maurice Duruflé. This imposing setting of the Latin mass has a timeless quality built on its incorporation of Gregorian chant. From now until January 31, Sinfonia Viva are offering local choir members a £3 discount (excluding concession tickets) for this performance. Enter the code DURUFLE3 at checkout to claim your discount.

Tickets can be booked directly from Sinfonia Viva at www.ticketsource.co.uk/sinfoniaviva or by calling 0333 666 3366.

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

20/01/2025