Nottingham Strictly Strings

#MfEMondays

Music for Everyone

With the Paralympics coming to a close, this month we have a look at music and musicians at the Paralympics.

Japanese violinist, Manami Ito, undoubtedly brought the 2020 motto ‘United by Emotion’ to life in her show-stealing performance at the opening ceremony in Tokyo, and this isn’t even her day job!  After losing her right arm in motorbike accident at the age of 20, Manami went on to defy the odds by not only becoming the first amputee nurse in Japan and competing as a swimmer in the 2008 and 2012 Paralympics, but thirteen years after her accident, with a new lightweight prosthetic arm and a specially made prosthetic bow, returning to playing the violin!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAhfnv-tlss

Welcome to the new look MfEMondays! Every week, we will be sharing interesting finds and a quick MfE update with you – we hope you enjoy it!

Our regularly rehearsing youth groups meet again from this week! If you know of any young musicians who are looking for an opportunity to join a group, please tell them about our FREE Come & Try sessions which are happening next week, see the flyer for more details.
  • At Bookwise Nottingham, we have acquired from donations a lot of Sacred and Secular Sheet Music for various groups of singers from Unison to SSAATTBB Single Choir with some Double Choir pieces. We are unable to sell them in the shop due to lack of space to display them. Some individuals whom I have met at MfE courses have taken some in the past. However, due to lack of storage space in the shop to store the music, we would like to offer the music to any interested groups or individuals, free of charge, asking them to make a donation to Bookwise Nottingham in return.
  • This offer will be open to anyone interested, MfE members, friends or acquaintances,  up to October 16th when it is planned that the remaining items will be brought along. After that time, the music will be recycled. MfE have had access to the music, but it is surplus to their requirements. If you would be interested in seeing a list of the music, please contact me: Jane McDermott, Voluntary Music Manager at Bookwise Nottingham, E mail: jachmcd@gmail.com.

Have a good week!

Your friends at MfE.

06/09/2021

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.

#MfEMondays – Keeping in Touch

Music for Everyone

KEEPING IN TOUCH

Hello everyone,

We continue to be making LIVE music!

Yesterday our youth band, Nottingham Youth Band and two youth string orchestras, East Midlands Youth String Orchestra and Strictly Strings gave a concert to family and friends in the garden of Middle Street Resource Centre.  Sitting on blankets, garden chairs, under gazebos and trees an enjoyable time was had by all, despite a short ‘rain stops play’ time out!

A really big ‘thank you’ from us all to everyone who braved the weather to come and listen, to the conductors of the groups and of course, to all the young talented players who entertained everyone so well.

Here are a few photos.

Adults – we haven’t forgotten about you!

This coming Saturday we are holding our Blow the Dust off your Instrument workshop.  We are full in all sections BUT if you are a viola player, a trumpeter or a descant recorder player we still have room for YOU!  Full details about the workshop can be found on our website.  https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/blow-the-dust-off-your-instrument-3

I always very much enjoy conducting Blow the Dust so I am particularly looking forward to this weekend – our adult instrumentalists making music together once again – terrific!

And in August we are holding our Annual Summer School.  I’m sure many of you will remember our Virtual Summer School last year – our ‘In Person’ Summer school is even better! Full details can be found here – do come along and have a good sing or play.

https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/summer-school-2021

And finally – Bookwise

Jane McDermott has asked me to let you know that we have 3 large bags of Church Music looking for a good home.  Attached are details.

With all best wishes

Angela

Have a good week!

Your friends at MfE.

05/07/2021

admin@music-for-everyone.org

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

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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.

#MfEMondays – Keeping in Touch

Music for Everyone

KEEPING IN TOUCH

Hello everyone,

Something positive – at last!

We have just had a wonderful weekend of LIVE music making!

Over 120 of our youth instrumentalists came along to Nottingham’s Albert Hall (wind band players on Saturday and string players on Sunday) and played a kaleidoscopic array of entertaining music. From Bizet’s Toreador March to Queen Greatest Hits, a Rameau Overture to Summer Stomp!! From 4year olds to late teens – they all had a great time.

A big THANKYOU to the conductors, helpers and MfE staff for making it such a great Covid secure musical success.

Here are a few pictures to give you a flavour of the event.

With all best wishes

Angela

Have a good week!

Your friends at MfE.

21/06/2021

admin@music-for-everyone.org

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Follow us on Instagram

*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.

#MfEMondays – Keeping in Touch

Music for Everyone

KEEPING IN TOUCH

Hello everyone

Last week saw our regularly rehearsing youth instrumental groups coming together and once again, making music!

Lots of happy faces and joyous sounds – these pictures give you a bit of an idea as to what went on!

(Nottingham Youth Band, West Bridgford and Beeston, followed by East Midlands Youth String Orchestra and Nottingham Strictly Strings)

And many of our adult singers had an enjoyable on-line rehearsal with ‘yours truly’ last Saturday morning. We were looking at the music we will be ‘bringing to life’ in Nottingham’s Albert Hall on Sunday June 27th (Vaughan Williams, Purcell, Rutter and Holst) and with over 150 singers already signed up for this workshop day, it should be really special. We can accommodate up to 200 singers so if you haven’t signed up yet and would like to come along then just click here for more details https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/summer-singing-workshop-day

Have a good week

With all best wishes

Angela

  • In honour of a MfE birthday over the weekend, we thought we’d share not one, but SIX different versions of the Happy Birthday tune, in the style of Beethoven, Mozart and more! Have a listen and see which is your favourite at the YouTube link here. https://youtu.be/OaZveHbxAYs

Have a good week!

Your friends at MfE.

26/04/2021

admin@music-for-everyone.org

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Follow us on Instagram

*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.

#MfEMondays – Keeping in Touch

Music for Everyone

KEEPING IN TOUCH

Hello everyone

I hope you have all been enjoying today’s very welcome sunshine and also the first step ‘little steps’ in the relaxation of Covid regulations. Spring is definitely in the air and perhaps things are slowly getting back to some sort of ‘normal’.

Last week you should have all received a link to a YouTube message from me – if it didn’t arrive then just click here to see what I said! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLW4TmAnwDQ

And today, Chair of MfE, John Hess, has surrounded himself in Easter eggs and posted a message to you all.  Here is the link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncct7–67BY

Our plans for youth activities continue to develop.  Details about our Youth Wind Band afternoon on Saturday 19th June and our Youth String Orchestra afternoon on Sunday 20th June are now available from our website.  This should be a great way to get young people back into playing so if you know anyone who might be interested then please do encourage them to come along.

Here is the link (click on the title of each event for more details): https://www.music-for-everyone.org/workshops-and-courses/

Next Monday is Easter Monday so MfEMondays is taking the day off!

Have a good Easter break.

With all best wishes

Angela

  • Online concert alert! Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky, performed by members of Sinfonia Viva in the atmospheric surroundings of Derby Museum’s Joseph Wright Gallery, all led by MfE Summer School tutor and Sinfonia Viva principal clarinettist Chris Swann. The concert is available until 23 April, here’s the link: https://www.sinfoniaviva.co.uk/Event/wind-quintet-performs-pictures-at-an-exhibition
  • To celebrate Bach’s birthday (31st March… although some debate it’s the 21st!) here’s something interesting we found! Some very clever musicians designed this ‘musical signature’ using just a single note. Did you know that the Germans use the notation H for what we would call Bb, so if you rotate this very clever image starting at the bottom and name the notes from the corresponding clef (treble, tenor and alto) it spells B A C H!

Have a good week!

Your friends at MfE.

29/03/2021

admin@music-for-everyone.org

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Follow us on Instagram

*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.

Catch the Stringwise Earlybird – today and tomorrow only

Helena Durham

DSC03287Stringwise bookings are flying in from people catching the earlybird price. This offer ends tomorrow, places will be £1.50 more from Thursday 5 October. Ann-Marie Shaw is Artistic Director of Stringwise, a playing experience for youngsters aged 7-18.  Whether you have only recently started playing the violin, viola, cello or double bass, or have been playing for years, there will be music you can play. You’ll practise in both a small group and DSC03198the big orchestra. All the music will be within your ability, whether you can play opens strings only or are up to Grade 6 (or more!) There will be plenty of people there to help you in every way. We’re sure you’ll have fun, and perhaps make new friends.

We send the music and a CD to you so you can look at your part and play along at home. There are then two days of rehearsals at Bluecoat Academy, Aspley, 4 & 5 November 2017. The following weekend you’ll have the amazing experience of performing in a concert at Nottingham’s Albert Hall, Sunday 12 November. All your family and friends can come to the concert, and no doubt give you a huge round of applause.

Click through for futher information and the booking button 

Did you know, Music for Everyone also has regular groups for young string players? There’s Strictly String for Grades 2-4 and the East Midlands Youth String Orchestra for players of Grade 5 and above. New members are always welcome.

 

Festival of Summer Music

Helena Durham

Rounding off the splendid 2017/18 MfE season was a Festival of Summer Music. Groups of all ages took part: Nottingham Youth Band, East Midlands Youth Windband, Girls Voices, Young Voices, Nottingham Youth Voices, Stictly Strings, East Midlands Youth String Orchestra, Adult Flute Choir and Swing Band.  (Apologies if I’ve missed anyone!) There was a relaxed atmosphere and the audience enjoyed stawberries and cream while the music played on. Spot the clothes pegs securing music to stands! It was a windy day, but the challenge of hanging on to the copies added to the fun.

panorama-1

Thank you to everyone who made a donation during the season to enable MfE to set up new singing projects for people with learning difficulties. It was much appreciated. The 2017/18 focus will be The Year of Youth. We want to make it possible for as many youngsters as poosible to experience the joy and friendship that comes from making music together. More to follow.

The Music for Everyone Summer School begins at the University of Nottingham tomorrow and ends with a concert on Wednesday evening. We’ll be blogging about it each day. Also catch the news on our social media @mfenotts #mfesummerschool

Christmas is Coming!

Helena Durham

What has Music for Everyone been up to this December?

img_0385-1First there was carol singing in the Market Square on the morning of Saturday 3rd December, and later an East of England Singers and New Classical Brass concert of music for brass and voices. Then on Wednesday there were performances by the East Midlands Youth Windband and Nottingham Youth Voices at the Nottingham Maggie’s Centre Carol Concert – compered by John Hess, who sings tenor in the MfE Nottingham Festival Chorus. Yes, that is a cuddly toy one of the lads is holding in the photo – choir and band did their own version of the John Lewis ad, complete with ‘bouncing’ dogs! The contribution by the youngsters and John was hugely appreciated by Maggie’s. The East of England Singers concert audience also raised £200 for this wonderful charity that supports people affected by cancer, including families and friends.

And what’s still to come?

Coming up on Sunday is the Christmas is Coming concert by Vocals, Daytime Voices, East of England Singers and the orchestra. There are only three, yes three, tickets left at the time of writing!

On Friday 16th December the Girls Voices, Boys Voices and Nottingham Youth Windband perform at their We Wish You a Merry Christmas concert. And finally, on Sunday 18th December, the second and FREE taster sesssion of Strictly Strings, for young string players Grades 2-4 or 5 takes place at Bluecoat Academy from 2.00-5.00pm. Contact the office for details.

Phew! And then it really will be Christmas.

 

 

A Trio of String News – Stringwise, Sheku and Strictly Strings

Helena Durham

sw3This weekend the youngsters of Stringwise will be polishing up their pieces for a family and friends’ concert on Sunday. Hopefully these musicians will have been inspired by local teenager and former Stringwise play, Sheku Kanneh Mason, winner of this year’s BBC Young Musician of the Year. As well as being quite a week for MfE’s young string players, it’s been quite a week for Sheku. He signed a record deal with Decca on a Nottingham City Transport bus! As you do, when you’re on your way home from your local Nottingham school. Congratulations!

As though Stringwise and Sheku weren’t enough letter Ss, we came over all aliterative and added Strictly Strings. Now there might not be a glitter ball, and there definitely won’t be judges, but there will be lots of fun in making music. Nottingham Strictly Strings is a new and exciting Music for Everyone group for young string players grades 2 to 5. The plan is for this to become a group that meets regularly, just like the East Midlands Youth String Orchestra for grades 5 and above.  To get the group up and running, there are going to be some FREE Taster Sessions run by the talented and lovely Ann-Marie Shaw, MfE’s String animateur.

When? Sunday 20 November, Sunday 18 December 2.00pm-5.00pm, with a break.

Where? Bluecoat Academy, Aspley Lane.

How do I book a place? Phone the MfE office 0115 958 9312 or email admin@music-for-everyone.org

Or for more information email: annmarie@music-for-everyone.org

And if your responsible adult forgets to book, never mind, just come along on either or both dates with your violin, viola, cello or double bass. And your bow, of course. Did we need to say that? Probably not.