Nottingham Strictly Strings

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 – 2nd September 2024

2nd September 2024 Music for Everyone

We are excited to welcome you back to our regular groups in the coming weeks! Here are the start dates for all groups:

Wednesday, 4 September: Nottingham Chamber Singers
Thursday, 12 September: Nottingham Youth Band
Sunday, 15 September: Flute Choir and Big Band
Week of 16 September: Daytime Voices, Lunchtime Voices, and Open Voices
Week of 23 September: Daytime Orchestras
Sunday, 29 September: East Midlands Youth String Orchestra, East Midlands Youth Band and Strictly Strings

For more information on dates, venues, and prices, click here. To register online, please click here.

Note: Music for Everyone offers a subsidised scheme for all groups and courses. This scheme is available to anyone who needs it and is considered on a case-by-case basis. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact our office at admin@music-for-everyone.org or call 0115 958 9312.

King Charles has appointed composer Errollyn Wallen as the new ‘Master of the King’s Music.’ Born in Belize, Wallen moved to the UK at the age of two. She is a celebrated composer, pianist, and singer-songwriter who studied music and composition at Goldsmiths, King’s College London, and King’s College Cambridge. Her work includes 22 operas and a range of compositions including orchestral, vocal and chamber music. Errolyn joins an illustrious list of musicians to hold the position of Master of the King’s Music dating back over 400 years to the Baroque period and the court of Charles I. During this era, similar positions were held by renowned musicians across Europe, including Lully and Rameau in the French court, and Handel, who was appointed ‘Composer of Musick to the Chapel Royal’ in 1713.

The Nottingham Festival Chorus will perform works by these composers at their concert, In the King’s Company, on Sunday 06 October! It is still possible to join the NFC for the workshop and concert.

Please click here for more details. Tickets for the concert are also available here.

Who knows, perhaps in 400 years, the Nottingham Festival Chorus will be performing a historical concert of Errollyn Wallen’s music!

Charnwood Voices are looking for new members! Why not join them for their first rehearsal on 4 September at Belton Village Hall and experience what they have to offer? See the attached flyer for more details.
Lyrical SoNGbirds are looking for a new Musical Director. If you or someone you know is interested, please see the attached flyer for more details.
Contemporary Music for All (CoMA): Registration is now open for the CoMA weekend in Yorkshire on 26-27 October. Don’t miss this inspiring and lively event in the heart of historic York. With activities ranging from an Open to All Orchestra to workshops on contemporary voice and open score composition, there’s something for everyone. Click here for all the details. To learn more about CoMA music, ensembles, and events, visit www.coma.org.

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

02/09/2024

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMonday – 15th July 2024

15th July 202415th July 2024 Music for Everyone

Our talented young musicians offered a splendid end to the season with their The Sound of Summer concert at the Grange Hall in Radcliffe. Not only was the audience treated to top-notch musical entertainment, but there were outdoor activities for the children and refreshments for the audience. A huge ‘thank you’ and ‘well done’ to all who took part – children, helpers and conductors! We bid a fond farewell to Mike Shaw, conductor of Nottingham Strictly Strings, and wish him all the best for the future.

Booking for the Autumn Term for Daytime Voices, Daytime Orchestra, Sunday Afternoon Flutes and Big Band is now open. To book, please follow this link Music For Everyone (savoysystems.co.uk) We look forward to seeing you next term!

Well, what an exciting weekend of sport that was! But what would sport be without music? Imagine a football match without the anthems, chants and the occasional trumpet bursts of The Great Escape theme tune.

The first few notes alone of ‘Light and Tuneful’ the Wimbledon theme tune, is enough to put you in mind of strawberries and cream! Music provides athletes with motivation and focus making it a powerful tool during training sessions and competitions. The beats and melodies can help regulate breathing and pace, contributing to better performance and endurance. In the arena, music unites spectators, creating an exhilarating atmosphere that amplifies the excitement of the event. From energizing pre-game anthems to celebratory victory songs, the fusion of music and sport demonstrates how sound can inspire physical prowess and create a sense of community and shared enthusiasm among athletes and fans alike.

And while we’re on the subject, who spotted Djokovic’s musical celebration? Apparently, it is for his six-year-old daughter, who is currently learning the violin. Perhaps she can help him work on his technique?!!

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

15/07/2024

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMonday – 20th May 2024

20th May 2024 Music for Everyone

Family Festival

MfE will be holding its first ever Family Festival on Sunday 9th June at Beeston Resource Centre.

From World Drumming workshops to singing sessions for the whole family, and music to enjoy in the garden, there is something for everyone. We’ll also have a cake stall, sweets, glitter tattoos and a whole host of games/activities in and around the venue.

Click here for more information.

Summer School – last chance to enrol!

There are limited places remaining on our 2024 Summer School. Don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity to enjoy high-quality music-making, and experience some exceptional performances from international soloists in the wonderful surroundings of Trent College. Book your place now to avoid disappointment!

We particularly welcome enrolments from bassoons, trumpets, saxophones, violas, tenors and basses. All other instruments and voice parts will be closed for enrolment after today.

You can enrol online here or by calling the office on 0115 958 9312.

Strictly Stings seeks new conductor

We are seeking an inspiring and charismatic musician to direct the Nottingham Strictly Strings, our string ensemble for young players of approximately grade 1 – 4 standard, most of whom are joining a group for the first time. If you know anyone who might be interested, please direct them to the advert on our website: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/about-us/vacancies/

Ever wondered what happens if a conductor has to cancel just hours before a performance? Well, if you’re James Lowe, the answer is ‘don’t cancel’!

When the conductor of the Spokane Symphony, Morihiko Nakahara, had a fall requiring hospital treatment 3 hours before the curtain went up on a live performance of the Empire Strikes Back, James Lowe bravely stepped in to help.

Conducting a full symphony through the score of a movie live is no mean feat. “Conducting a movie is an incredibly complicated thing, because obviously the movie doesn’t adjust,” Lowe said. “There’s no room for error at all.” Read the full account of this extraordinary performance here.

Do you know any young clarinet players?

Friend of MfE, Charlotte Reavley, has written a book of fun pieces for young clarinettists called ‘The Clariphant and the Kazoos’ featuring some very creative animals with musical names such as the Chinese Flutiflies and the Hippiano! More information is available from her website Home – Clariphant (theclariphant.co.uk)

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

20/05/2024

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMonday – 18th March 2024

18th March 2024 Music for Everyone

Our talented youth instrumentalists put on an amazing performance in their concert yesterday. We were also delighted to be joined by the Round Hill School Orchestra who joined MfE’s two youth bands to perform ‘Shorewood Overture’ by Michael Sweeney – a piece especially designed for 3 groups of different ability levels which fits like a jigsaw puzzle when played together. All three groups have been rehearsing separately this term and only came together for the first time on the day, creating a mass band of 60 players! A huge well done to the Strictly Strings, East Midlands Youth String Orchestra, Nottingham and East Midlands Youth Bands for a wonderful concert of musical variety and talent!

Congratulations to Nottingham Chamber Singers for a gravity defying performance on Saturday night at St Mary’s Church, Clifton. The choir performed a beautiful programme of music old and new on the theme of Angels, dreams and flying machines, much of it unknown to many of the audience and before they started rehearsals this term, most of the choir!

Birds soared, angels danced and even the family of bats in the belfry at the church came out for the show! A gorgeous night for all.

Tickets are still available for our West End to Broadway concert this Saturday at Rushcliffe Spencer Academy. Tickets are only £8 and include a pre-concert drink. Come along and hear our wonderful massed choir along with the joyful sound of our Open Voices groups. Be entertained by the charismatic Simon Theobald and MfE’s wonderful Rachel Parkes as they perform highlights from some of the best-loved Broadway shows. Tickets are available here, on the door or by phoning the office on 0115 958 9312.

Just a reminder to MfE members that the Annual General Meeting of Music for Everyone will take place this Wednesday at 7.15pm at St Luke’s Church, West Bridgford, NG2 6GL. We need to know today if you are planning on attending so please RSVP to admin@music-for-everyone.org

I don’t know what Daytime Voices have been putting in their cakes this term (gold?!) but they have managed to raise an astounding total of £760.96 from their end-of-term bake sales. All of this money will go to support our Open Voices groups. Thank you Daytime Voices!

All this talk of cake has put us in a baking mood. Click here for some of the best pieces of music inspired by the art of baking!

Our Daytime Orchestras perform their end-of-term concerts this week: Daytime Orchestra Loughborough on Tuesday 19 March at All Saints Parish Church, Steeple Row, Loughborough LE11 1UX, and Daytime Orchestra Nottingham on Thursday 21 March at St Martins Church, Trevose Gardens, Sherwood NG5 3FU. Come along at 11:00am and have a cup of tea or coffee with the players before being treated to a varied programme of Beethoven, Bernstein, Mendelssohn, John Barry and more. Both concerts are free, so please do come along and support our wonderful adult instrumentalists.

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE.

18/03/2024

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 – 4th July 2023

5th July 2023 Music for Everyone

Everyone at Music for Everyone is still on a high from this weekend’s magnificent 40th anniversary celebrations!

Nearly 1000 people descended on the Albert Hall to celebrate 40 years of music making, recounting many highs from the last four decades and looking forward to the next four.

On Saturday, we celebrated our youth programme, with hundreds of young people taking part in an impressive concert.

Earlier in the day, celebrated folk violinist and MfE alumnus Sam Sweeney led a workshop with our youth string players, the fruits of which raised the roof in the afternoon concert.

Also featured were our Youth Bands, Vocals choir, Strictly Strings training orchestra, and a wonderful line up of ‘big kids’ — alumni youth participants who returned as adult players to share in the day.

On Sunday, members of our Daytime Voices choirs, the Nottingham Chamber Singers, Nottingham and Loughborough Daytime Orchestras, Nottingham Concert Orchestra, Big Band and Flute Choir, were amassed to give a triumphant concert featuring excerpts from favoured programmes from the last 40 years.

This included works by Brahms, Handel, Freddie Mercury and, excitingly, the world premiere of a new fanfare by composer Libby Croad.

Sunday’s concert was rounded off with a performance of the Hallelujah Chorus, conducted by our incoming artistic director Alex Robinson.

We proceeded to finish this fantastic weekend with celebratory tea and cake, after a special moment on stage with Angela Kay.

Thank you and well done to everyone who participated and made the weekend so extremely special!

Did you see our Exhibition this weekend? Showcasing Music for Everyone’s history over the past four decades, it was great to see so many wonderful memories.
Thank you to Minder and everyone who helped make such a special display.

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE.

04/07/2023

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMonday – 20th March 2023

20th March 2023 Music for Everyone

Well what a week it’s been for our Youth members!

Last Tuesday members of the East Midlands Youth String Orchestra and the Nottingham & East Midlands Youth Band travelled to Birmingham to take part in the Music for Youth festival at the CBSO centre. They performed brilliantly and received some excellent feedback from the panel.

What a treat on Friday evening when a choir of almost 300 children from the Spencer Academy Trust filled the Nottingham Albert Hall and gave a stunning performance under the expert leadership of Sophie Pascall.

And yesterday our highly-talented youth groups performed a Mothers Day concert at The Grange in Radcliffe-on-Trent.

Phew! Well done to everyone involved. Time for a well-deserved rest!!

We are on the hunt for a new Artistic Director.

As many of you will know, Music for Everyone‘s Founder and former Artistic Director, Angela Kay MBE, stepped down from the day-to-day running of the organisation at the end of our 2021-22 season. We appointed a new Director, Donna Fox, to lead the business and strategic development of MfE from September 2022, with Angela Kay continuing as Artistic Adviser for the current season. We are now looking for a dynamic new Artistic Director to build on Angela Kay’s considerable achievements and develop MfE’s artistic vision, strategy and practice going forward.

This is a key role in the further development of MfE and so please help spread the word far and wide!

Full details can be found via this link: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/about-us/vacancies/

As part of the celebrations for MfE’s 40^th Anniversary, we have 2 new intergenerational ensembles starting in April, steel pan and world drumming! Beginners welcome, suitable for adults and young people.
The first session is FREE – Steel Pan begins on Monday 17^th April, World Drumming begins on Tuesday 18^th April, both at Beeston Methodist Church. Register your interest to admin@music-for-everyone.org

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE.

20/03/2023

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfETuesday – 24th January 2023

24th January 2023 Music for Everyone

On Sunday our four brilliant youth groups took part in a new year concert at Kingswood Church, Wollaton. Over 60 young people wowed a packed-out audience, with performances from Nottingham Youth Band, East Midlands Youth Band, Nottingham Strictly Strings and East Midlands Youth String Orchestra. From film scores to Philip Glass, Mozart to Bernstein, and folk music from Wales and Romania, there was something for everyone. Congratulations to all our young players on a brilliant concert of a uniformly high standard. If you were foolish enough to miss it, note that the next youth concert will be on Sunday 19^th March at The Grange in Radcliffe on Trent.

Message from Jane, Music Manager @ Bookwise Nottingham

Blow the Dust Saturday on January 7th was very successful and enjoyable for the instrumentalists and the MfE staff who took part as well as the families and friends who came to listen to the concert at the end of the day. I just want to let everyone know that the Bookwise Stall of Music Sales was also a great success. We took £428 – which is more than we have ever done before 😃👍. Many thanks to all the instrumentalists who helped to make the takings so high. We couldn’t have done it without you. Do hope you’re all enjoying your 2nd hand music.🎶.I couldn’t have done it also without the help of Joan Bassey on the day and Ellen, Gary, and Anne. We’ll be there again at the next Blow the Dust later in the year.

And Bookwise will be at the Singing Course this coming weekend Sat & Sunday Jan 28th & 29th with Books as well as Music. This time we’ll be bringing Choral Music, Singing Items, Piano and Duets, Keyboard Music, Piano Voice & Guitar, some Music Books, @and some Choral and Church CD’s. If you’re wanting other items please let MfE know and they’ll pass on the information.

Thanks, Jane @ Bookwise Nottingham.

Did you know that this Friday (27 Jan) is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s 267^th birthday? To celebrate why not listen to this little known work, which is catalogue number K.267 (geddit?) – 4 Country Dances, written in 1777 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fNhwgO2Qso

If you haven’t yet booked your tickets for our spectacular Vaughan Williams: Toward the Unknown Region concert on 4^th Feb, now is the time to get them! Tickets available here.

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE.

24/01/2023

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 motivational moments for your Mondays! We are aiming to send out something new each week.

#MfEMonday – 24th January 2022

24th January 2022 Music for Everyone

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

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF