***BREAKING NEWS!!!***
Vocals have DONE IT again – and by ‘done it’, we mean absolutely smashed it out of the park (!!!), with their amazing concert this weekend.
Saturday and Sunday saw 120 children aged 5 – 13 come together for an incredible weekend of music making and fun. We went on a trip around the world both aurally and visually, with folk songs, traditional songs and popular songs spanning the continents of our globe. All of the vocals groups sang magnificently, filling Nottingham’s Albert Hall with their voices and their laughter, and delighting the audience with varied songs, actions and dance moves. Vocals 1 even made an impressive collection of flags from around the world which were used to decorate the hall throughout their performance.
We travelled to Scotland with a rousing ‘Loch Lomond’, raced through Finland with the exciting Reindeer song ‘ole le loyla’ and encountered the ‘Amazing Egyptians’ and Columbia’s fictitious ‘Family Madrigal’, not to mention that fellow that people don’t like to talk about… Bruno (from Disney’s En Canto if you hadn’t heard)!!!
The singing was enhanced beautifully by the masterful accompanying skills of our resident pianist Angela Foan, and we were treated to castanets, gongs and all manner of exciting percussion instruments from Steve Barwell our guest percussionist. We were also privileged to invite Madhav Mehta, a local young tabla player, who wowed the audience with his quick fingers and virtuosic skills on the beautiful Indian classical drums.
As well as being a wonderfully joyful occasion, Sunday carried a tinge of sadness as it was time to say goodbye to Alison Bennet, who has worked with the vocals team for the past 20 years – I think we’d call that a really good innings, and I’m sure we’ll continue to see Alison at various MfE events. Thank you to her for all her hard-work, enthusiasm and brilliant actions!!
A huge thank you to everyone involved in making the weekend such a huge success. Rachel, Kirstie and the rest of the MfE team were really proud of how it went, and can’t wait for the next one!
Vocals in pictures!
- Callout to all MfE alumni. Do you know someone who used to sing or play in one of MfE’s youth groups? To help us celebrate our 40th anniversary, we’d love for as many alumni of the youth choirs, youth string orchestra and youth bands to join us on Saturday 1st July at the Albert Hall, Nottingham for a celebration event! Ask them to email by the end of April to admin@music-for-everyone.org if they would be interested in joining us.
Have a great week!
Your friends at MfE.
24/04/2023
www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312
10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF
*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 musical musings for your Mondays! We are aiming to send out something new each week.
Introducing Laura, the newest member of the MfE office team! Laura started work as our new administrator at the beginning of April and will be based in the office on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings. She studied Music at the University of Nottingham and has taken part in a few MfE activities before so is excited to be involved with more of the organisation. Welcome Laura!
Nottingham Lunchtime Voices starts back this week. If you work in Nottingham City Centre, take your Thursday lunch break at the Concert Hall (Level 4 Foyer) for an hour of singing, 12.30pm – 1.30pm with Rachel, details on the attached flyer.
The Vocals course is coming up this weekend! (22/23 April) It’s not too late to take part if you know any young singers, age 5 – 14 who would like to take part, find out all the details and sign up online here: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/vocals-apr-2023/
With our journey around the world coming up at vocals and the steel pan and world drumming groups starting this week, we’ve been looking at different types of world percussion sounds, some of which we’ll be hearing this week!
The Steel pan ensemble starts this evening in Beeston. Their distinctive sound originates from Trinidadian culture, traditionally using paint pots, dustbins and oil drums with a series of dents hammered into the metal surface to create different notes. It has become popular to play familiar songs on steel pan, see the link below for a well-known song from The Lion King.
Find out more here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18903131
Here is a school band playing ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woBZME7sN3E
- Callout to all MfE alumni. Do you know someone who used to sing or play in one of MfE’s youth groups? To help us celebrate our 40th anniversary, we’d love for as many alumni of the youth choirs, youth string orchestra and youth bands to join us on Saturday 1st July at the Albert Hall, Nottingham for a celebration event! Ask them to email by the end of April to admin@music-for-everyone.org if they would be interested in joining us.
Have a great week!
Your friends at MfE.
17/04/2023
www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312
10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF
*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 musical musings for your Mondays! We are aiming to send out something new each week.