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Sound Foundation Somerset
Autumn 2023
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Welcome to our termly newsletter!
Find out about all the great musical opportunities coming up for young musicians and how you can get involved...
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A quick message from the chair of SFS...
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Welcome to the new academic year. All of us at SFS hope you had a good break and are already making lots of music across the county.
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The refreshed National Plan for Music Education has kicked in and we will be working with you to ensure that in every school there is:
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- Timetabled curriculum music of at least one hour each week of the school year for key stages 1-3.
- Access to lessons across a range of instruments, and voice.
- A school choir and/or vocal ensemble.
- A school ensemble/band/group.
- Space for rehearsals and individual practice.
- A termly school performance.
- The Opportunity to enjoy live performance at least once a year.
I am sure no one would disagree that this entitlement should be available in all Somerset schools and we look forward to making it happen.
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Sound Foundation Somerset
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Upcoming Events & Opportunities
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Recruiting All Schools for Year of the Recorder
"Best Classical Music Education Initiative 2017"
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31 Jan, 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 Feb 2024 - school visits for workshop sessions with finale concert date 13th March 2024 at the Cheese and Grain.
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Working with extraordinary musicians Anna Stegmann and Tabea Debus, Year of Recorder is back by popular demand!
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A whole school assembly style workshop with Anna and Tabea, followed by a rehearsal with a group of your school instrumentalists - playing all and any instruments at any level from shaky eggs to clarinets alongside Anna and Tabea. (1h30m session per school)
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A final concert where you can play alongside other schools in a massive orchestra! (Or you can reverse your in school session to have a mini concert for your school if you are unable to join for the finale)
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Online resources provided for all and any instruments in your schools.
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Supports the Model Music Curriculum and The New National Plan for Music.
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Cost - £150 per school for each project max (smaller schools may be less) Please let us know if this represents a barrier to participation.
Please register your interest asap by emailing music@jackdaws.org places are limited.
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Photo Credit: Len Copland
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Guildhall Young Artists Taunton
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Music Starts Here Course
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Where: Richard Huish College, Taunton
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Cost: £10 per Saturday, £100 per term
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GYAT’s Music Starts Here Course is a very popular course for our youngest learners. There are spaces for all year groups from Reception up to Year 3, and we’d love to welcome more children to join in the fun.
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Music Starts Here Course gives children the opportunity to explore a wide variety of musical activities including playing instruments, general musicianship and singing. It is ideal to help start or progress their musical journey, and broaden their musicianship skills whilst having fun with their peers.
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First session free! Bursaries available.
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Photo Credit: Len Copland
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Guildhall Young Artists Taunton
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Guildhall Young Artists Taunton Invites String Quintet
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Where: Richard Huish College, Taunton
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Somerset’s young wind and strings players aged u18 will be welcome to visit Guildhall Young Artists Taunton (GYAT) for two special Saturdays this term when a wind quintet and string quartet will be presenting lunchtime concerts, workshops and masterclasses.
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On Sat 11th Nov there will be a lunchtime performance by Resol String Quartet, which group of professionals are on tour in the SW. There will be morning workshops available for all strings players grades 3 - 8+.
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Creative Leaders Network
Cost: Free for Somerset Schools
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Inviting SENCOs and those working within SEND settings in Somerset to share and develop creative approaches to support their learners.
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This networking event is designed to help teachers and art leaders use the creative arts and music within Primary, Special School and Alternative Provision to raise achievement and support the social, emotional, and mental health and wellbeing of all students.
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This event is fully subsidised by Sound Foundation Somerset and FREE to Somerset schools only.
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Recruiting Primary Schools for OperaPLUS
"Best Classical Music Education Initiative 2016”
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Workshops and performances between March 15th - 27th.
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Work with our professional opera company and take part in a production of the Stylist of Somerset (aka 'The Barber of Seville' by Rossini).
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- Aimed at KS 2 and 3.
- A class or year group can take part.
- Preliminary workshops and rehearsals with the cast ahead of a semi-staged performance.
- Sung in English.
- Increase and improve singing in school.
- Online resources provided.
Supports the Model Music Curriculum and The New National Plan for Music.
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Cost - £150 per school for each project max (smaller schools may be less)
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Please let us know if this represents a barrier to participation.
Please register your interest asap by emailing music@jackdaws.org places are limited.
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Photo Credit: Len Copland
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Guildhall Young Artists Taunton
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Guildhall Young Artists Taunton Invites Wind Quintet
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Where: Richard Huish College, Taunton
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Somerset’s young wind and strings players aged u18 will be welcome to visit Guildhall Young Artists Taunton (GYAT) for two special Saturdays this term when a wind quintet and string quartet will be presenting lunchtime concerts, workshops and masterclasses.
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On Sat 4th Nov there will be a lunchtime performance by students from Guildhall School by The Nuada Quintet (made up of flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn and bassoon) playing wind quintet music by composers such as Malcolm Arnold, Henry Cowell, Leonard Bernstein and Claude Debussy.
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Building Confidence Using Music in EYFS
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A practical and interactive online six-week Zoom course is for anyone who wants to improve their skills and knowledge in early years music.
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The popular course is once again led by Jane Parker and is part of Take Art’s Early Childhood music programme SoundWaves Network SW, funded by Youth Music.
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HM Royal Marines Student Workshop & Performance
Where: Castle School, Taunton
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The Royal Marines, Lympstone are visiting The Castle School for a workshop day, culminating in an afternoon concert for year 7 and 8 cohorts.
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The day workshop is open for all Brass, Woodwind, Percussion, Strings, Guitar and Keys, grade 3 approx. and above.
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If you have students that would like to attend the workshop and perform alongside the Royal Marine Band, please get in touch.
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Somerset County Youth Ensembles celebrate 50 years of music-making
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Somerset celebrated half a century of music-making when the current members of the County Youth Orchestra and the Concert Band joined forces with former members to present a varied programme of music to mark the milestone anniversary.
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More than 100 performers gathered at the Johnson Hall, Millfield School in Street to celebrate 50 years since the formation of both ensembles, proving that that music-making still flourishes in Somerset five decades on.
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The large and enthusiastic audience was treated to a mix of popular and standard classical pieces. Both the Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Sherwood and the Concert Band, conducted by Paul Denegri, showed that the players were equally at home in the ‘lighter’ music as in the ‘serious’ pieces. Both conducted the mass ensemble pieces.
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Cllr Tessa Munt, Executive Lead Member for Children, Families and Education, said: “This special concert to celebrate 50 years shows that music is flourishing in Somerset. It is so important that young people have the chance to work and play together and maintain our tradition of music-making in Somerset.”
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Sound of the Streets
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The Sound of the Streets is having an exciting Autumn, organising a festival with 14 bands playing and a full programme of workshops and participatory events, a street band education weekend, workshops with Perhaps Contraption for Guildhall Young Artists Taunton.
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There will be a Sound of the Streets day in Bridgwater on Oct 29th and we are looking develop activities in Bridgwater. Our youth band is going strong, but we are always looking for young brass, wind and percussion players to join us. We have now started a Primary Street Band at Stoke St Gregory School too!
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We are now a registered charity and looking to find ways of supporting and inspire children and young people to take up wind, brass and drums, especially from economically deprived areas and find ways of providing subsidised tuition and instruments. We are working on pilot idea for a teachers pack for using street band approaches in Primary Schools and are developing strong relationships with other education organisations that use street bands, The England education team, Lancashire Music Hub, Oi Musicia and the KInetica Bloco.
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We will be developing youth drumming groups and looking to train young people to run them. Our street drumming day was the start of this programme. We are also developing a project around community singing, called the Big Sing. A sort of secular ‘Sunday service’, that brings people together to sing popular songs with a band. We have been working with Chris Grabham on this.
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We are already planning next year’s festival, that will involve parades, processions and street theatre and invite youth bands like Lancashire’s Honk! Street band.
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Artsmark SPARK - Milford Infants' School and Pre-School Receive Prestigious Artsmark Award
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Pupils and staff at Milford Infants’ School and Pre-School in Yeovil are celebrating after receiving a prestigious Artsmark Award in a momentous year for the programme as it celebrates 20 years of arts, culture and creativity in schools.
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In order to achieve their Artsmark Award, Milford Infants’ School and Pre-School have developed their arts and culture provision to embed a broad and ambitious curriculum. This was achieved, with support from the Real Ideas Bridge organisation, by creating an overall plan that was committed to and delivered across the whole school.
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Somerset Arts Education charity, SPAEDA, and Sound Foundation Somerset, provided additional support to resource their Artsmark journey, with a grant from the Artsmark SPARK scheme.
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The Artsmark assessor commended Milford Infants’ School and Pre-School, saying: “staff are now better equipped to teach high quality art and music lessons. You have laid strong foundations for ongoing work with the Arts. By raising the visibility and value of creativity your staff now have a more positive attitude towards the Arts and creativity and more confidence to teach using their strengths and capacities. It starts with engagement and confidence – you have delivered a plan that has boosted both for teachers and young people. This puts you in a strong position to embed your new ways of working and reflect on what makes them effective in your setting.”
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This year, the Artsmark Award celebrates its 20th anniversary as the only creative quality standard for schools and education settings. It can help unlock young people’s potential, building their confidence, character, and resilience.
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Artsmark is open to primary, secondary, and special schools, pupil referral units, secure settings, youth offending teams, hospital schools and sixth form colleges. Artsmark is awarded at three levels; Silver, Gold and Platinum.
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Congratulations to Milford Infants and Pre-School!
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