As part of the countdown to Symphony 125 at the Royal Albert Hall next week, Southampton Music Hub is shining a spotlight of some of the young musicians who will be part of the 600 strong massed ensemble that will perform alongside Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra at this momentous event.

Today, the spotlight turns to some of the city’s most talented young orchestral musicians: the members of Southampton Youth Orchestra (SYO) and Southampton Youth Concert Sinfonia (SYCS) who will be part of the 200 young musicians coming from across the city.

Matt Brombley, Projects and Pernterships Manager for Southampton Music Hub, says:

“The members of SYO and SYCS represent some of the city’s most talented young orchestral players. Over many years of hard work, determination and effort they have demonstrated the resilience required to become top-tier young musicians. Our hope is that by performing at the Royal Albert Hall — a world-renowned venue — as part of this once-in-a-lifetime event, they will be inspired to believe that there is no limit to where their musical ambitions can take them.”

Exactly one week today — on Monday 5 November 2018 — 200 young musicians from across Southampton will take part in a momentous performance of Symphony 125 at the Royal Albert Hall. Along with a further 350 young musicians from Isle of Wight, Poole and Bournemouth, the new massed ensemble will be joined by 13 members of Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Frank Zielhorst.

This remarkable event is part of Southampton Music Hub’s annual Stadium Tour programme, which brings inspiring and inclusive music experiences touring across the city. In past years, the Stadium Tour has brought world-class musicians in to schools and the community. This is the first time the Stadium Tour has ever taken the young musicians to a world-renowned venue outside the city.

September and October saw the launch of two new iPad bands, kick starting the first stage of the Southampton and Isle of Wight Music Hub’s Synthesis Project.

Taking place at Vermont School and Oasis Academy Mayfield, the two new bands are made up of young electronic musicians, invited by their schools to be part of this exciting new opportunity.

The two iPad bands are part of three year project, which has been funded by a £100,000 grant from Youth Music, and match funded with £10,000 from Southampton City Council. Starting in October, new iPad bands will be starting on the Isle of Wight, and, over the next three years, they will be joined by new iPad clubs and orchestras across the region.

Matt Brombley, Projects and Partnerships Manager for Southampton and IOW Music Hubs, says:
”It’s only been a few weeks, but already the Synthesis bands are creating some incredible sounds. Chosen for their interest and passion for electronic music, the young musicians involved are already starting to learn new music-making skills, and pull together in to tight-knit teams. The whole team can’t wait to see, and share, what they create over the coming months.”

Hear a recording of one of the band jam sessions from week three of the project:

Released today, ‘A Hundred Years’ is the latest free song in the Everybody Sing Song Bank: written by Jo Downs to remember a hundred years since the guns fell silent on the world’s first truly global war.

The song is a moving tribute to those who gave their lives in World War One, reflecting on the sacrifices made by those that took part, and the freedoms they won for generations to come.

The song is can be sung by all ages, with simple melodies that can be followed even by very young or inexperienced singers, and harmonies that can be sing by more confident or experienced ones.

Included with the song is a new episode of the Everybody Sing Podcast: helping teachers and music leaders get the most out of the song with warm ups, singing games and helpful tips for learning the song.

Shoppers at Southampton’s Waitrose supermarket have the opportunity to support Southampton Music Trust with their green tokens this month.

From the Waitrose Community Matters page:

By placing a token in the Community Matters box at your local branch you’re helping your community. Since its launch in 2008, the scheme has donated over £30 million to good causes in store and online

At the end of your shop in branch, you’ll receive a token to place in a box of the good cause you’d most like to support. The more tokens a cause gets, the bigger the donation they receive. Each month every Waitrose & Partners branch donates £1,000 (£500 in Convenience shops) between 3 local good causes that you choose.

Southampton Music Trust (Registered Charity No. 1176179) was set up in December 2017 to support the aims of Southampton Music Hub to improve access to music education and to provide life-changing musical experiences for the communities of Southampton and its surrounding areas.

At 4pm on Monday 8 October schools across Southampton will start requesting their places at the Summer Celebration Events taking place at Southampton Guildhall in July 2019. The celebration events mark the end of a year of Adventures in Time, which, start this November at the Royal Albert Hall:

In November 2018, 600 young musicians from across Southampton, Bournemouth and the Isle of Wight will join Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in a momentous performance at the legendary Royal Albert Hall in London. They will play a brand new piece of music by award winning composer James Redwood in celebration of BSO’s 125th anniversary.

Inspired by the Royal Albert Hall performance, Southampton Music Hub will share the incredible new music from this magical event with schools across the whole city.

On Tuesday 2 July 2019, two exciting massed playing events will celebrate a momentous end to an unforgettable year of music for the city. Taking place at Southampton Guildhall, each event will proudly share the exciting new music that has been created through the city’s Adventures in Time.

KS1–2 MASSED PLAYING CELEBRATION (1.30–2.15PM)

• An interactive, massed playing, music celebration for pupils in KS1–2. Pupils will get ready for this exciting event with free resources and workshops in school. Because every young musician taking part in In2Music and SoundBites will also learn the music, this makes an ideal end to their first year of learning an instrument: inspiring them to believe they can achieve huge musical dreams.

CELEBRATION PROMS (7.30–8.45PM)

• An evening celebration with Southampton’s young musicians and family music groups coming together with KS3–5 pupils to share music from, and inspired by, the Royal Albert Hall performance.

Ways for families to get tickets, and be part of these celebrations will be announced soon.

As Space Week launches today, Thursday 4 October 2018, it is the perfect chance to sing one of the exciting free songs from the Everybody Sing Song Bank. ‘Out of This World’ takes you on a journey to explore the galaxy inspired by the pioneering women and men who have led the way. The song comes with two episodes of the the Everybody Sing Podcast, including a whole episode with percussion ideas to get you drumming along with the song.

Following September’s successful return, Indian Classical Music Club, in partnership with Art Asia, continues on Friday 5 October 2018, with an evening of Indian Classical Music from 7-9pm at Cantell School.

From its origins in South Asia, Indian classical music has a rich and deep history that stretches back hundreds of years and reaches across the world. Indian Classical Music Club helps everyone, whatever their background, to understand and enjoy Indian classical music.

The event is jointly hosted by Cantell and Bassett Green Primary School, and is presented by professional international musicians, including: 

• Talks and presentations on Indian Classical Music and Fusion Music

• Short performances with improvisations using Raga and Talas structures

Featuring Chandra Chakraborty (Vocal) Tofail Ahmed and Sanju Sahai (Tabla)

• Chandra Chakraborty is an Indian vocalist with a melodious voice. She performs regularly in USA, UK, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. She is the artistic director of one of the top three organisations in UK: Saudha, Society Of Poetry and Indian Music.

• Tofail Ahmed is a highly accomplished musician with several years of training and experience. He is a teacher, workshop leader and a remarkable performer of different forms of Indian Classical Music.

• A phenomenal and outstanding Tabla player, Sanju Sahai is well known for mesmerising and captivating his audience with his power, virtuosity and complete spontaneity.

Tickets cost £7 for adults, £5 for under 16s, and £15 for a family ticket (including 2 two adults, and two under 16s)

Joining a stellar line up of fantastic musicians at the Music for Youth Proms 2018 this November, Music for Youth have announced Southampton Music Hub as part of this year’s Massed Ensemble performance projects.

On Monday 5 November, over 200 young musicians from Southampton’s ensembles, schools, and Family Orchestra will join with 200 young musicians from IOW Music Hub, and a further 200 from SoundStorm Music Education Agency in Poole and Bournemouth, to perform alongside members of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) in a momentous performance at the Royal Albert Hall.

Together all 600 musicians will perform a new piece of music by composer James Redwood, in celebration of BSO’s 125th anniversary. This is one of the largest, and most varied, Massed Ensembles to ever perform at the proms.

Tickets to experience the proms at the Royal Albert Hall are available now through the Royal Albert Hall Box Office online or by calling 020 7589 8212.

Over 70 young singers from Richard Taunton Sixth Form College, Redbridge Community School and St Annes Catholic School were brought together by Southampton Music Hub to perform as part of a spectacular gala to celebrate the reopening of Mayflower Theatre. Performing as part of a spectacular celebration that included performances from the theatre’s memorable musical history, and it’s exciting upcoming programme, the singers filled the newly refurbished auditorium with the sound of a capella African singing: including songs from Southampton Music Hub’s Big African Sing event.

Participants in a music technology workshop collaborating on a piece of music together

Southampton and Isle of Wight Music Hubs are launching an exciting three-year project to help young electronic musicians to compose and perform music. Following a £100,000 grant from Youth Music, match funded by £10,000 from Southampton City Council, the Synthesis project launches in September 2018 with electronic music clubs, bands and orchestras across Southampton and the Isle of Wight.

Working with schools and partnership organisations from across both music hubs, the project will help children and young people, particularly those facing challenging circumstances in their lives, to make music using iPads and other music technology. By developing their musical talents, the young musicians taking part will also develop the vital confidence and teamwork skills that will help them face and overcome the challenges they may face in their lives.

The project will be supported by professional musicians, from across a wide range of genres and backgrounds, who will help create video and digital resources that explain and demystify the songwriting process: exploring how to make music that blends musical genres, mixes musical cultures and brings together diverse communities.

Matt Brombley, Project Manager at Southampton and Isle of Wight Music Hubs, says:
“Technology is all around us: even the smartphone in your pocket can open up exciting new worlds for making-music. It is easy to think of this technology as being anti-social — we’re all familiar with the image of people hunched over their smartphones, ignoring the world around them — but what makes this project so exciting, is that it will give young electronic musicians the chance to collaborate  in new clubs, bands and orchestras across the region, looking up and out from their screens, and to make and share music together. Inspired by world-class musicians, and supported by an amazing team of music leaders and teacher, these young musicians will not only learn new musical skills, but they will also develop the life-changing skills needed to work, and succeed, as part of a team.”

Indian Classical Music Club, in partnership with Art Asia, returns this weekend, with an evening of Indian Classical and Fusion Music from 7-9pm on Friday 14 September at St Annes Catholic School.

From its origins in South Asia, Indian classical music has a rich and deep history that stretches back hundreds of years and reaches across the world. Indian Classical Music Club helps everyone, whatever their background, to understand and enjoy Indian classical music.

The event is presented by professional international musicians, including: 

• Talks and presentations on Indian Classical Music and Fusion Music

• Short performances with improvisations using Raga and Talas structures

FEATURING SANJU SAHAI (TABLA), GIULIANO MODARELLI (GUITAR) AND POOJA ANGRA (VOCAL)

• A phenomenal and outstanding Tabla player, Sanju Sahai is well known for mesmerising and captivating his audience with his power, virtuosity and complete spontaneity

• Giuliano Modarelli (Italy) is one of the most interesting musicians who plays Indian ragas on classical guitar applying the techniques of the Indian instrument, the sarod. He has collaborated with maestros of Indian classical music and created fusion music

• Pooja Angra is an Indian vocalist with a melodious and mellifluous voice. She has PhD in Indian Classical music

Tickets cost £7 for adults, £5 for under 16s, and £15 for a family ticket (including 2 two adults, and two under 16s)

As pupils, teachers and families across the city enjoy the final week of the academic year, Southampton Music Hub is celebrating a record-breaking year of life-changing music: a year that includes over 22,000 people taking part in 250,000 inspirational hours of music in workshops, events and performances from the Stadium Tour, Everybody Sing and City Ensembles.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Matt Brombley, Projects and Partnerships Manager for Southampton Music Hub, says:
"It's been another incredible year for music in Southampton. The hub's achievements are only possible thanks to all the schools, staff, partners and families across the city that share the belief that making music makes lives better, and work together to share that life-changing power of music with every child."

Released last week, ‘World Music Day’ (by Jo Downs), is a new free song in the Everybody Sing Song Bank to help celebrate World Music day on Thursday 21 June. Singers of all ages can have fun learning this exciting new song!

Also in the song bank is last months song and podcast themed around endangered species, with lots of great ideas for animal themed ways to warm up your voice.

On Thursday 28 June, thanks to support from the Southampton Schools Music Association (SSMA), Southampton Music Hub is bringing nearly 800 young singers together at Central Hall for a super-sized African music celebration. Led by by professional workshop leader Rosie Bergonzi, this singing celebration will be the culmination of months of free workshops and rehearsals at schools across the city.

The project is supported by a brand new resource pack — including vocal and percussion arrangements of nine traditional African songs — which is freely available as part of the resources available from the Southampton Music Hub website.

Nia Collins, Interim Manager at Southampton Music Hub, says
“Southampton Music Hub is delighted to be working with the SSMA on this project. Both the hub and SSMA have a fantastic track record for excellence in vocal work with schools in Southampton and we are excited to work together to showcase this in a celebration event for the Big African Sing. The hub team have worked hard to develop a brilliant and flexible set of new resources which are suitable for all ages and abilities; for use both in and out of the classroom.”

Another brand new, free song has been added to the Everybody Sing Song Bank this month.

‘St George’s Day Blues’, written by Jo Downs, celebrates St George’s Day and will let children of all ages have fun learning about the story of St George through a catchy call and response blues song. Alongside the song, there is another podcast episode with ideas for dragon themed vocal warm ups.

Pupils at Banister Primary school have been experiencing African music first hand through performance and listening. 

Thanks to music teachers from Southampton Music Hub, pupils have used a full set of African djembe drums, and have learnt the different drumming techniques needed to play simple African rhythms. They have also learnt to sing traditional African songs and have used the drums to play and sing together.

All classes are working towards a final performance at the end of term.

A member of school staff says:
“We're really impressed — the rhythms sound very complicated and they all sound so good — pupils are loving it.”
 

On Monday 5 March, Jo Downs — one of Southampton Music Hub's brilliant teachers — and her family appeared on Juilian Clegg's show on BBC Radio Solent to perform live on their ukuleles.

Billed as "the south's real Von Trapp family", Jo, husband Tim, and their children Alice and Emily, won the opportunity to perform after a competition at The Kings Theatre, looking for the most musical family they could find.  

Matt Brombley, Interim Manager at Southampton Music Hub, says:
"We have an incredible team of musical teachers and families here at Southampton Music Hub, and Jo is an amazing example of someone who shares their love of music with everyone they meet — not just at home, but in schools and across the community too. Whether it's teaching brass, writing catchy (and sometimes a little silly) songs for the Everybody Sing Song Bank, or performing with her family on the radio, Jo has an infectious love of music, so it's no surprise to see that the whole family also join in."

Listen to the Show:

On Tuesday 20 February 2018, nearly 700 children, aged 5–7, from schools across Southampton, came to Central Hall for a performance of "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" as part of Southampton Music Hub's Stadium Tour. 

Based on Michael Rosen’s book of the same name, "We’re Going on a Bear Hunt", took pupils on a thrilling, chant-aloud, musical storytelling experience. The audience followed and joined in as the family in the story wade through grass, splash through the river and squelch through the mud, in search of a bear.

This captivating and world-famous story is brought to life by an exciting orchestral score, performed by staff and students from Southampton Music Services and other local musicians.

The orchestra also performed other pieces, including a selection from the movies Frozen and Pirates of the Caribbean as well as Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King”.
 
Zoe Hunting, Manager for Southampton Music Services, said:
“The performance was a great opportunity to bring live music to Southampton’s young children and inspire future generations of musicians as well as showcasing the amazing talent of our students and staff and local amateur musicians.”
 

The free song in this month's Everybody Sing Song Bank is a celebration of the magical worlds that can be explored through reading. With shoutouts to some of the world's great children's authors, and lyrics that encourage getting lost in a good book, everyone can join in with this exciting new song written by Jo Downs.