A note from Caroline...
Thank you all for making last Saturday’s off-timetable day a real success!
It’s always a difficult thing to try something new and I feel that we enjoyed a good day as well as learning a few lessons for the next occasion…
For those of you who weren’t at CYM on Saturday, I have made a short(ish) report on the proceedings – I hope you will want to be involved next time.
The day began for me with a lot of table and chair moving as we tried to make the canteen space look a little different to usual, readying it for the SuperJamming that was to take place there later in the day. Instrumentalists headed off to their rooms to work out a plan for 7 minutes of scales, while Red students and parents met in the theatre where they worked on the skills they would need to take part in activities throughout the day.
Soon it was time to put into practice the SuperJam ideas that had been giving me some sleepless nights over the past couple of weeks.
I felt a great sense of pride looking out on all our CYM students, from the youngest, waiting expectantly with their percussion instruments in front of them, to the oldest ones, ready to play at what must have seemed like a very early hour. Using just 3 notes we were able to create something altogether, following signals to clap rhythms, to copy phrases by ear, on instruments or singing, or to play great swells of chords in their sections… something at which the young brass players excelled! The Red rhythm section at the front proved themselves equal to their task and I was delighted with the exciting sounds of us altogether. The tutors led their sections, and Chris (on electric violin) and Kate (our new cello teacher) improvised over the top, while Duncan gave us a great groove on the piano…
At 11 we reconvened for our Scalathon – 1 hour of scales as a team effort, each team ready to take over from the last to make a seamless ribbon…
Martyn’s very effective whistle achieved a workable quiet and we began altogether, parents, students and staff, with our voices raised in the warm up familiar to all choirs at CYM: ‘the tip of the tongue and the teeth and the lips…’ hoping that our voices carried all the way to where Michael was working and couldn’t be with us… Dan’s guitarists handed on to Martyn’s brass team poised in a semicircle, demonstrating control and beautiful tone as they all played one scale taking over from each other. Caroline’s bassoonists took the third turn and proved a revelation. The smallest team, their exemplary listening and poise meant that each player took up the baton with graceful flow, contributing with great care everything they had learned. The fourth shift was taken by Chris’s violinists, showcased a range of keys and played in different rhythms, all keen to contribute. Kate’s cello team were next, and the intrepid little group gave the very best of what they have so far learned, demonstrating excellent concentration and focus and eagerness to move forwards together. Audrey’s flute players looked a little bit nervous as they waited for their turn and there were a few shaking hands, but their playing came up trumps with the whole of team-flute sounding each new key note in rhythm together and the older students supporting each other to ensure the chain continued unbroken to Nicky’s clarinets waiting patiently for their turn. The clarinettists took up the challenge with visible determination, despite some looking exhausted in the heat of the room, and they varied their scales with a range of dynamics and articulations. With a little extra from the brass, bassoon and violin teams the clock showed 5 to 12 when I received a little prompt from one of the Red students, to ask if they were going to sing again at the end. This seemed an excellent idea and we all stood up and raised our voices together to finish, with one final key, no, one more, oh, just one more… As the second hand ticked round the hour we all cheered and now all is left is to chase up our sponsors, tell them how well we did, and collect the money they have pledged… Well done, everyone!
With Dafydd we worked on Homecoming Song, learning the rhythms together verbally and gradually adding fantastic harmony parts in these instinctive and joyous rhythms… It was delightful to see everyone working together, the culmination of a lovely day.
Thank you everyone for your hard work on this!
Caroline Welsh
