This summer, we will be partnering with the BBC, ABRSM and Music for All to support the BBC’s ‘Get Playing’, a major new initiative aimed at shining a light on amateur music of all kinds. On BBC radio, television and online throughout the summer (including through two TV series – ‘The Great British Amateur Orchestra’ and ‘The UK’s Best Part-Time Band’) Get Playing will seek to inspire people to pick up instruments and celebrate amateur music-making across the UK.
News
Post date: Wednesday, 20 April 2016 - 1:17pm
Arts Award is a national initiative that aims to support children and young people (<25) to deepen their experience, engagement and skills in the arts. Young people can work towards a qualification at different levels, while Supporters (like your group) can find new audiences, members, Supporters and volunteers.
Post date: Monday, 18 April 2016 - 6:14pm
A commission takes time to come to fruition, and so it was that despite having been at Making Music now for four years, I had not witnessed the start of the process which has now resulted in a new piece by one of the composers most popular with amateur choirs: Jonathan Dove.
Post date: Monday, 18 April 2016 - 2:19pm
British composer Guy Woolfenden, patron of Making Music member Birmingham Symphonic Winds, has passed away.
Post date: Friday, 15 April 2016 - 5:42pm
'A Choir in Every Care Home' is an initiative to explore how music and singing can feature regularly in care homes across the country.
Last summer, many of you contributed to a survey to tell us about the activities of amateur choirs and other music groups in care homes. It was really interesting, and the data gathered is going to feature in our final report, which we’ll tell you about soon.
Post date: Tuesday, 12 April 2016 - 11:28am
This blog post has been a long time coming as it was put on pause while I have been finishing my PhD. Thankfully that is all handed in now and I feel I can focus on my composition projects whole-heartedly again, which is a wonderful feeling!
In our first meeting The Lincoln Ukulele Band generously gave me a Ukulele not just for the project but as a gift to keep which I am most grateful for! Thank you!
Post date: Monday, 11 April 2016 - 6:18pm
Andy Jackson, the inspirational leader of Cobweb Orchestras, thought the best way for me to get an idea of how they work would be to join in one of their groups, and he organised a cello for me to play. But what Andy didn’t know until I met him in the Sage Gateshead café that day that I have never held a cello before in my life.
Post date: Monday, 11 April 2016 - 10:39am
After the creation of the Yorkshire Music Library (under social enterprise Fresh Horizons) in 2012, the vast collection of over 300,000 musical scores, so crucial to the amateur and youth music sectors, went from strength to strength under its young music librarian, Sophie Anderson.
Latterly it had been hiring music to over 1,100 users throughout the UK, so there was widespread concern when Fresh Horizons ceased operating a few weeks ago, putting the future of the Yorkshire Music Library once more at risk.
Post date: Friday, 8 April 2016 - 12:11pm
The winners can be engaged by Making Music's 3000+ members - music clubs, amateur choirs and orchestras - at fixed fees and substantial subsidies, thanks to the generous funding by the Philip and Dorothy Green Music Trust. Artists gain valuable performing experience at the beginning of their careers and often forge lifelong relationships with groups all over the country, and voluntary music groups benefit from the substantial subsidy to book the best young soloists at an early stage in their professional careers.
Post date: Wednesday, 6 April 2016 - 5:40pm
Last week I met with the orchestra again! My mentor David Horne was able to come to this rehearsal, which was very useful. I now have the first 2 or 3 minutes of the piece pretty much completed the way I want them, and a plan for the rest.
The piece is developing into a tone poem based on a baby elephant growing up – she’s born, finds her feet, finds her voice, flees a forest fire, and finds her family again afterwards. I might be a little biased here as I’ve got two young daughters – as I said to the orchestra, you work with what you know…
