Old treasures!

I have just completed four lots of mentoring days for "Music for Youth" which have all been different, but all equally exciting and enjoyable.
I am also at the moment looking through some old archives of Avril's and have found real treasures and souvenirs of her wonderful contribution to music education over the years. It is so exciting to unearth old clippings and photographs, and realise the influence she had on me as she took me to lectures and workshops she was doing, and to places where she was adjudicating.
I found this photo of her and I, (not sure who the other lady is). It was about the time she was an adjudicator for "Music for Youth, and took me along to that. I remember being really inspired by it, not thinking ever that I would be in her position one day.
Thanks Avril!! I am enjoying re discovering your journey and realising even more what a profound effect you had on music Education.

Chris on youtube

As I have just discovered how to post videos on the blog, I thought I'd put one on of Chris playing one of my harmonica pieces.

Bobby Mcferrin describes the pentatonic scale

Two at a time!!

I have been asked for a long time for a book that teaches, or "Introduces" two instruments simultaneously, like two Razzamajazz books rolled into one.
I am finally doing this, and book one for flute and clarinet is nearly finished. The idea is, that piece one and two just use the first notes the two instruments learn as a duet. The next pieces use the first two notes for both instruments then the first three, and so on up to ten notes. Its been quite a challenge, as the notes learned don't relate that easily to start with. I think I've pulled it off,but its been like doing a puzzle, but has demanded some interesting harmonic backing.

Paper cutting

I like papercuts and found this by the New Zealand book council. I love it!

Birds at the Curve

I went to a concert at the Barbican of a project Chloe had been working on with LSO Discovery (Brilliant).

While there, she urged me to visit the Curve Gallery on the ground floor where they have an installation by Celeste Boursier-Mougenot. It consists of a series of electric guitars and upturned cymbals on stands in a room with forty bullfinches in. Birdseed is placed on the instriments, and each one is attached to an amplifier. As you enter the room ( along with bullfinches) there is a delightful chirping from the birds, and a random melody accompanied by the occasional light cymbal punctuation as the birds pluck at strings which are all tuned to different notes, and land on the cymbals.

I found it all captivating, and could have spent hours in this serene enviroment.http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery

Well worth a visit!

John Dankworth celebration.

What a privilege it was to be part of the day to celebrate the life of John Dankworth. To be surrounded by so many legends of the music world, and to hear them play, and then to hear them play again after the formal event was over just because they wanted to.
How nice to see so many old friends, and to celebrate the life of the man that influenced us all... an extraordinary man.
What a few weeks it has been with the night of the 40th anniversary, and now this.
A documentary about this period of time is being made, and many of us that were there have taken part in it. I think it is on 14th Mar on channel 4, but will confirm that.
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article7046031.ece