Hendon Music Centre’s Senior Concert Band performed a varied programme on Golders Hill Park Bandstand on Sunday 10 July to a very welcoming audience. Despite having to battle against the force 9 gale blowing on stage; stands were kept upright, music stayed firmly pegged to stands and the students performed with gusto!
Barnet Schools’ Music Festival 2016 took place in June on 13th-16th and 20th-23rd. The festival, now in its 16th year, ran for eight days at the Artsdepot in North Finchley and featured children from 68 primary and 6 secondary schools from across the borough. At the heart of the festival, children joined forces to perform as a massed choir singing a wide range of songs.
Music is to remain a priority in Barnet as Ian Phillips, Chair of Woodhouse College board of governors and Martin Baker, Chair of BEAT, shake hands after signing a 10 year agreement to lease premises to BEAT for the Centralised Music A level courses.
Our esteemed conductor of Barnet Youth Orchestra will be hanging up his baton at the end of this term and leaving his conducting post with us. We would like to thank him for his tireless work in finding repertoire, players and performance opportunities for the young people in Barnet. He will be replaced in September by Justin Fung.
British-Chinese conductor, Justin Fung is an active educator and orchestra trainer. He is much in demand as a conductor of youth orchestras, he currently holds the Principal Conductor position of North Hertfordshire Youth Orchestra, Barnet Youth Orchestra, Tri – Borough Youth Orchestra, Kingston Youth Orchestra, Kingston String Sinfonia and Kingston Training Orchestra,
He is also the Music Director of Opéra les Fauves and Principal Conductor of the Swinsian Ensemble. Justin has previously held conductor positions at the Firebird Orchestra of London, Amadeus Orchestra, Chamber Academy Orchestra, Hammersmith and Fulham Youth Orchestra, University of Glasgow, Stirling University, the Kelvin Ensemble and the Glasgow Contemporary Music Ensemble.
Justin graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland where he studied composition and conducting. He then continued studying privately with James Lowe, Mark Heron and Lionel Friend. Justin has studied in masterclasses with Benjamin Zander, Kenneth Woods, Colin Metters, and George Hurst. Aboard, Justin studied with Adrain Gnam in the United States, Manfred Huss in Vienna, Austria and opera conducting with Julius Kalmar in Verona, Italy and performed Mozart’s Don Giovanni with OperAverona.
Recent concert appearances have included a double bill production of Mozart’s Impresario and Puccini’s Gianni Schicchiwith Mid Summer Opera in London, a new production of Holst’s The Wandering Scholar with Opéra les Fauve, Eroica Camerata of Birmingham, ‘Ensemble thing’ in the Hague, Netherlands, the Orchestra of the Swan, Haydn Sinfonietta Wien, Amadeus Orchestra, Orchestra Filarmonia Veneta, Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, the Kelvin Ensemble, the Scottish Borders Community Orchestra and the CR:ACC Ensemble in Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Glasgow International Festival of visual art, University of York and Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.
Justin would especially like to thank Haydn Sinfonietta Wien, Orchestra of the Swan, the Two Rivers Festival, London Masterclasss and Sian Edwards for their generous support in helping him further his conducting studies.
To celebrate the BBC Young Musician of the Year Finals, the BBC are inviting young violinists, cellists and jazz musicians to join in a day of free activities at the Barbican on 15 May 2016.
Build A Big Band with jazz vocalist Clare Teal (BBC Young Jazz judge) and composer, trumpeter, arranger and band leader Guy Barker and prepare for an interval performance on the Barbican Club Stage alongside professional big band players. Open to jazz musicians aged 16-25 who have reached Grade 7 (or equivalent).
Participate in a String Session led by Jennifer Pike (BBC Young Musician 2002 Winner). Open to 12-18 year old string players who have reached Grade 7 (or equivalent) or above on their instrument.
A Cello Masterclass with previous Young Musician winner Guy Johnston, open to 12-18 year olds.
To read more about what the exiting day will involve and to sign up: http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/egv8gw.
Congratulations to St James’ Catholic High School for winning the ‘Schools Rock Barnet’ competition.
On the 24th April their new school fusion band, Half A Mile, organised by My Myers, won the Metropolitan Police’s Battle of the Bands competition. The band started off as a trio but has now grown to include vocalists and a saxophonist from Years 7 to 11. At the event, their band competed against a number of other schools, playing ‘The Night is Still Young‘ by Nicki Minaj, and ‘Soul Grief‘ written by Mr Myers. Well done to them and all who took part.
Saturday 23 January 2016 – East Barnet Music Centre
Windband Workshop with Keith Allen
Mr Keith Allen was Rita Porzi’s first ever clarinet teacher when she lived in Birmingham. When we were told that he would be coming to visit us, it caused a lot of excitement.
For the first half of the session, 9.30-10.30, Junior Band and Intermediate Band went down to the auditorium. Senior Band and Senior Concert Band were to have their turn during the second half of the morning.
First, Mr Allen arranged both bands together in the places he thought everyone should sit. Not only did he do that but he gave us an explanation for each change he made. We were thrilled to be in the same room as such a respectful man.
After that, he went through a series of intriguing warm-ups. He got us to sing, play our instruments and correct our posture. He also got us to tune up.
Next, he split us up into our separate bands. Starting with the Junior Band, he got them to play one of the many pieces they had been working on for the past few weeks. Then he talked it over with them and suggested more ways to improve it. Intermediate Band then had their turn.
The time went so quickly we only just had enough time to thank him, before it was time to go to break.
We were all sorry to leave, and we can only hope that Mr Allen will give us the absolute pleasure of visiting us again.
By Eleanor Rachel (12)
The latest Arts Council England report recognises BEAT for the excellent contribution it is making to the musical education of young people in Barnet. In a recent letter from Arts Council England BEAT was complimented on the large number of schools it engages with – 93.4% against a national average of 85.9%
Also mentioned were the large number of choirs and ensembles both within Barnet schools and seperately run by BEAT.
Particular credit was given to the high quality of the original composition by the Barnet composer Peter Yarde Martin of ‘George and the Dragon.’ This work was commissioned by BEAT and supported by a grant from Arts Council England. The world premiere of the piece was held at the Royal Albert Hall on 23rd April 2015. This concert, involving 1500 Barnet young people was live streamed across the world and attracted 16,500 hits on the site.
BEAT will continue to work alongside ARTS Council England to provide the very best musical opportunities for young people in Barnet.
On Saturday 6th February North London Hospice hosted their first ever talent show at the Arts Depot in North Finchley. A variety of acts took part in North London’s Got Talent, raising much needed funds for the Hospice, including BEAT’s very own Finchley Music Centre Steel Orchestra. The students, under the direction of Abdul Williams, played fantastically and tied for 3rd place in front of a panel of professional judges.
For more information on joining one of our steel pan groups, see our Finchley Music Centre page, or contact the Head of Centre Anthony Filby: anthony.filby@beatrust.org.uk
