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.

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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.

Two Southampton Music Hub Award Holder students, tuba player Morro Barry and bassoon player Lucy Gowans, are celebrating after national recognition for their musical talents. 

Morro Barry, tuba player

It was after taking part in a project with the Chineke! Orchestra in November that Morro, aged 13, was invited to audition for the Chineke! Junior Orchestra: an orchestra run by the Chineke! Foundation, which supports young Black and Minority Ethnic classical musicians across Europe. After a successful Skype interview with Chinke! founder, Chi Chi Okinawa, Morro has been invited to join the Chineke! Junior Orchestra this Spring.

Lucy Gowan, bassoon player

After auditioning from the National Children's Orchestra at the end of last year, Lucy, aged 11, has been offered places in both the under 12s national orchestra and the regional orchestra. Both orchestras are run by the highly acclaimed National Children's Orchestra, which provides a world class foundation in orchestra performance and musicianship to musically talented children in the UK aged 7-14.

Zoe Hunting, Ensembles Manager for Southampton Music Hub, says:
"I'm delighted that two Award Holder students from our city's youth orchestras and bands are also being recognised at a national level: the whole team offer their congratulations to the students on all the hard work that has led to their success. Southampton Music Hub is dedicated to supporting all young musicians to reach their fullest potential, and thanks to the support of music teachers and the Award Holder scheme, it is wonderful to see two young players reach such great heights of musical development."

Both Morro and Lucy will be appearing as soloists in the Southampton Concert Wind Band performance on Sunday 29 April at All Saint's Church in Botley."

On Friday 2 March 2018, ss part of the Indian Classical Music Club, Art Asia and Southampton Music Hub present an evening of Indian classical and fusion music. Taking place from 7-9pm at St Anne's Catholic School, the evening will include presentations that provide a deeper understanding of the history, instruments and structures of Indian classical and fusion music, whilst inspiring performances from world renowned musicians will excite audiences with a contemporary view of the ragas (scales) and talas (rhythms) that make up these vibrant musical styles.

This month, presentations and performances will come from Sanju Sahai (Tabla), Giuliano Modarelli (Guitar) and Pooja Angra (Vocal) — three world-class performers across Indian classical and fusion music styles.

Matt Brombley, Interim Hub Manager for Southampton Music Hub, says:
"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. Through the annual Mela festival, and countless community events, Art Asia have vast experience of making Indian Classical Music accessible and enjoyable to anybody, whatever their background."

Tickets cost £7 for adults and £5 for under 16's. To book, please contact Art Asia on 023 8022 6212 or 07484097641

This month's free song in the Everybody Sing Song Bank celebrates pancake day with a "Flip It!" rap. A new podcast episode also gives tips and tricks on how to get the most out of the song, and includes a warm up of the week and a simple, silly starter to help get the best out of young voices. The song also includes getting vocalists doing beatboxing, with the podcast giving an easy to follow guide on how to get started with this exciting vocal technique.

Southampton Music Hub is now offering Musical Theatre singing workshops in partnership with Perform For Life, a performing arts education organisation based in the South / South West. In group workshops participants will sing popular Musical Theatre songs, learning singing technique, harmony singing and other elements of Musical Theatre, including movement and acting through song.

Katrina Simon, founder of Perform for Life, says:
"Perform For Life creates opportunities for children and young people in the city to take part in Musical Theatre tuition in a group setting, making it an affordable way for participants to learn new songs, pick up new skills and meet like-minded friends. Musical Theatre is a hugely popular genre and Perform For Life uses the storytelling nature of the genre to give children and young people performance skills they can use both on and off the stage." 

Workshops will be at Regents Park Community College, every other Tuesday after school. 

This month's new song in the Everybody Sing Song Bank, written by Jo Downs, celebrates creativity in music, art, science and more. With a fun and catchy tune for everybody to enjoy, singing this song is a great way to help young singers focus on pronouncing some tricky words clearly. This weeks podcast includes a bonus episode to help you get creative with some percussion ideas.

A message from Matt, Nia and Zoe, Southampton Music Hub Managers:

The start of the new school year in 2017 has seen some incredible musical moments in Southampton:

• 1,500 new pupils took their first music steps in First Access
• 5,000 children learning music every week
• over 6,600 children taking part in an inspiring musical experience

As we share some of our highlights from the start of this year, we also look forward to 2018, working with schools, partners and families to bring life-changing music to every child in our city.

This Christmas, Southampton Music Hub has worked closely with two choirs — University of Southampton Voices and Southampton Choral Society — to put together two concerts celebrating choral excellence in Southampton.

The Bells of Paradise:

The first concert, The Bells of Paradise, took place at Swaythling Methodist Church on Friday 15th December. 

University of Southampton Voices — a 50 strong community choir based at the University of Southampton — were lead by their charismatic director, Harvey Brough, who also composed and arranged the music performed. Choirs from Swaythling Primary School and Cantell School worked with vocal workshop leaders from Southampton Music Hub in the run up to the event.

Harvey Brough, University of Southampton Voices Director, says:
“The young singers sang really well, I felt they really learned something about performing throughout the process and in the concert itself. I could feel the collective will to make it as good as possible and that’s such a valuable thing to tap into.”

Gemma Dyne, Head of Music at Cantell School, says:
“We had a really good time and it was very beneficial for all of the students taking part.”

Singers from St Annes rehearsing for their performance at Central Hall

Singers from Springhil school rehearsing for their performance at Central Hall

Ceremony of Carols

The second concert, at Central Hall on Saturday 16th December, featured Southampton Choral Society, alongside choirs from Springhill and St Anne’s Catholic Schools, in a magical performance of Britten’s Ceremony of Carols.

Workshop leaders from Southampton Music Hub worked with the schools to learn and rehearse the material which was brought together with harp accompaniment on the day, by conductor Graham Kidd. The demanding but beautiful music of Britten made a dramatic entrance processing in and out of the auditorium for the opening and closing plain chant. 

Diana Barnes, General Secretary of Southampton Choral Society, says:
“It was lovely to hear their young voices singing with enthusiasm and commitment, and we thoroughly enjoyed having them sing with us. We hope that we can have the opportunity again some time!”

Jenni McWilliams, Music Teacher at Springhill, says:
“This was an amazing opportunity for our pupils, we would definitely welcome working together again... they absolutely loved the whole experience.”

Gemma Nicholls, St Anne’s
“This was a wonderful event and a brilliant chance for the students to sing alongside singers from Springhill and Southampton Choral Society. The students all really enjoyed it.”

Nia Collins, Interim Hub Manager at Southampton Music Hub, says:
“Both of these choral concerts were extremely ambitious in their repertoire and as always the children and young people of Southampton schools were able to rise to the challenge admirably with some astonishing results! We have enjoyed working closely with schools, the university and community choirs who have all been extremely supportive in helping to bring these exciting celebration events together.”

This Spring, Southampton Music Hub presents a brand new set of songs that will help the youngest children in school to explore the world around them through singing. The fun and simple songs explore themes from brushing you teeth and washing your hands, through to family and holidays. 

The free song book will be sent to every Reception class in the city, and will be supported with free singing workshops from Southampton Music Hub's experienced early years singing tutors. 

Nia Collins, Southampton Music Hub Manager and Vocal Strategy Leader, says:
"We are delighted to be able to offer a set of songs written for the EYFS framework that help children in Reception classes use music to explore their relationship to the home environment. These free songs will be accompanied by free workshops in schools which will help children enjoy singing from the very beginning of their schools lives. The songs are simple and catchy, and we hope that children will take these songs home so that parents can singalong too."

On Friday 15 December 2017, University of Southampton Voices and Southampton Music Hub will present The Bells of Paradise: a delightful collection of carols and Christmas songs from around the world, and through the ages, arranged by Harvey Brough, Turner Sims Professor of Music.

Southampton University Voices — a 60 strong choir made up from staff members and students from the University of Southampton — will come together with children’s choirs from Swaythling Primary and Cantell School, international vocalist Clara Sanabras and James Murray on piano.

The performance takes place at Swaything Methodist Hall, starting at 7.30pm.

Southampton Music Hub Manager and Vocal Strategy Lead, Nia Collins, says:
"This has been a great opportunity to showcase some of Harvey's fantastically festive arrangements and for the children involved to sing some really interesting and different repertoire. It has also been a great way for the hub to deliver some transition work between primary and secondary schools and the university, helping to strengthen those links in our community via music"