To kick-start the project, Musicate organised a series of
instrumental taster sessions in each of the 5 schools featuring a
variety of different musical ensembles in a 'Later with Jools
Holland Style' performance.
Hosted by Musicate directors, Chris Heighton and Richard
Shrewsbury, the performances were much more than just a
demonstration. Each show was interactive with children
participating in experiments with sound and exploring how sound
travels through different instruments - including schools exploring
our set of cavemen headphones.
Each school hall was set out with a different musical ensemble
in each corner - percussion ensemble (provided by Maraca2), wind
quartet, brass quintet, string quartet and jazz ensemble. During
the performance, children had the opportunity to explore the
sounds, workings and musical styles of each ensemble.
Each ensemble demonstrated a varied repertoire from standard
orchestral repertoire and jazz standards to TV themes and
arrangements of chart-topping tunes!