Youth Music

Roseland Youth Music (RYM) is the educational branch of Roseland Music Society. It promotes musical activity among young people on the Roseland; provides professional musicians to work in local schools; enables children to experience live music of all types;  see and hear a range of musical instruments being played and offers students the opportunity to participate in practical workshops involving listening, composing, improvising, singing, playing and performing together.

Since  RYM school visits began in 2004 more than 5,500 local pupils have had the unique opportunity to listen to Professional Musicians and expand their music education.

The Selene Scholars gave two schools workshops during their visit to the Roseland on Friday 10th February.

Hotfoot from Oxford, the young ensemble of choral scholars first visited Roseland Academy School in the morning, joining pupils in a singing workshop in school and a mini-performance - thanks to Wendy Polley and Music Teacher Matthew Fox.

They then grabbed lunch, drove down the lane and lead some singing together in the nearby primary school Veryan C of E Primary School at the invitation of Headteacher Emeline.


Daniel Gilchrist is the director of the young group which is carving out a new but well-worn path (vide The Sixteen, The Tallis Scholars, The Orlando Consort and The Kings Singers) with the great choral repertoire of sacred music.


The workshops form part of the Society's Roseland Youth Music initiative which meets its charitable objectives.

These workshops have been made possible through donations to the charity by local people and through the support of the AsOne Perform Music Hub.
We would also like to thank all the volunteers at Roseland Music Society and at Carrick Concerts who have put all 8 singers up and hosted them for this, their first visit to Cornwall and an early formative tour outside their Oxford stomping ground.


Review of the Selene Scholars visit


Who says Classical Music is inaccessible?


When the Selene Scholars started to sing Thomas TallisIf You Love Me at both The Roseland Academy and Veryan Primary school, you could hear a pin drop.

Students at Roseland Academy commented that the polyphony was ‘like a puzzle’ and ‘really unlocked a part of my brain’.
They were amazed that four people without amplification could ‘make that much sound!’


Introducing themselves as advocates for classical music the Selenes asked what the students’ preconception of classical music was. Old fashioned, complicated, high pitched were the suggestions.


Promising to engage their ‘core muscles and (their) souls’,  Will got the students up and started some warmup exercises.

They weren’t expecting to be told to drop to the floor, loosen their knees, reach up and breathe deeply before playing lively repetition games.

Some vocal exercises followed and then they were onto round singing, described by Will as a sort of Mexican wave. ‘Bella Mama, Yeah’ rang out in harmony and students and staff passing the music suite were stopped in their tracks.

One student was heard to say to his friend ‘I’m never gonna stop singing that!’.


The students were handed the music to Orlando Gibbons’ ‘Drop, drop, slow tears’ and John Rutter’s ‘The Lord Bless you and Keep You’.

Splitting the group into high and low voices, the Soprano and Alto parts were learnt. Before a short break they put it all together and, with the Tenor and Bass joining them ‘performed’ it.


Many wanted to sing it again.    But the Selenes had another plan.


Focusing on engaging the listeners they taught everyone the first verse of ‘The Lord Bless you and keep You’, a more recent composition with piano accompaniment.
Students were told to walk around the room singing the words directly to everyone they passed, getting eye contact and connection.

It was very moving.


They then split in to the two parts again and learnt the four-part verses to sing together with the Selenes.     The session finished all too soon.


In short postcards to the performers,  the students conveyed their gratitude to the Selenes:


‘The harmonies are beautiful’,   

‘I really enjoyed it. All the students were really Talented and Funny. Thank you. It made my day’,  ‘These songs were spectacular. It sounds like they belong in a fairy tale. You are so talented in so many ways. This made me feel so happy it made me feel alive for once. Thank you.’,
‘Your singing makes me feel very happy cause recently I have gone through a hard time and you guys made me feel happy. Thank you for this special morning’,

‘Loved the high voices and It hurted my brain because it that good (sic)’,
‘I loved hearing and singing with you. Best day ever at school. You really have made my day, thank you’.


At Veryan the visit had the same impact.
Working with two groups, first Key stage 1 then Key stage 2,  the quartet again got the children up and active and singing rounds
They started with a "tropical fruit five a day" (well 4 but who’s counting!) based Mexican wave.
The bass started: Mango Mango Mango Mango Mango Mango Mango Mango, P-P-P-P-P-Papaya P-P-P-P-P-P-Papaya sang the alto, the Soprano joined in with Kiwi Kiwi Kiwi Kiwi Kiwi Kiwi and finally, singing in falsetto the tenor declaimed WATERMELON!


Both groups learnt and sang ‘Bella Mama, Yeah’.

Those who wanted to were able to perform it to their parents and the rest of the school after they and the Selene Scholars had enjoyed a performance of ‘Drop, drop slow tears’ in the gorgeous acoustic of St Symphorians.


Karen Green, a professional flautist whose son is at Veryan School writes ‘It was wonderful to hear the Selene Scholars perform in Veryan School’s weekly collective worship in St Symphorian’s Church. The children were all buzzing and exceptionally engaged in the joint performance that they were taught during the workshop earlier that day. It was a fantastic opportunity to hear some top-class music performance on our doorstep. There was interest from several pupils wishing to attend the concert they gave for the Roseland Music Society’.


Four of those pupils as well as at least one from The Roseland Academy did come to the concert at Gerrans Memorial Hall that evening. Refusing to give in to tiredness they stayed to the very end and wanted to say another thank you and goodbye to Will, Dan, Melissa and Ben.

  

Duo del Fuego at Ladock

Craig Ogden  guitar masterclass with students from Cornish Schools

Sponsored by The Nare Hotel

Flutes Fantastic - Trevor Wye

Harp Workshop

Zum Project a 3 day composition workshop at Gerrans school  for local Schools

Sponsored by RMS, Making Music and The Ernest Cook Trust