This last week has seen me in North Norfolk: I was there principally to lead a junior school music project, but I also took some time out for some bird-watching along the wonderful coastline.
I had been asked to lead a three day project with a class of 25 children aged 9 and 10, at Redgate Junior School in Hunstanton. The aim of the project was to compose a short piece of music to celebrate the Norfolk stage of the Tour Of Britain cycle race – which would be passing through Hunstanton on the Thursday. I therefore spent Tuesday and Wednesday (ably assisted on day one by Derek Paice and on day two by Brenda Stewart) creating “Bicycle Serenade” with the children! This was a five-minute piece which utilised, apart from the more familiar glokenspiels and xylophones, one cycle inner tube, one wheel, 2 spanners, 15 bicycle bells, 11 sets of handlebars, various assorted spokes, a cycle chain and one complete upturned bike!!
This was a fun project which culminated, on Thursday morning, with an outdoor performance of the piece on the green in Hunstanton, just before the Tour Of Britain racers came through.
With a little daylight available after finishing at the school on Wednesday, and with quite a lot of the day available on the Thursday I also managed to get visits in to Brancaster and Cley. Cley proved to be very productive, with some of the best views of Bearded Reedling I’ve ever had (I just managed to get this photo of a male), 
and some superb views of the ever-present Marsh Harriers (again with a couple of nice photo-opportunities appearing!). 
Now it’s straight into score learning for the next Ely Sinfonia concert I’m conducting, on October 2nd, which features Rossini, Gershwin and Berlioz (details at www.elysinfonia.co.uk).
The weekend of the 7th/8th of November saw me playing in two very different situations. On the Saturday I travelled to Thame in Oxfordshire, to Lord Williams’ School, which I attended for the first two years of my secondary education from 1974 – 1976. I had been asked to play in a concert celebrating the Schools’ 450th Anniversary – along the way I also got roped into sorting out the sound system for the other performers and singing in an ad hoc chamber choir! Oddly the last time I had sung in a choir was when I was at the school, before my voice broke…..!
Rehearsing with Howard Goodall at LWS in 1975 (I'm the 2nd boy from the right!)
The day started with a real nostalgia trip as I joined a group being given a tour of the school: There were two old schoolmates in the group and we also visited the room which had been my dormitory for two years (now a conference room). It was smaller than I remembered!!
In my old dormitory at LWS!
The concert went well; a fun evening with lots of variety. I even managed to get around the choir pieces (a selection of madrigals and other short pieces conducted by my old head of music, Robin Nelson) fairly well. My violin contributions went down well, and there was the premiere of a choral piece written specially for the occasion by ex-pupil (in the 6th form when I was there) Howard Goodall.
But enough of nostalgia……
On the Sunday I had to get to the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey for 8.30am in order to setup my electric violin and looping gear for the European String Teachers Association annual conference! I gave a short recital to the delegates, and then a 90 minute presentation of a variety of electric violin and looping techniques. The Hall at the school is excellent, and it was a most enjoyable morning. There was a lot of interest in what I was doing, and lots of positive networking, which I hope will lead to some more concerts and demonstrations.
Performing in the Menuhin Hall for the ESTA conference (photo: Geraint Tellem)
I also had a chance to try out some Bridge electric violins (they had a display stand at the conference), and was instantly impressed, in particular with their octave bass violin. I feel that the number of electric violins in my house may soon be increasing! Watch this space….
and some superb views of the ever-present Marsh Harriers (again with a couple of nice photo-opportunities appearing!). 