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).
I realised today – as I was taking some (I think well deserved) time out sitting in the sunshine in our back garden – that I had not written a new post on my site for nearly four months!
After an initial pang of guilt I went on to think “What’s the problem?” – I’m realistic enough to realise that a lack of posts does not constitute an international crisis. How many people are out there on tenderhooks waiting for my next snippet of news?
And here’s the nub: I know several people who seem to run their lives around website and social media interaction, but (and maybe it’s an age thing) I can’t build up either that level of enthusiasm or the time needed for it!
Don’t get me wrong: I enjoy updating my website and using Facebook and Twitter, but there are many more demands on my time – both in terms of work and leisure – and my priorities often don’t stretch to the virtual realm.
Maybe, you might be thinking, if I changed my priorities and spent more time on blog posts and tweets I would get more online interest which would translate into more music sales and more concerts. That sounds good, but we all have to strike a balance we’re comfortable with….
Right now I’m comfortable sitting in my garden chair listening to birdsong and the drumming of a great spotted woodpecker whilst writing this post on the WordPress app I’ve just installed on my iPhone!!
If you’re lucky this may be the advent of many new posts detailing my activities; concerts, recordings, birding trips and so on. Or maybe you don’t care, or have your own priorities, which don’t include reading my blog posts!
Or maybe no-one will read this and I’m just satisfying my own need to justify my existence publicly….Hello…..Is anyone there?……Hello……Hello……
Apologies to anyone who was unable to get onto my site last week: My server was terminally hacked and had ot be replaced, so the site was offline for a few days.
In the meantime I’ve given an inaugural concert with a new collaboration; a violin duo called “Phase Two” with violinist Kelly Jones. We played a mixed programme of acoustic and electric works in a wonderful church in Shoreham, including first performances of a new duo piece by Chris Gander and a new arrangement I’ve made of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal”!
On Sunday I was conducting Ely Sinfonia in a one day orchestral workshop on Brahms’ “Academic Festival Overture” and Bernstein’s “Candide”. A tiring but very enjoyable day. I read somewhere that conducting is the best aerobic exercise there is – I completely agree! One new first violin said “Steve is so good… he has to put up with all our mistakes and he doesn’t shout at us like some conductors!” I’ll try not to let it go to my head….
I’ve also received some photos from our Ely Sinfonia concert in October, taken during the afternoon rehearsal for the Mozart “Requiem”. Here are a couple.
Rehearsing Mozart's Requiem in Ely Cathedral
...the largest group of musicians I have conducted to date!
Today – sandwiched between the two extremes of packing boxes (we move house in a couple of weeks) and practising for various concerts, including a Mendelssohn Concerto on June 14th (see Concerts) – I awarded myself a day off! The weather in Norfolk was superb and a trip to the RSPB reserve at Snettisham, on the east coast of the Wash, was very enjoyable and resulted in some great photographic opportunities. This evening, just before dusk, we also ventured out into Thetford Forest and had some excellent views of Nightjars, as well as hearing their distinctive whirring call and wing-clapping display flight.
Whitethroat
This Oystercatcher was just returning to its eggs, having initially been disturbed by our arrival.
Just about to settle down.....
Getting comfortable!
Sorted!
Christmas has always been a good time for catching up with friends and spending time with your family. My son Chris is home after his first term at University, so it’s great to have everyone here. Yesterday I thought it would be fun to record a family version of the Coventry Carol (always a favourite of mine), so here it is, with me on violins and synth bass, and Brenda, Chris and Jenny on handbells!! Coventry Carol
Brenda bought the handbells for use in workshops and other events, and they’ve already proved to be excellent value. They’re colourful metal and plastic affairs aimed at children but well worth having around.
I’m now looking ahead to 2009, after an exceptionally busy 2008, and hoping to have time for some exciting collaborations and possibly even another CD! The No-Man live CD and DVD should be released in the spring. I’m also working on new solo repertoire, and duo partnerships with a variety of wonderful musicians – more on this soon….
2009 is Ely Sinfonia’s 10th anniversary season, and I’m excited to be conducting all sorts of repertoire with them, from Rimsky-Korsakov’s amazing “Scheherezade” to the Mozart “Requiem” and Beethoven’s fifth symphony!
It promises to be a fulfilling year.
Whoever you are and wherever you are, please accept my sincere best wishes for 2009.
and some superb views of the ever-present Marsh Harriers (again with a couple of nice photo-opportunities appearing!). 
