Alan Coady’s Musical Blog

This morning saw the band call for North Berwick High School’s forthcoming production of Fiddler On The Roof (music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein). By the time this pic of the band was taken

our drummer, debonair Dave Swanson, hungry for CPD as ever, had raced off to a drum clinic by Omar Hakim.

The show runs from Thu 18 - Sat 20 at 19:30 in North Berwick High School. Tickets are available on the door but, to avoid disappointment, you can call the school on 01620 894661, reserve tickets and pay on the night.

Why not visit the production’s Facebook page?

Last night I attended an astonishing event in Haddington’s Corn Exchange organised by Mike Cullen and a host of talented and generous friends  in aid of the victims of Haiti’s earthquake. I’m sure Mike won’t mind my mentioning here that the amount raised is already over £5,000 and rising. Perhaps Mike could let us know the final figure and the names of all those involved in putting on such an excellent night.

The Corn Exchange was transformed into a TOTP studio:

The quality of the bands was outstanding - including State Freed, featuring some Knox lads:

The audience were invited to dress up and many really pushed the boat out. I was keen to do my bit with this barely noticeable tweak to standard school dress code:

All 500 tickets were sold and the atmosphere was fantastic. I found this quite a moving event - not least because I had the chance to catch up with some old friends - including school friends. The dynamic between music, geography and emotion is a strange one. I lived in Haddington until I moved away to study in 1979 - quite a while ago. Yet last night, I’d never felt more part of, nor proud of, the place.

Well done to everyone involved!

Last night saw another successful Campie Musical Evening in Musselburgh Grammar School (bigger hall - more parents can fit in). The enthusiasm of so many brave, smiling young people taking to the stage was infectious. The evening comprised Guitars, Brass, Recorders, Choir, Scottish Country Dance, Jazz Dance. Guitar and Brass being timetabled, class-time lessons, it’s not possible to play both - but very many pupils took part in more than one group and several were in four!

This is really an effortless Transition event. Pupils in P5-P7 mix with peers already attending MGS and get to know the layout of the Music Department, school hall etc. What strikes me as valuable is for young pupils to see e.g. an S6 pupil perform a short solo. No amount of description of the road ahead could get the message across like this - and provide the inspiration to continue practising.

Such an evening also strikes me as Curriculum of Excellence in action. All four capacities are present in abundance - the stage was graced with:

• successful learners
• confident individuals
• responsible citizens
• effective contributors

With particular regard to the last two on this list, many thanks to Gavin and Jamie in S6 who put in a long shift (from 4:00 - 9:15 setting up and operating sound and lights). Thanks also to Callum in S6 and Hayley in S3 who helped me out with tuning and re-tuning 25 guitars in addition to playing along with the group.

I found myself wishing that councillors from neighbouring authorities, currently considering cutting primary instrumental provision, had been present, to get a real sense of the sadness and the loss that this will inevitably bring about. I can’t imagine a bigger dent being put in the 3-18 continuity to which CfE aspires.

Later in the year, when Campie’s P5-P7 guitarists put on a concert for P4s (next session’s new players) I will record the group pieces we played last night - in addition to the solos, which many will offer. This smaller event will take place in the cathedral-like acoustic of Campie’s Gym Hall.

On Friday 29 Jan a group of 7 North Berwick High School guitar pupils gave, along with Zoe (singer), a performance of two songs at the PTA Burns Supper. While the performances were very good, and very well received, the recordings were not great - it was a live event, after all. So today, we met in the cathedral-like acoustic of the Dance Studio to make studio recordings.

The final mix was luck - the placing of a Zoom H2 in the middle of the studio and distancing people by intuition more than science. I hope you’ll agree that the result and, more particularly, the performance of the pupils is a success. Thanks to the PE Dept. for their hospitality. It’s worth remembering that these recordings came at the end of a school day, which had already featured a lunchtime rehearsal (of other material) and that the pupils went straight to record without further run-through. It may be my imagination, but I sense a difference in feel between live and studio events for pupils: the former is all about energy, communication and the moment, while the latter is more about focus, attention to detail and posterity.

The Lea Rig: the-lea-rig-2010-02-09

The Deil’s Awa Wi’ The Exciseman:the-deils-awa-wi-the-exciseman

Guitarist and former Knox pupil, Simon Thacker, has posted three videos on YouTube featuring his recent East-West project with the Nava Rasa Ensemble. This film features: Simon explaining the origin of and ideas behind the project; rehearsal footage; interviews with members of the ensemble. Look out for waterphone at 0:16; the fantastic Brazilian/Scots accent of Maria Lima Caribé da Rocha at 0:47

This film features extracts from Shirish Korde’s piece Nada Ananda, concerto for guitar and chamber ensemble:

This film features the final movement of Nigel Osborne’s The Birth of Naciteka for guitar concertante:

All three films feature explanatory notes to the right of the screen.

It’s interesting to note that Simon, who left school before the digital revolution, as we currently understand the term, was underway, has effortlessly harnessed technology in the service of communicating his art to as wide an audience as possible.

New play-along midi files have been added to the Guitar Group Midis page for:

• NBHS PTA Burns Supper (Fri 29th Jan)
• NBHS Spring Concert (Tue 30 Mar)
• Knox Spring Concert (Wed 31 Mar)

As Ronnie Summers (Head Teacher of Musselburgh Grammar School) said in his vote of thanks at the end of this year’s Christmas Concert, there is something admirable about the pupil soloist, willing to get up there and face the crowds alone (albeit often with an accompanist). People unfamiliar with school concerts might not appreciate that the same person may have taken part in several ensemble pieces the same evening – confident individual and effective contributor in one high-pressure evening Here is a clip of Callum in S6 performing the 2nd movement of Vivaldi’s Lute Concerto in D: vivaldi-lute-concerto-2nd-movement-callum

One of the other pieces in which Callum was involved was this a guitar ensemble item entitled I’m Dreaming of a Pink Christmas: im-dreaming-of-a-pink-christmas-2009-12-17

A couple of items performed by the NBHS Guitar Ensmble:

Christmas Night (aka Pied’s en l’air) pieds-en-lair

I’m Dreaming of a Pink Christmas im-dreaming-of-a-pink-christmas

…  on the day of the last official rehearsal before a Christmas concert than this?

I was honoured to be able to take part in Sunday’s Saltire celebrations in the fantastic acoustic of St. Mary’s Parish Church, Haddington.

My role was that of accompanist in a performance of Robert Burns’ Ca’ The Yowes sung by Zoe from North Berwick High School (pictured below with performer and MC for the evening, Phil Cunningham).

Zoe shared the bill with very distinguished company: Dougie Maclean; Karen Matheson & Fish. The warmth and encouragement of these seasoned performers was very touching and, I couldn’t help noticing in the afternoon’s sound check, that they seemed to be very impressed as Zoe brought the song to this moving climax: ca-the-yowes-last-3-verses-homecoming-2009-11-29

Judging from the reception, the evening’s audience was similarly moved.