Edinburgh String Quartet Extravaganza! November 9, 2007
Posted by smacniven in : Term 2 2007, events , trackbackLast week began with quite a bang, clang and ching on the 5th of November as all P7 classes spent a whole day in the company of Kenneth Dempster the composer and the very distinguished Edinburgh String Quartet.
Gerorge Mackay Brown`s poem “The Reel of the Seven Fisherman” was used as a stimulus and the children used a multitude of instruments to create an original piece of music which was then performed to other classes in the school at the end of each day. 9here are the words of the poem - a-reel-of-seven-fisherman.docThe music “The Cold dancer” was used as a starting point for the pupils` own creative musical exploration of sounds.
The String Quartet worked alongside each class in the planning and exploration stage which was facilitated and conducted by Kenneth. The children had to really focus, watch and listen in order to contribute effectively to the “orchestra”. Sound effects using clapping and stamping were also used to bring the story of the poem alive.
Quite literally the experience of a lifetime. A fabulous time was had by all and the pupils` of P7 would like to send out a huge big thanks to Kenneth and the wonderfully talented members of the quartet! Great memories to cherish…..
Are you sitting comfortably? Listen to our podcast, have a look at the slideshow and check out the movie…….
Listen to our podcast 7bs-string-quartet-performance-final-version.mp3
Comments»
To play that poem using only music and playing it infront of the p1s and 2s was just incredible. Not to mention playing music with the famous people the Edinburgh String Quartet.
To play that poem using only music and playing it infront of the p1s and 2s was just incredible. Not to mention playing music with the famous people the Edinburgh String Quartet.
It was amazing playing in front of the 1s and 2s with Ken and The Edinburgh String Quartet
I really enjoyed playing with the Edinburgh String Quartet, it was an amazing experience that I will never forget. My favourite part of the day was the afternoon when we performed our day’s work to the P1’s & 2’s
heeya, i thought that the string quartet was very interesting and i found it very fun also to be mixing with 7D because ive got like a BF in that class who i was with.
But anyway i really enjoyed the quartet and might maybe go to one of
their concerts…so ye thanx for readin xxx
it was realy cool to play with a world famos band!
BYE BYE!!!
The quartet were great and so was kenith. Thanks all.
I thoroughly enjoyed the String Quartets vist.My favourite bit was peforming in front of the p1 and p2.I also learnt some facts on string instuments.I hope to go and see them peform.
The string Quartet was a great hit with Amy and has sparked her interest in percussion + orchestral music. So much so that I’d love to take her to a children’s concert. It’s great that the children get these opportunities. Any chance of extending it to other year groups?
I thought it was so cool to play music with famous musicans like the string quartet. It was a great experience that I will never forget. It was so fun performing in front of the P1s and P2s
I thought the string quartet was great! It was really fun playing in a big group and being conducted.My favourite part was performing it to P1 and P2.
it was good playing a poem and performing infront of the p1s. (:
I thought that is was a really good opportunity and was pleased that everyone got to play not just those who play instruments.Josie really enjoyed it. I think the slideshow is fantastic!I liked seeing pictures of Josie.
The string quartet day was really good ! We all had to bring in two stones for one part of piece and all the rest of the piece kenneth had brought in instruments like cymbals , clakers and a scraper ( a bit of bumpy wood that you rub with a wooden stick ) . I thought the string quartet were really good and it was a pleasure meeting them ! It was a great day and we all had fun ! thank you !
The string quartet was fabulous! I played a symbol and a xylophone it was really good fun and interesting too.The string quartet were amazing! How do their fingers move so fast? Kenneth the composer was very nice. The proformance to the p5/6’s was fun but I was quite nervous. I think the people playing it was more fun than watching it. Thankyou for coming in String Quartet!!!
I really enjoyed the string quartet and it was great mixing with some of my other friends and it was amazing fun!
I was playing the drum with Jessie Tate and Chloe Kibble, I also played stones and and bells.
The song was based on a poem (it was quite sad)
We performed to P1’s,P2,s and P3’s.
It was a great opportunity but I was a bit disapointed that some of the P6’s didn’t enjoyed it.
I thought the string quartet and Kenith were very exiting.
The instrument I played the tambereen and the xylophone.The string quartet very good at the instrument. I performed to the 3’s and 4’s.
I thought the string quartet was AMAZING! It was really fun to play with the great musicans. I can’t believe how fast they can play! I don’t think I will ever play my viollin as fast as that! My favourite bit was performing to the P5&P6’s. It was really fun working with Ken. I thought it was really cool that Ken could write a whole piece of music based on 1 poem! Thanks for organising the visit it was great!
Anyaxx
i really enjoyed the string quartet when they came it was a great experience. I played the cowbell and the sraper that is in two parts. i thought that the idea of the stones was really clever and i thoroughly enjoyed performing with the string quartet (who were great) infront of the p6s and p5s. I thought that the poem we performed to was really well written and the description was great. I especially liked the bit where it says “a withershin step, a cry! a steeple of wings.” thanks all
I thought the string quartet was really good and i wish i could do it one more time. I played the xylophone,sleigh bells and stones. I really enjoyed playing infront of other year groups. The song was based on a poem about fisherman and a mum and daughter.
I really enjoyed string quartet because I got to play with a world famous Quartet.Every one got 3 instraments to play.I got given a triangle,stones and an xylophone.After nearly a whole day of practice
we got to ferform in front of the in infants.The whole preformance was based on a poem and I really enjoyed the whole thing.
I thought that it was interesting playing a poem in a song and my favourite part was when you got to scream.It was great to play with a famous Quartet in front of the P1’s,P2’s and P3’s. Everybody had three instruments including the rocks, I had a symbol and xylophone. I am looking forward to the musical because I enjoyed the Quartet.
I thought the string quartet was fantastic. I really enjoyed trying to get the story of the poem which was the reel of the seven fishermen across to the p5 and p6’s. I was playing the tamberine glockenspiel which was very fun. I really enjoyed the opportunity to get to preform with Edinburgh’s famous quartet.
I thought the string quartet was really good because they where really good players and its something different for the school. We played music that was saying a poem instead of saying it. I don t know wat the type of instrument i played but it had 1 big bell thing and 1 little bell thing on one thing. At 2:15 we all performed in front of the p5’s and p6’s i thought we done really well and it sounded really good. All the children where excited because it was something different for them.
I thought the string quarteat was very very great. The music was about a saven fisher mans who one of them die. ken was the conductor who have to put his hand up inthe air and down something
like that. I play a tambourine it was very fun it was very cool.
The string quartet was amazing but also very scary because we had to do a great performance at the end for the p1/2. The instrument i played was a xylophone and a triangle. I thought i played very professionally. The song was based on a poem called the Fisherman reel.
I thought that it was amazing! the string quartet played wounderfly
we played to the p5’s and p6’s the song was based on a poem
I played a sea drum, tamborine, stones and chime bar.
I enjoyed playing the cymbal and It was very hard, and I performed to
P3/P4 and it was great. Ken was very good at conducting us and the string quartet was very very good at playing violins.
I engoyed playing the instruments I played on the tambereen and
the triangle,stones .
I engoyed preforming to all the p3, p4 i felt nervious they didn ‘t
know it was based on a poem .
I thought ken the Conductor the string quartet and the p7s all did there hardest.
Last week I went to the string quartet and we banged rocks together, I also playedthe zilo-phone and an agogo. the conducters name was Keneth. We played a poem in music. My group played to the P3 and P4. It was really fun.
I thik that the string Quartet coming in was a great way for us to get a bit more musical and that most people would get something out of it at some degree.
good quality presentation which I enjoyed seeing. Particularly impressed with the ’slide-show’ graphics which was a very professional job, well done!
Last week, on Monday, me and the rest of 7a got to compose a peice of music called ‘The Cold Dancer’. Playing with us was the Edinburgh string quartet. We all got to bang rocks together and play alot of different instrements. 7a got to play to the p1s and p2s. it was very enjoyable
I think that all the pupils in P7 would have been able to learn a lot about the life style of the group and would encourage them to get more musical.
I really enjoyed playing the instruments and it was great fun.I was quite annoyed that you could hardly see me in the photos because i was behind the Edinburgh String Quartet.
I really enjoyed it because i was the only cello and i got to play in the wind part.
I think it is hard to play a song about a poem, but we did really well i thought it was great fun and also a great experience to play with world wide famous people the edinburgh string quartet.
I think that working with The String Quartet was an experiance of a life time and I will never forget how much fun I had. I think that Ken must have put a HUGE amount of effort to make this amazing piece of music and the String Quartet were outstanding too.
I realy liked the String Quartet, it was an experiance that i’ll remember for a long long time. I never thought that i would work with famos people in school!!! I also liked Ken, it must have been realy hard writing that piece of music!!! Thanks!!! And thankyou to the String Quatet too!!!
Working with the Edinburgh String Quaret was so exciting and it’s amazing to meet people who are so famous.ken was great and everyone liked him,he put so much effort in as well.The p5 & p6 were also great cause they listened to us well.thanks!!!!!!!!!!!
I really enjoyed the String Quartet visit, it was a great experience to work with famous people in school.I thought it was amazing how they could change speed so quickly.Anyway thanks very much to the people who organised the event and also to the Quartet and Ken.
It was fun to play guitar with the String Quartet, I think I’ll remember it for a long time!!!
I really liked playing with Ken and the string quartet it was really fun and I got to play the symbol wich was fun because I got to hit it really hard.Thnk you to Ken and the string quartet.
thank u to ken for showing P7 that poem.i think that it was realy realy hard to play the poem but i don’t no about the rest of the class.i realy enjoyed meeting the Edinburgh string Quaret.THANKS!!!!!!
I thought the String Quartet was really fun and it was really kind of them and Ken where really nice to give up there time to come and play their instruments to us.And we played to the p6’s and p5’s and i
thought it was so cool how they are really FAMOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“i will never ferget!!!”
The Edinburgh string quartet was amazing and I feel realy honored to play with such a world renouned group.
I think that the kids had a great time and it was a good opportunity for them to get more musical.The music all put together sounds fantastic and the slidshow had good pictures to show what they did that day.
i think the string quartet was fantastic and it was very clever that a whole piece of music was telling a poem and i really really enjoyed making lots of noise and i feel very lucky that we got to have them all day.
it was fantastic!!
I thought the Edinburgh string quartet was really good and I really enjoyed it.And I also thought it was really good because they are world wide famous and they put a lot of effort into it!!!!!!
I thought the Edenbrough string quartet was really good and I really enjoyed it.And I also thought it was really good because they are world wide famous and they put a lot of efort into it!!!!!!
I liked the Edinburgh string quartet because I got to make a lot of noise in school !!!!!
I feel that all children of all ages should experience, and have the opportunity to play different instuments. Children can quite often feel shy about stepping forward and playing an instrument on their own in front of others. This has given them the opportunity to work in a group and experience working with music and poetry, the two together has given them added enjoyment and interest.
I thought working with the Edinburgh String Quartet and Ken was really fun. I also loved banging the stones together, it made lots of noise!
Thanks Mrs.Barbour!
It was a really good experience playing music with the Edinburgh String Quartet and I enjoyed it a lot.
It was the best experience i have had i loved playing with stones and are voices to it was great playing with the edinburgh string quartet thanks to all the teachers that orginised it.It was fantastic.
I thought it was really fun meeting the Edinburgh string quartet and a good opportunity to see them play.
The Edinburgh string quartet was a very imaginitive way to nvolve the children in music.It sounds very good. I’am very impressed.
It is great to hear the boys and girls having fun with music. The fact that everybody had the opportunity to join in will have a great impact on thier musical talents in the future.
I thought it was a good idea for each child to participate in creating the music and using different instruments and their bodies, it sounded like alot of fun. I particulary liked the screaming part, a good way for the children to express themselves.
A great way to get all of the children involved in making music and having fun with it. It seems to have been a really successful day one the children would love to have repeated.
This was a wonderful experience for budding and non-budding musicians alike. The video captured the mood well, but some faces featured a lot more than others and some not at all! Overall a super experience.
What a great opportunity for the children, one they’ll remember for a long time. Well done to those who organised the visit. I know Andrew really enjoyed the day and it looks like everyone else did too.
Another fabulous ‘act’ the school has invited in to perform for the children - I am sure they all thoroughly enjoyed their day and the quartet seemed to introduce a different angle to music which will have highly entertained the P7s. Well done to you all for a great performance infront of the P5 and P6s!
A great opportunity for all the children to be involved in making music, everyone seemed to be taking a very active part and enjoying the experience. Many were probably discovering music in a totally new and positive way.
I really enjoyed the String Quartet. Using all the instruments and stones was really fun because we got to be as loud and as quiet as we wanted. Kenneth was a very good conductor and very fun to spend the day with.
Imogen x
It all sounded very interesting. Well done to all the boys and girls who participated.
It sounds like everyone had a great time. I remember us having to look for 2 good ebbles to make a sound when we were on the beach, but I had no idea what they were for. Well done to Law Primary for another interesting and imaginative project.
I really enjoyed the presentation and I know Holly really enjoyed taking part.A really novel way of involving the children in music.
I really enjoyed taking part in the Edinburgh String Quartet performance.My favourite part was when we were in two groups and imitating the sea and wind.
What a brilliant idea - and a great resource, bringing in the string quartet. We particularly liked the idea of putting together poetry and music - it’s so easy to see these as totally separate. Introducing an element of performance to other year groups also teaches the P7s a valuable skill!