Music

Due to tutor holidays (Mrs Knowles on Thursday 19th September and Mr Jones on Tuesdays 29th October and 5th November) , there will be extra brass and woodwind lessons on the following dates:

Woodwind - Wednesday 16th October and Wednesday 6th November

Brass - Friday 11th October and Friday 15th November

Just to let you know that I shall be sending out 'Young Voices 2020' letters in mid September. We are limited to 14 minibus places for this residential trip and we aim to reward children for their commitment to Harmony Choir rehearsals. The letters will be going out to Year 6 children who attended every single Harmony Choir rehearsal from January to July 2019, apart from occasions where they were absent from school due to illness or at a medical appointment (with a letter handed to Miss York to confirm this). The children were fully aware and regularly reminded of this incentive to attend regularly. If the number of children returning their slips to express interest in this trip is greater than the number of places, we will make it as fair as possible by 'pulling names from a hat'! If there are spare places after this initial priority allocation, I will then contact children who just missed one rehearsal.

UPDATE!...WE HAVE FILLED ALL OF THE PLACES FOR THIS EXCITING RESIDENTIAL TRIP! PLEASE CAN THE CHILDREN INVOLVED RETURN T-SHIRT FORMS AND ANY TICKET REQUESTS BY WEDNESDAY 9TH OCTOBER AND FULL TRIP PAYMENT IS DUE BY MONDAY 14TH OCTOBER. ONCE WE RECEIVE FULL PAYMENT, YOUR CHILD WILL RECEIVE THEIR 'YOUNG VOICES' CD AND WORDS PACK (AS WELL AS THE PASSWORD FOR THE TERRIFIC ONLINE RESOURCES) SO THAT THEY CAN GET PRACTISING!

A reminder that peripatetic music lessons with our visiting tutors start as soon as we get back so please ensure your child has their instrument in school on the appropriate day. The class teachers will have the lesson timetables and share these with the children:

Guitars - Mondays - first lesson Monday 9th September. Unfortunately, I've just heard from Jamie Dove that our lovely Chris Davis has sadly stopped his guitar teaching in order to become a fulltime accountant. We wish him well in his new career and thank him for his fantastic 2 year contribution to Manadon Vale music. Mr Dove is already in the process of finding us a replacement guitar teacher from his music school tutors.

Strings (violins and cello) - Tuesdays - first lesson Tuesday 10th September. Tutor still Mr Tayler.

Brass - Tuesdays - first lesson Tuesday 10th September. Tutor still Mr Jones.

Woodwind - Thursdays - first lesson Thursday 5th September. Tutor still Mrs Knowles.

We are excited about another amazing year of musical opportunities at Manadon Vale Primary School!

Orchestra and Harmony Choir will start back on Tuesday 10th September 2019.

Orchestra:           Tuesdays 3.15 - 4.15pm

Harmony Choir:   Tuesdays 4.15 - 5.00pm

I shall be inviting children by consent form during the first week back at school.

This term, the Harmony Choir will be made up from children in the Orchestra and previous members of the Harmony Choir.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE WILL NOT BE ORCHESTRA OR HARMONY CHOIR ON TUESDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER SINCE MISS YORK WILL BE ON A COURSE IN BRISTOL.

Every child in Year 5 and 6 will be invited to join the main 'Christmas' Choir, which rehearses every Monday, starting on Monday September 30th, during the normal school afternoon. They can have a 2 week trial to see if they enjoy it and want to then commit to the remaining rehearsals and concerts.

In January, I shall be inviting other keen Year 5 and 6 singers from the 'Christmas Choir' to then join the Harmony Choir on Tuesdays after school.

I am excited to let you know that we have been allocated 40 Manadon Vale Primary School Harmony Choir places, to be part of the 200 strong Plymouth International Chorus (made up from children aged 10-17 from several different schools in both Plymouth UK and Plymouth MA USA!) Concert. These will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis, with the named letters being handed out at their rehearsal today, Tuesday 11th June 2019! Please read the letter (see below!) very carefully before you return it to apply for a place for your child, because there are certain commitments for you as parents/carers. If you are able to commit to ALL of the rehearsals, as well as the necessary transporting of your child, and the performance itself (and are happy to give permission for the social media aspect of this performance), please return the slip as promptly as possible...once the 40 places are gone, they are gone! The children know to personally hand the form back to me, not to hand it in to the office.

I will give successful children a confirmation letter, which gives details of where you can purchase audience tickets from (online). Please note, we will not be ordering tickets through the school, or monitoring their ongoing availability, so book soon to avoid disappointment! This will be an occasion not to be missed!

A reminder that there aren't orchestra or harmony choir rehearsals, as such, on Tuesday 4th June. Instead, as per the letter sent home, there is a meeting about next year's instrumental lessons for parents/carers of children currently in Years 3 and 4.

So, the orchestra children are staying (with their instruments too please!) to help with this (they are performing to demonstrate how their instruments sound etc)  and need picking up at 4.30pm.

Children only in the harmony choir should not attend on this day and will need to be collected from school at 3.15pm.

Thank you!

Year 3/4 parents/carers of children interested in learning an instrument, please come along to the hall (with your child!) at 3.30 on that afternoon!

Congratulations to the 16 children who performed in the 'Young Voices 2019' concert in Genting Arena, Birmingham!

What an amazing night, fantastic atmosphere, wonderful musical experience and great residential for us all!

We even had a snowy end to the night! How exciting!

Thank you for being such a brilliant group to take away overnight! We were so proud of you!

Year 5, we can't wait to take some of you, in January 2020! Remember to show that commitment to Harmony Choir!

A reminder that Harmony Choir and Orchestra start rehearsing again on Tuesday 8th January, 3.15 to 5.00pm.

Welcome to our many new Harmony Choir members! Thank you for the commitment that you have shown to your singing and the choir. If you were invited to join this choir towards the end of last term, you need to have returned the signed consent form in order to come along to Harmony Choir on Tuesdays.

We have another busy term of concerts coming up!...more information to follow!

For the first two weeks (Tuesday 8th January and Tuesday 15th January), we will just be singing for the entire session (with breaks!) so the children don't need to bring their instruments! The children who normally leave at 4.15, after the Orchestra club part, for other commitments, are obviously still welcome to attend for their usual hour and sing with us!

After these initial two weeks, we will start Orchestra again, but this will most likely be a shorter weekly rehearsal than before (probably just the first 30/40 minutes) in order for us to have plenty of time for the children to learn a new programme of songs for a concert later in the term! Again, the children who are only orchestra members are welcome to stay and be collected at their usual time.

From January 2019, the children in the Harmony Choir's regular commitment to their Tuesday choir rehearsals will be recorded and used when we decide which children to invite to 'Young Voices 2020'! This year, the children participating in the 'Young Voices 2019' overnight trip had all attended every single Tuesday rehearsal and concert during the spring and summer terms, except when they were absent through illness or a medical appointment. In fact, our 'Young Voices 2019' choir was still oversubscribed, even from children who had shown full commitment. If you wish to be considered for the 'Young Voices 2020' concert trip, you need to show your full commitment to Harmony Choir rehearsals and concerts throughout the spring and summer terms!

Our extra-curricular Music clubs are continuing to flourish! A huge well done to the talented children involved in these.

Tuesdays - Orchestra (28 members) - Miss York and Mrs Taylor

                    3.15-4.15

                    Children invited to join in Years 5 and 6 when they have been learning an orchestral instrument for a year

                    Harmony Choir (currently 60 members) - Miss York

                    4.15-5.00 (bring a quiet activity for 3.15-4.15!)

Children invited to join in Years 5 and 6 when they have shown commitment to the Orchestra and/or 'Christmas Choir' by attending rehearsals and performing at the evening concert

Thursdays - Recorders - Mrs Llewellyn

                      3.15-4.00

                      Year 4 children who signed up in September

We are enjoying rehearsing with these enthusiastic young musicians!

Dates for your diaries!

Friday 18th January to Saturday 19th January 2019 - 'Young Voices' Concert and Residential in Birmingham!