Projects
County Horn Day
On Sunday 29th April there will be a day dedicated to performing music for the French Horn, with opportunities to learn more about the instrument and perform in massed groups.
For more information or to register please call 01727 860941 ext.2, email countymusicenquiries@hertscc.gov.uk or download the application form
County Double Reed Day
On Sunday 22nd April there will be a day dedicated to performing music for oboe and bassoon, with opportunities to learn more about the instruments, perform in massed groups and try out the contrabassoon and cor anglais.
For more information or to register please call 01727 860941 ext.2, email countymusicenquiries@hertscc.gov.uk or download the application form
Music on the Moor project - Dacorum Youth Orchestra
In July 2011, students from our Dacorum Music School took part in a collaborative project with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Tim Steiner. Two students from the project, Tom Durrant and Charlotte Viner, gave us the below:
"On July 11th Dacorum Youth Orchestra played at Music on the Moor with members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by composer and workshop leader Tim Steiner. The project involved creating a piece based on ‘The Phantom of Dacorum Music School’. After a series of workshops which also involved vocalists from Ace of Herts and younger members from Stringfonia, we had created four completely different movements. These were played mostly from memory and based on ideas from musicians both professional and student. The project pushed boundaries in terms of the style of music DYO experienced; with modern and unusual performance techniques and playing/composing without written music. Whether in terms of composition or performance, all members left with new skills and a new approach to making music. The performance was received well with conventional orchestral sounds played amongst noises one would not expect from a classical orchestra; such as ‘Bat noises’ created by the orchestra playing random notes in quick succession at any time they felt appropriate. This style of intuitive playing was new to the younger players and it has been a valuable experience from which the orchestra has gained a great deal. All DYO members are extremely grateful for this opportunity and wish to extend our thanks to everyone involved."
Tom Durrant - Clarinet, Dacorum Youth Orchestra
"A few weeks ago, the Dacorum Youth Orchestra, Stringfonia, and other young musicians in the area, including myself, had the tremendous privilege to work with Tim Steiner alongside other members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. We worked on a project entitled ‘The Phantom of Dacorum’, and performed it at Music on the Moor 2011. It consisted of four movements, entirely improvised as an orchestra, based on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘The Phantom of the Opera’.
This was the first time I have ever had the opportunity to work on something as prestigious as this, and it was definitely an experience I will never forget. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of my time singing on the Orbit Stage with the rest of the orchestra, and I felt extremely lucky to have been given the chance to take part in such an amazing production. If I was given another opportunity like this, I would not hesitate for a second on taking it up.
Considering it was my first time performing on a stage in over four years, I made sure that lots of my friends were there to see the performance! All of them were blown away by the show; none of them expected it to be anywhere near as good as it was. Those forty minutes we were on stage has opened up my friends’ eyes to a whole new world of music, and I think this is one of the best things about the project. Not only did I and everyone else who took part enjoy participating, it also introduced many more young people to the wonderful world that is the Dacorum Music School!"
Charlotte Viner
Grimm Tales and Gulliver's Travels with the Watford Palace Theatre
Students from the Hertfordshire Music Service are often invited to participate with other groups and have in recent years collaborated with the Watford Palace Theatre and Hertfordshire Youth Theatre. Charis Sykesud, member of the Watford School of Music Youth Orchestra and leader of the Hertfordshire Schools' Symphony Orchestra, gives us details about the events below:
"I was delighted to be invited to be part of a small ensemble of musicians that accompanied the acting troupe for the 2009 production of Grimm Tales at the Palace Theatre in Watford. Then, in 2010, I was flattered to be asked again, this time to take part in the young people’s presentation of Gulliver’s Travels at the same theatre. We were all, musicians and actors, students in schools from around Hertfordshire.
The musicians played on stage, in costume, joining in with the acting. An integral part of the show, we were certainly not consigned to the pit. It was real team work. We composed the music together so that it complemented the stories that were being told. We worked closely with actors when they had songs to sing as part of their role.
We spent several weeks rehearsing and preparing for the performances. To begin with, rehearsals usually took place in schools within the county. It got particularly exciting in the Production Weeks. Rehearsals were then in the Palace Theatre and everything became much more atmospheric and stimulating. Being on the stage whilst rehearing was electric; being on stage in the shows was exhilarating.
In Grimm, the raked stage was brilliantly designed to bring out the best in the acting, and we played our instruments around the props, such as the diaphanous and mood-enhancing trees. The main theme of the set in Gulliver’s Travels was its being based upon the duke’s country park and manor house. We were acting as actors, which gave the tale an interesting twist.
Our costumes were great fun. In Grimm Tales, I wore a padded orange peasant’s outfit, which included three skirts. My particular favourite in Gulliver’s Travels was my tricorne hat. I had to wear three, heavy, skirts for that production, too. Fortunately, unlike several of the other girls, I did not have to wear a corset. This could have been quite a challenge whilst playing my instrument.
I had a wonderful time taking part in these shows. I made some great new friends. I enjoy playing the violin in a number of orchestras, including the Hertfordshire Schools’ Symphony Orchestra. Adding this wonderful experience of playing on stage in theatrical productions has really given me a new dimension to my musicianship."
Charis Sykesud, 2011.