Mid Herts Centre for Music and Arts groups are for anyone of school age living or attending school in Hertfordshire.
Groups meet weekly for 10 sessions a term and do regular performances throughout the year with other Mid Herts groups.
Wind and brass groups
Training Wind Band
- Thursdays, 4.45–5.45pm
- For established beginner wind, brass, percussion and bass guitar players through to good, less experienced players of about grade 1–3.
Intermediate Wind Band
- Thursdays, 6.00 – 7.00pm
- For woodwind, brass and percussion players who are of an intermediate standard – grades 3, 4 and 5+.
Youth Concert Band
- Thursdays, 6.15 – 7.45pm
- For advanced players of higher grades who play woodwind, brass, percussion, electric bass and keyboard instruments, performing music from the varied advanced wind band repertoire – grades 6–8.
Senior Woodwind Ensemble
- Saturdays, 9.55 – 10.55am
- For intermediate and advanced players to work in small chamber groups as well as a full ensemble, performing music of a high level.
Flute Ensemble
- Thursdays, 5.25–6.10pm
- For players above grade 7 to work on contemporary and more challenging works for flute ensemble.
Percussion groups
Having Fun with Drums / Drumheadz
- Mondays, 4.30 – 5pm
- This course is for children aged 5–10.
- No prior musical experience is necessary and all instruments / sticks will be provided. The sessions will include a variety of drumming activities.
Percussion Incorporated
- Mondays, 5.30 – 6.15pm
- Provides an opportunity for intermediate and advanced percussionists to perform ensemble music using tuned and untuned percussion as well as a variety of Latin instruments.
Full orchestras
Mid Herts Concert Orchestra
- Saturdays, 11.00 – 12.00pm
- Intermediate string, wind, brass, percussion players. The emphasis is on orchestral training preparing musicians for the Mid Herts Youth Orchestra and beyond. Entry standard grade 4.
Mid Herts Youth Orchestra
- Saturdays, 11.00 – 12.45pm
- Entry by teacher recommendation or by informal audition
- Standard full symphony orchestra repertoire is studied in full and in sectional rehearsals.
- A high standard of playing is required – usually grades 6 - 8+.
We’re very excited about welcoming back our current members, including those who couldn’t engage with the orchestra last year, and equally excited about the new members of the orchestra who will join us.
MHYO is a friendly and positive environment, focused on giving the students as much ensemble experience as possible and widening their musical knowledge in their time with us. We aim for every young musician to achieve as much as they can, be that those just getting used to playing in orchestras or those who are at an advanced level (we’ve had a number of members join the National Youth Orchestra in recent times).
As we find our feet again after this extraordinary period, we will carefully build our confidence and ensemble skills again during the year, with three key dates for performances and/or workshops on December 4, February 5 and 25 June. More details to follow about choice of repertoire, and venues.
Please contact us with any questions or concerns, but more than anything please tell your young musician to start getting excited about the season ahead!
Choirs
Junior Choir
- Saturday, 8.45 – 9.30am
- Aimed at years 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 at school, who enjoy singing and want to sing with others. The music is varied and fun – accompanied / unaccompanied, traditional / popular songs, unison singing / singing in parts, rounds / echo songs.
Youth Choir
- Saturdays, 8.45 – 9.45am
- For pupils in years 6–13. Repertoire includes extended part songs up to 3 parts from a variety of styles, both accompanied and unaccompanied.
- An ability to read music is useful but not essential as the emphasis is on enjoyment through vocal skill development.
- The choir performs at local venues and in London. Singing lessons are encouraged.
Chamber Choir
- Saturdays, 9.55 – 10.55am
- For years 10–13 forming a chamber choir.
- More advanced choral chamber repertoire for older students who are members of the Mid Herts youth choir. The ability to hold a part in divided choral textures is developed and this choir is an excellent group to join in conjunction with the county youth choir.
- Singing lessons are essential.
String orchestras and groups
String Sparkles
- Saturdays, 10.00 – 11.00am
- This is a group that gives the opportunity of playing with other string players. It is a training ground to the basic skills for group playing aimed at established beginners to grade 2.
Sparkles will probably be one of your child’s first experiences of playing in an ensemble. For many this can be an exciting new venture, but for some the prospect may be a little daunting. Sparkles is aimed for beginner string players (approximately grade 0-2) who have been learning for a few terms and are able to use first finger pattern.
Our aim is to provide your child with the solid musical building blocks needed for successful orchestral playing, but within a friendly relaxed environment. The focus will be on sightreading, counting, playing in tune, listening to each other and learning how to follow a conductor.
The primary goal is to have fun and build their confidence whilst preparing them for the next stage of orchestral playing.
Birchwood Strings
- Saturdays, 11.10 - 12.10pm
Burleigh Strings
- Saturdays, 9.55 – 10.55am
- This string orchestra requires string playing to the standard of grade 4-5, where third position has been established.
- Chromatic scale two octaves, playing off the string, beginnings of vibrato should be evident.
- More extended string repertoire from classical idioms of music are explored.
String Orchestra
- Saturdays, 9.55 – 10.55am
- The string section of the Youth Orchestra
- String orchestra repertoire of an advanced standard is performed.
String Quartets
- Saturdays, 8.45 – 9.45am
- Senior string quartets for pupils to develop string chamber music.
Theory groups
- Saturdays, 10.15 – 10.55am and 12.05 – 12.45pm
- A course of lessons leading up to grade 5 and beyond theory examinations.
Weekly Songwriting Club
- Fridays: 4.30 - 6.00pm
- Learn how to write, record and perform your songs and meet other young songwriters.Develop skills to support your GCSE music compositions.Instruments are provided or you can bring your own.Open to young people aged 8-18.
Music for under 5s
Stringbabies
- Tuesdays, 5.00 – 5.30pm
- Hertfordshire Music Service and Stringbabies Ltd are working in partnership to offer a fun and rewarding way for very young children (3-5 years) to learn stringed instruments.
- Mid Herts centre offers this programme on cello.
The Funky Pie Company
The Funky Pie Company is a diverse team of artists who love to share their skills, knowledge and enthusiasm with others. The Funky Pie Company is the Hertfordshire Music Service team that works with special schools and leads on our SEND provision.
Over the last few years, in partnership with some wonderful special schools, we have developed an Arts Award for special schools: Music and the Arts as a Communication Skill (MACS) which can be delivered at Explore, Bronze and Silver level.
www.thefunkypiecompany.co.uk
The Friends of Mid Herts Centre for Music and Arts is a charitable organisation whose objective is to give additional support for the music education of students at the centre.
They assist with the smooth running of our concerts, financially help with the purchase of additional music equipment and instruments, and lead with specific fundraising activities.
We welcome any help in the following areas:
- Saturday morning tuck shop (on a rota - paused due to Covid restrictions)
- helping out at concerts, including refreshments
- distributing posters.
Please talk to the head of centre if you can help.
You'll also find us on Twitter @MidHertsFriends.