ArtsHub’s Post

 🎄 Festive Music Resources As we approach the busy Christmas season, we've compiled a list of 7 resources (updated) which could be used for practical lessons, cover for non-specialists or activities to incorporate into your existing plan. Includes resources from: ❄️ Musical Futures ❄️ Musical Contexts ❄️ London Philharmonic Orchestra ❄️ I Can Compose ...and more Take a look 👀 https://lnkd.in/eFApc6Zj

Don’t underestimate the careful planning and creativity when crafting meaningful classical music events for kids! Soprano Olivia Boen’s reflections help reveal the planning that makes these children’s outreach initiatives by the LSO so impactful. 1. Community First: Focused on serving, not just audience growth. 2. Ready to Engage: Kids learn about the music beforehand, making them active participants. 3. Kid-Friendly Content: Tailored to young attention spans with plenty of clever interactive moments. 4. Creative Themes: Uses relatable metaphors like puzzles and mechanics to explain music. 5. Live Composer Interaction: Kids meet the minds behind the music, adding a layer of excitement. 6. Inclusivity: Ensuring every child feels welcomed in the grand concert halls. 7. Educational Richness: Beyond listening, these programs teach musical fundamentals in fun ways. 8. Beyond Performance: Musicians engage directly, enhancing the connection. Engaging kids around music takes much careful planning, and is one of the most rewarding ways to build connection and community around classical music. #MusicEducation #CommunityEngagement #LSO #ClassicalMusic #OutreachPrograms 🎵👧👦

SYMPHONY NO. 1 My first full symphony, in four movements, composed from 2022-2024. The second movement is the only movement that is subtitled (as "Heubad"), and it is for divided strings. The rest of the symphony is for full orchestra, although percussion parts (aside from timpani) were deliberately not included in the work. The first movement is inspired by a number of things, with the central climax meant to represent the motion of the Zweihänder. The third movement is a scherzo, and the final movement provides closure on some of the thematic motions throughout. There was a work also known as a "Symphony" composed for wind ensemble; this has been changed to a sinfonietta, as it in its entirety was smaller in formal scope. I plan to eventually make a score video so that you are welcome to follow along with the music. https://lnkd.in/eCVCRFhw

I was invited by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra to attend a special rehearsal a couple of weeks ago. It was part of a special program to allow for up and coming Canadian female conductors to get experience with major orchestras so that they can grow their careers internationally. It was a joint project with Tapestry Opera. The TSO’s artistic director Gustavo Gimeno was on hand to listen and provide feedback to the 5 female conductors participating. For me I took away more than just being an opportunity to see an orchestra rehearse. I felt it had lessons to teach about company meetings and line reviews! Some lessons I think relate: Value your participants time in meetings: Gimeno was advising the conductors to edit and select the parts of the piece that most require rehearsing. Recognize that meetings must stay to their appointed length and not run over. Value your team: Repeatedly I heard Gimeno say, “You have a great orchestra here” and pay compliments and recognize that. Be Clear in your Direction: While as conductor you might be able to hear all the players, the players can’t necessarily hear all of them, so be clear in your direction to cue. You are their ears. Not everyone on your team knows the whole picture of a project, so be clear in what each member needs to do. Do not repeat sections that do not need to be re-rehearsed: You will lose your musicians engagement (staff) with repeating information that doesn’t need repetition. Be concise and focus on what is most needed to maintain engagement of your team.

Leadership Lessons from a Maestro Ever thought how a musical score played by so many different musicians (each a virtuoso in their own right), gets blended into a flawlessly flowing melody of sheer perfection. Have you ever focused on how engrossed every single musician is in performing their own role and understand their contribution to the overall score? Ofcourse this would take years, months, days and hours of practice, because it is a widely understood fact that there is zero room for error. But in all this, comes the Maestro. It takes a lot of knowledge, experience and diligence to become a Maestro. And so, it is worth extracting some lessons of leadership from merely what we see at that concert. Next time you watch a symphony orchestra play, just focus on what the Maestro does.

For orchestra directors and concert planners. I've been doing some research. I don't have an enormous amount of data to go on, but, of the concert programmes I've managed to get hold of, which have included "Serenata" (the first movement of my Sinfonietta No.1 ("Silver")), more than 78% have used this piece as their concert opener. Some have included "Serenata" as a stand-alone work, some have paired it with the second movement, most have included the whole Sinfonietta. But so many have made it the first thing their audience hears. That tells me one of two things:- (a) they can't think where else to put it, or (b) it makes a great concert opener I know which I think! I'll put some links in the comments below for those not aware of the work. Check it out if you're looking for the ideal way to start your concert! #orchestra #youngaudience #classicalmusic

Prescriptive rules vs guided adaptability. Guided adaptability isn’t about having NO rules. But it is about not having an insane amount of bureaucracy and overly complex requirements. It is based on the assumption with a decent, uncomplicated, basic level of compliance humans will come through using their adaptability, agility and resilience. Case in point. I wrote the following piece of music about a month ago. It’s for a full symphony orchestra (plus some extra instruments) and even if you can’t read music, you can see (and hear) all hell breaking loose around the midpoint from all the black notes on the screen. The thing is, I have only a high school music education and nothing like that compared with John Williams or Hans Zimmer, for example. I can’t name the chords and largely built the piece from imagination and by ear (listening). The outcome, I think, is quite good, if not better. In this case 40 years of playing instruments and observing those around me coupled with my basic theory in music provided me the guided adaptability for the exact outcome I desired. I though this may be a useful example - here’s the piece, enjoy and happy Sunday! #sms #newviewsafety #guidedadaptability #resilience #safetyresilience #complexity #music #composer #musicalcomposition

Blending medieval & folk instruments with orchestra! Join me as I break down the process of combining a soprano recorder, lute, and psaltery with a symphonic orchestra! Watch the tutorial now: https://lnkd.in/dbqPUwf7 #FolkInstruments #MedievalMusic #Orchestration #ComposerLife

The next instrument in the symphony orchestra string section is over 6 feet long, the double bass, the biggest member of the string family, with the longest strings, which allow it to play very low notes. The 6 to 8 double basses of the orchestra are almost always playing the harmony. They are so big that you have to stand up or sit on a very tall stool to play them, and it helps if you have long arms and big hands. Like the cello, the body of the double bass stands on the ground, supported by a metal peg, and the neck rests on your left shoulder. You produce sound just like on a cello, using the left hand to change pitch and the right to move the bow or pluck the string. What's the story behind the double bass, and is it a solo instrument? https://lnkd.in/eg3yhCnd

Difficult yet cheerful section of Sibelius Symphony No. 1, 3rd mvt. #classicalmusic #blackexcellence #elsistema #sibelius #symphony #orchestra #conductor #music #musiceducation #dirigent #deib