London Youth Folk Ensemble
Iris Hobson Mazur, member of the London Youth Folk Ensemble 2014-15, writes of her personal experience.
The London Youth Folk Ensemble (LYFE) had an exciting second year, culminating in a fantastic performance on the Acorn Stage at Folk by the Oak festival and ‘The Takeover’, our first youth-led event at Cecil Sharp House.
We are about to recruit for the new London Youth Folk Ensemble 2015-16 with a Sampler Session on Sunday 27 September at Cecil Sharp House. This free event for 12-19 year old musicians is an informal open audition and an opportunity to find out more about the Ensemble.
Below, Iris Hobson Mazur, member of the London Youth Folk Ensemble 2014-15, writes of her personal experience:
Having taken part in a number of different Get Your Folk On! holiday courses at Cecil Sharp House, I decided that the next step would be to join the London Youth Folk Ensemble. I play the cello, piano and melodica and was hoping to find somewhere I could regularly play folk music and improve my skills as a musician.
The audition for the Ensemble was really relaxed and consisted of us learning a tune by ear and then playing it as a group. All the tutors were really friendly and, despite my nerves, it went fine and I got in! The tutors weren’t just looking for technically-talented players, but also for people who were willing to learn and improve their musical skills.
There are various different levels of ability in the Ensemble, ranging from people who have been playing their whole lives, to people who have only just discovered folk music or their love for performing. In the Ensemble, we don’t just take songs and perform them, but look at their history. Where have they come from? Why were they sung or played? We learn tunes and songs from the British Isles and other parts of the world and from different time periods. Many of the songs can be found in the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library at Cecil Sharp House or on the databases that they have online.
I have improved vastly during my time in the Ensemble, not only thanks to the tutors, but also thanks to the amazing opportunities I have had. We played in so many places, including the Music for Youth Festival, LSO St Luke’s and Primrose Hill Summer Fair. I recently took part in The Takeover at Cecil Sharp House where youth groups came and played folk sessions with the LYFE. I helped host the jam session, which was amazing. We were able to play and learn new tunes together, feeding off each other’s ideas and creating a really awesome sound! One of the sessions I most enjoyed was the singaround, where we each sang different songs and everyone joined in and harmonised.
As our final gig of the academic year, we played at Folk by the Oak festival along with the likes of The Young 'Uns and Bellowhead! We played all the pieces we had learnt over the past year to a big audience who really enjoyed it. I think for all of us, it gave us an insight into what we could achieve in the future through folk music and the fantastic opportunities we could have. I had a really great time at Folk by the Oak and even managed to get a backstage pass as I needed somewhere to keep my cello. The wonderful Jim Moray let me keep it in his dressing room! So, so cool!
I hope to continue as a member of the London Youth Folk Ensemble and improve my skills as a musician even more. The Ensemble has helped me learn new tunes, make new friends and find a new passion - folk music.
The London Youth Folk Ensemble was created by EFDSS in 2013 to give young passionate folk musicians the opportunity to play and perform folk music together regularly at Cecil Sharp House.
Over the past two years London Youth Folk Ensemble has been supported by the National Foundation for Youth Music.