Our Band Plymouth Music Zone in Year Two
Our Band
I had the privilege of observing the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Education Team in action this summer, as they completed their two year programme working with young people with special needs in five settings around the country. The starting point for the activity was The Fairy Queen: Three Wishes, a reworking of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen. Each performance was different – bespoke to the interests and abilities of the young musicians; all were inspiring, excellent examples of young-people centred music making. Here is a flavour of what went on in Plymouth.
Katrina Duncan
Monday 29 April 2019
I arrive at Plymouth Music Zone (PMZ) at lunchtime and meet the team who are working with City College students on The Fairy Queen: Three Wishes. From OAE, we have Cherry, James, Katie, Raph, Kizzy and John-Henry; from PMZ: Anna, Jodie, and Chris. For some (like Kizzy) it’s their first time on the OAE Education Team, others (Cherry, James, Katie and Anna) have been working with some of these participants for three years.
There are two groups from City College; one has more independent students and they’ve been rehearsing this morning; they are joined this afternoon by a higher needs group. Including support workers, there are 47 in this combined group - requiring endless patience and good humour from James, as animateur.
James tells everyone – ‘Look at me and believe me when I say tomorrow is going to be A for awesome, because of all your hard work’. He explains that musicians from the OAE will join them tomorrow. ‘Sometimes the musicians play and you listen to them, sometimes you play together. Sometimes you will be watching Kirsty and Tim who secretly love each other but are just too shy to tell each other their true feelings. Here is where the audience will sit.’
‘Look at me, don’t play when I am talking’ instructs James, instilling good ensemble behaviour. He calls out chords, dynamics, cues. The majority of the group are listening well and following his directions. A couple of the higher needs group sleep; one talks incessantly but she is commenting on what is happening in the room. The more independent young musicians are on it – they know the songs, melodies, words and Makaton signs; they watch for cues, particularly when to end. James rehearses endings again – in response to Katie saying it’s not good enough. Standards are as high as they can be for the level of skill (including motor skills) of each person in the group.
Cherry has created running orders for the City College staff who sit alongside the young musicians to support them; for each Young Musician, she has created a card with a list of songs/pieces and what instrument they play in it; several of them do more than one; Brogan, for example, plays trombone and drum kit.
The session ends promptly, transport for the Young Musicians is waiting – and we all help with a quick turnaround for the start of the Sing Out choir for people who have had strokes and their carers coming in for their regular session at PMZ.
Music Leaders (Anna, James, Cherry, Katie, Kizzy, Raph and John-Henry) get together after the session to write notes into participant diaries. They say that these discussions as a team are very helpful. None of them can observe everything going on so this is an ideal time to share information and note if any individual young musicians need particular support or challenge.
They are also checking in with each other. James mentions that, inevitably, this session has shifted everyone’s focus to tomorrow’s performances. Some participants just want to hang and jam, and to enjoy the company and attention of the OAE/PMZ team - as they have been able to do in workshop sessions – so James is having to manage a shift in expectations.
The OAE players arrive for their rehearsal; it finishes with Cherry giving the players a sense of the group of Young Musicians and their needs; she explains that some do not make eye contact and that you will probably know from their body language which they are. She tells them about C who, while she looks relaxed, they should not try to engage as this could result in her leaving the room/project. Last year, C sat on the edge of workshops, then gradually joined in but was too scared to perform so Anna came up with the idea of her sitting behind the black drapes in the PMZ studio. This year, C is performing from behind a translucent screen which allows her to see James (conducting) but not be seen by the audience. She came up with this arrangement and designed this screen herself - a woodland scene, in keeping with the theme of The Fairy Queen. With support from City College staff, she has painted this screen. Anna sits alongside her to support – but she seems to be accomplished in playing this piece. This is just one example of enabling which emerges as a strong part of the collective team ethos on this programme.
During the OAE rehearsal, I have been props shopping with Andrew, OAE Education Officer. In the afternoon rehearsal, James is explaining to the Young Musicians about the transformation scene where Kirsty (our heroine) becomes a donkey. I glance over and see Cherry’s face go through a transformation of its own as she realises she has forgotten the props. (Not surprising I think, as she left for Plymouth from London on Sunday, straight after an OAE Tots Concert and has a car packed full with props from that, plus instruments and scores for The Fairy Queen.) A quick phone call to Sue, one of the City College staff, secures the making of donkey ears and tail while Andrew and I source a bucket and ‘water’ (blue ribbon from the splendid Hobby Craft which Andrew has located as soon as he picked up Cherry’s call). When we return, Anna has already made a scroll and we collaborate on the contents of the water bucket.
Rehearsal finishes at 7pm; the OAE /PMZ Team have been on it since 9am, setting up for the young musicians. They finish the day by stacking chairs and packing kit ready for collection and delivery to the performance venue at 7.30am tomorrow. Kizzy offers to help load and unload. No-one asks this of her; she instinctively knows that this is what teamwork is all about.
Tuesday 1 May
It’s 11am and the young musicians are arriving at Devonport Guildhall. The OAE Players (including singers Kirsty and Tim) have already rehearsed and sound-checked. All musicians are in their respective dressing rooms – while the OAE/PMZ Team takes on a new role trying to evacuate the pair of pigeons that snuck into the beautiful Guildhall while the team was bringing in the kit at 8am. Lights are turned off, blinds drawn and the door opened to see if the natural light will lure out the birds. Kizzy comes up with idea of playing a falcon cry through the sound system which she and Andrew set about. Anna has already tried a few impressive bird calls – to no avail. ‘I can’t believe it’ she says, ‘yesterday we were shredding ribbons and today we are chasing pigeons’. The Devonport pigeons are tough – they are unmoved by the falcon.
Rehearsal resumes – regardless of the ‘visitors from the forest’ as Sue from City College explains to the Young Musicians. Her group gets started, finding their places, tuning up and noodling. Kizzy takes B to meet OAE percussionist Will to see the kettle drums and how they are tuned. Kirsty comes into the space, clutching a magnificent set of ears and tail, delivered to her by Sue this morning; she practises her transformation with the OAE brass players who will effect this in the performance.
James starts the OAE on a gentle groove (from one of the pieces in The Fairy Queen) and encourages the YMs playing guitar to join in. Once all the YMs are in their places, James changes the mood and energy levels with Gimme 1 – a rhythmic game which has been used regularly in workshop sessions. Everyone joins in – OAE players too. Now, with everyone’s attention secured, James introduces these two ‘amazing groups of musicians’ to each other, for the first time. He talks a little about sound levels in the room, then asks the OAE players not to go into the Our Band space or play their instruments, then the same of the Our Band players about the OAE instruments and space. He repeats yesterday’s guidelines to Our Band – that sometimes they will be listening only, sometimes playing together. He checks that they all have their card listing the songs and instruments but says just to put it ‘under your chair if it’s not useful: D has already told me he only plays bass and sings so doesn’t need it’.
Throughout the OAE players are listening, attentive; they are quick to follow instructions - excellent modelling for the Young Musicians who are equally attentive as the orchestra plays the opening section of The Fairy Queen. James asks the Young Musicians what they think. He states his opinion: ‘they’re not bad – but they need you to make it complete’. He then introduces Kirsty, who is excited by midsummer and the party there will be, and then sends her offstage. He brings on Tim and asks how he is feeling – nervous is the reply. So we hear different emotions and know that they are equally appropriate.
The rehearsal begins, the first time the two ‘bands’ hear each other playing. We reach the first wish which requires many Young Musicians to change instrument (to hand-held percussion); James calls things to a halt. All had forgotten their ‘magic instruments’ – except M who glows at James’ congratulations. We’re onto a section of heavy percussion in 4/4: beat, beat – hands in the air (to support beats without striking instruments); the OAE musicians not playing join in. James sets a tone of playfulness and fun alongside reinforcing the musical learning, calling out chords and notes to the Young Musicians.
Come and Dance with Me is an opportunity for everyone to show off their dancing skills (some of the support staff look distinctly outside their comfort zone!). The mood shifts to the lullaby Lay Down – which the Young Musicians sing and sign. Raph has orchestrated this for OAE so everyone is hearing it in this way for the first time. The impact is achingly beautiful. James reminds the Young Musicians that they wrote this song with Anna earlier in the workshop process. He asks Tim to sing a little of Hush, No More and the mood remains calm and melancholic, as the Young Musicians and support staff listen attentively. Then a shift of tempo and dynamic with Argument and some fine, fierce drumming from B.
Rehearsal continues until midday when all the musicians head off to lunch booked in advance by Cherry and Andrew) while the OAE/PMZ team ensure that everything is in place for the afternoon performance before they break. By 1pm, we already have a class from the local mainstream primary seated in the audience and James is teaching them one of the songs. City College students and staff arrive and they are included in this activity. All the musicians are in place and James tells the audience ‘we’ll hear old music and new music some of which has been written by the young musicians'. The performance begins.
I am most struck by the quality of listening and focus from the Young Musicians. Yes, sometimes there are mistakes, an early entrance, a ragged ending – but not for the lack of watching their conductor and playing to the best of their abilities. The audience love it. The young musicians love the applause.
Performance 1 finishes around 2.30pm and there is a long gap until the evening performance at 5pm. City College staff get no break as they manage the Young Musicians’ emotions – excitement, anxieties, tiredness. Cake at 4pm (pre-ordered by Cherry and Andrew) is a welcome diversion.
Performance 2 is a big deal. We have a full house (80) and all the young musicians have a family member coming to watch – many for the first time. Having snoozed and cooed quietly through the afternoon, our feathered friends are now active to the extent that James includes in his welcome to the audience that not many productions bring in live creatures to create that woodland atmosphere – as they swoop across the room. One of the young musicians, M covers his head and flees the room followed by a support worker. The music begins and one or two songs in I notice that Cherry has downed oboe to come and sit alongside the young musicians who have been left without their support worker. Then another support workers arrives, deftly guiding a wheelchair-user to her place in Our Band – she’s here just in time to play the chimes which are her ‘magic instrument’. She looks delighted. M re-enters on cue too – dancing his way into the party scene. (I found out later that Cherry had noticed our feathered friends had retreated to a corner of the roof out of sight and crept out to tell M they had gone). As the Young Musicians sing the lullaby, Lay Down, the man sitting next to me weeps softly; as do I. The performance ends to rapturous applause then a reprise of Come and Dance with Me, with audience joining Young Musicians to do just that. C emerges from behind her screen and joins in. Two shyer Young Musicians stay put; I hear Raph quietly suggest ‘Shall we dance in our chairs?’. And that is what they do, taking part in a way that is comfortable and right for them.
Audience and musicians from both bands depart. The OAE Education Team and PMZ pack away instruments and equipment, Cherry and Andrew could win prizes for the amount of gear they manage to stow in their cars. They arrived at Guildhall at 7.30am. They leave at 8pm for their drives home to Suffolk and London. It’s been a long day for them. It’s been a memorable day for everyone.
There were 20 musicians and Music Leaders from OAE here today. It is a neat connection to Plymouth Music Zone’s 20th anniversary later this year, and Cherry’s 20th year as OAE Education Director; her first concert in this role took place at Dartington College in Devon when Matt Griffiths (now Director of Youth Music) introduced her to PMZ. It is a rich and rewarding partnership that will continue to grow and make music accessible to some of the most disadvantaged young people in Plymouth.
