Made possible with the generous support of:

and CYMH Parent/Carer Group

Photos:
Clive Barda
www.clivebarda.com

Edited 11.4.2013

CYM Hackney

Saturday mornings during the school term are exciting in Hackney when over 200 students get together to make music at the Borough’s Centre for Young Musicians (CYMH). Staffed by a dedicated team of professional musicians, CYMH provides a well-rounded curriculum including singing, musicianship, instrumental ensemble and group instrumental tuition, and is affiliated to the Centre for Young Musicians (CYM) based at Morley College.

The Centre takes a multi-tiered approach to learning in the following categories:

The Red programme is for students aged 5 and 6 years who wish to begin learning music. It is a two-year programme in which students take part in sessions of musicianship and singing, which are structured carefully in order to develop essential musical skills and an understanding of basic musical concepts.

All students in the Yellow programme have three lessons: Instrumental, Choir and Musicianship. Instrumental lessons in Years 3 and 4 take place in large groups. The string group is the largest at about 20, whilst the wind and brass groups are about half that size. The large-group environment allows students to play together & to each other and in parts. It is also possible to give each student musical material suitable to their stage of learning. A pianist will be present to accompany the student at some of these sessions. The Centre currently offers tuition on flute, recorder, clarinet, violin, cello, guitar and a range of brass instruments.

Choir lessons focus on developing singing skills, breathing, posture, intonation, timbre and learning to sing as part of a large group.

Musicianship lessons integrate aspects of the musical curriculum that enable greater progress in other lessons. The lessons will aim to develop musical literacy and understanding through a series of exercises based on, amongst others, the educational principles of Kodaly, Self and Hindemith. Students at this stage of learning will be encouraged to develop their listening skills and sight-singing and will be expected to attain basic rhythmic fluency and a good level of understanding of the notes they will encounter whilst playing their instrument.

The Green programme is divided into two groups:
Green Instrumental and Green Ensemble.

Green Instrumental
All students in the Green Instrumental programme have four lessons: Instrumental, Choir, Ensemble and Musicianship. This programme is for students who wish to continue their instrumental studies at CYMH and have been learning the instrument they wish to study at CYMH for at least two years.

Instrumental lessons take place in small groups. Choir lessons focus on developing singing skills, breathing, posture, intonation, timbre and learning to sing as part of a large group. Ensemble lessons continue the practice of encouraging students to play/learn together. Teachers design special arrangements, tailored not only to the particular group of instruments, but also to the particular instrumentalists on many occasions.

Musicianship lessons integrate aspects of the musical curriculum that enable greater progress in other lessons. The lessons will aim to develop musical literacy and understanding through a series of exercises based on, amongst others, the educational principles of Kodaly, Self and Hindemith. Students at this stage of learning will be encouraged to develop their listening skills and sight-singing and will be expected to attain a good level of rhythmic fluency, a good level of understanding of the notes they will encounter whilst playing their instrument and a detailed understanding of the musical instructions on the page.

Green Ensemble
All students in the Green Ensemble programme have at least three lessons: Choir, Ensemble and Musicianship (no instrumental lesson). This programme is for students who already play an instrument and are receiving tuition elsewhere (e.g. at school or with a teacher) who wish to broaden their musical experience through participation in a range of music-making activities.

The Blue Senior programme is divided into two groups: Blue Instrumental and Blue Ensemble. Applicants will need to take an audition to gain entry into the Blue programme. (Requirements and criteria for the audition are available upon request).

Blue Instrumental
Students may have up to five lessons: Instrumental, Choir, Ensemble and Musicianship and Orchestra. This programme is for students who wish to develop their instrumental studies at CYMH and have been learning the instrument they wish to study at CYMH for at least two years.

Instrumental lessons in the Blue programme are individual lessons and last for half an hour.

Choir lessons focus on developing singing skills, breathing, posture, intonation, timbre and learning to sing as part of a large group.

Ensemble lessons continue the practice of encouraging students to play/learn together. Teachers design special arrangements, tailored not only to the particular group of instruments, but also to the particular instrumentalists on many occasions. Students may sometimes be split into Strings/Brass to develop particular aspects of each instrument family’s technique or may play together as a whole.

Musicianship lessons integrate aspects of the musical curriculum that enable greater progress in other lessons. Students at this stage of learning will spend time listening to and discussing music, musical analysis, score-reading and aspects of musical history. They will be expected to have attained a detailed understanding of written music and may begin to explore more complex subjects such as harmony and counterpoint.

Orchestra lessons give students the chance to explore a wide range of repertoire, including contemporary music and occasionally new commissions. The orchestra may also accompany the choir or other performers both within the school and at outside engagements.

Blue Ensemble
Students may have at least four lessons: Choir, Ensemble and Musicianship and Orchestra (no instrumental lesson). This programme is for students who already play an instrument and are receiving tuition elsewhere (e.g. at school or with a teacher) who wish to broaden their musical experience through participation in a range of music-making activities.

CYMH students play a prominent part in the community, frequently performing in public venues in Hackney and neighbouring boroughs. CYMH is particularly proud of its impressive record of involvement in new music, having taken part in a number of first performances/world premieres including Roald Dahl’s Cinderella by Vladimir Tarnopolski at the Barbican; Jonathan Dove’s community opera The Palace in the Sky; World Upon World by Daryl Runswick with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and A Charm of Blessings by David Bedford with the choir and orchestra of Trinity College. CYMH performs regularly at the Spitalfields Festival and as part of the Hackney Music Service’s Schools’ Music Festival. In 2004, it performed in the premiere of HMDT’s Community Opera On London Fields by Matthew King, in May 2005, it premiered Philip Cashian’s Apollo, and Odyssean Variations by Matthew King with cellist Natalie Clein at LSO St. Luke’s 2008.

Go to the CYM Xtra! page