News

We’re pleased to announce that one of our I Can Sing! Junior 2s will be performing on the West End! Nerys Obeng has been selected as one of the children who will play the character of Tomika in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest musical, School of Rock, based on the 2003 film of the same name.

In the middle of what we’re sure is a busy rehearsal schedule, Nerys was kind enough to answer a few questions about what life has been like since leaving the Saturday Programme:

Can you tell me what your audition for School of Rock was like?

My audition for School of Rock was really nerve wracking as it was my debut but I got through it by believing in myself.

What are you most looking forward to about appearing in School of Rock?

I am most looking forward to performing live on stage and having lots of fun with my fellow cast mates.

What are you going to miss about I Can Sing!?

I am definitely going to miss my teachers and friends and the lovely musical atmosphere I enjoyed.  But, I will be making loads of new friends and, of course, each day I will continue my schoolwork as I perform.

Do you have a favourite musical?

School of Rock is obviously my favourite! But, I enjoy watching pretty much all musicals.

Who are your favourite actors?

I’m not sure I could pick a favourite, but Jack Black is definitely one of them.  He was so incredible in the film and I am really looking forward to working with David Finn and Gary Trainor, who play the same role (Dewey Finn) in our musical.

Do you have anything you want to say about the I Can Sing! programme?

I started with the I Can Sing! Saturday Programme and I feel I have really benefited from the great music teachers. Performing to an audience at the end of every term was something that boosted my confidence a lot. Fantastic! I wish I Can Sing! all the best.

We’re incredibly proud of Nerys and we also wish her all the best for the show!

If you’d like to hear more from Nerys and the rest of I Can Sing! Junior 2 talking about their experiences with the programme, then visit the I Can Sing! page and watch our video.

HMDT Music created Future Doves, a new project that took place during the Spring 2017 term of the Saturday Programme, with support from Snape Maltings through their Friday Afternoons Project Fund. The project involved over 300 students from all across our Saturday programme; Fledglings, CYMH and I Can Sing! (ICS!), and tasked them with responding to the song cycle Seasons and Charms, the Friday Afternoons project commissioned from composer Jonathan Dove and writer Alasdair Middleton.

Future Doves culminated in a series of performances on 25 March in what was a vibrant and unique event! We’ll be uploading videos from the day over the next few weeks, so be sure to check back soon.

About Friday Afternoons

The Friday Afternoons initiative began in 2013 with the aim of encouraging young people across Suffolk to sing Benjamin Britten’s collection of Friday Afternoons songs on what would have been the composer’s 100th Birthday. The project quickly grew, and it was immediately clear that groups from around the world were keen to explore this genre of music, so every year since then Snape Maltings (previously Aldeburgh Music) and Friday Afternoons have commissioned a new set of songs inspired by the original collection. What now exists is an ever growing collection of over 40 songs written specifically for young people’s voices, and a varied selection of repertoire available completely free to anyone who wishes to use it. To date, close to 80,000 young people have taken part in the project. To find out more and get involved, visit www.fridayafternoonsmusic.co.uk

When? Saturdays at 1:00pm – 3:30pm
Where? Haggerston School, Weymouth Terrace, E8
What? Students will work with specially trained musicians and a music therapist to have fun creating music using a range of instruments and resources.
How much? This branch of Music Treehouse is FREE

Music Treehouse is a two year project that will run on Saturdays for 10 sessions during the school term.
In the Autumn, the pilot project took place on: 5, 12, 19, 26 November 2016

To find out more or sign up your child just CLICK HERE.

Thanks to a generous grant from Paul Hamlyn Foundation, TIME enables us to work closely with Queen Eleanor’s Primary Academy in Northampton to both help develop their use of creativity and the arts across the curriculum and measure the impact of our methodology in embedding the arts, using skills development and performance projects.

Following the success of our First World War project, Trench Brothers, which focusses on the contributions and achievements of ethnic minority soldiers, we are delighted to be expanding the project to Lancashire.

Working in partnership with the Heritage Learning Team of Lancashire County Council, Trench Brothers will be delivered in local primary schools supported by a new interactive touring exhibition and family events, inspired by the children’s response to the subject matter.

Go to Trench Brothers site

Go to Trench Brothers Education Zone

We are extremely grateful to Heritage Lottery Fund for its generous continued support of Trench Brothers.

We’ll Meet Again commemorated the 70^th Anniversary of the Second World War, with performances and Art Exhibitions by Year 7 students from eight Secondary schools in Norfolk and The Midlands.

On 17 March 2016, over 200 students came together from across the country to perform We’ll Meet Again a new work comprising world premieres of new song-cycle commissions by writer Stephen Plaice and Composer Matthew King and revivals of excerpts from three existing HMDT Music commissions by composers Jonathan Dove and Matthew King and writers Alasdair Middleton and Tertia Sefton-Green.

Each section, allocated to a different school, represented various aspects of the War and with it a range of emotional experiences embracing themes of fear, humour, loss, friendship, family, patriotism, defiance and above all, as was overwhelming displayed by children living through the experiences of the Holocaust, that of hope.

The large-scale performance was preceded by local showings in schools and community venues, supported by Art Exhibitions showcasing work from each of the 8 participating schools in every venue.

We’ll Meet Again was developed by HMDT Music for Creative Education Trust

Video by Primo