Huntingdonshire Music School Association

This week, on March 10th, Len Davidson - who continues to teach electric guitar at the Huntingdonshire Music School - was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the Waldorf Astoria in New York with the other members of the Dave Clarke Five.

There is a good video of the award made by Tom Hanks to the group on YouTube.

Len was in good company at the award ceremony with other inductees being Madonna, Leonard Cohen and Mellencamp. Artists first become eligible 25 years after their first release.

Len also plays a mean classical and sometimes electric/acoustic guitar with the Cambridge Guitar Orchestra (not the only teacher from the music school who plays with the CGO).

Other links

• story on Reuters
• Dave Clarke Five - Tribute on YouTube
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum

Introduction

Here we provide some help for those who’d like to receive our ‘HUMS Aloud’ podcast.

First, to inject a little bit of sanity:-

• you don’t need to own an iPod or similar Mp3 player in order to listen
 
• you do need a computer!
• when we use the word ‘subscribe’ all we mean issetting up the software on your computer to automatically check for new episodes. If it finds news ones it will then automatically download them for you to listen to when you choose to

What Do I Need?

In order to listen to our podcast you need:-

 
• a computer. It doesn’t matter whether it runs Microsoft Windows or the Apple Mac OS X operating systems or indeed Linux
 
• a software application that can check for new episodes and download them

Having the patience of a saint or a brain the size of a planet isn’t a necessary requirement, luckily!

How Do I Go About Getting the Podcast?

The following steps are written specifically for use of Apple’s iTunes software (Mac and Windows versions are identical). If you use another piece of software the basic principles should still apply.

 
• Get the software and install it. The iTunes software is available free of charge from Apple - click here to go to their site.
• Install iTunes software that you just downloaded.
 
• Run/open the iTunes software application.
 
• Select the ‘Podcast’ item in the left hand pane

• On the top menu bar, look for ‘Advanced’ and select ‘Subscribe to Podcast’

 
• in the window that appears, enter the address of our HUMS Aloud podcast - http://www.btpodshow.com/feeds/humsaloud.xml

 
• click on ‘OK’. You should then see the HUMS Aloud podcast appear in the list of podcasts

That’s all there is to it. iTunes will check from time to time and download new episodes without you having to do anything.

Further Reference

If you want to find other podcasts you can either select ‘iTunes Store’ within iTunes and then ‘Podcasts’ on the page that loads

or you can visit Podcast Alley and browse.

What is HUMSA?

It is the parent body that supports the Huntingdonshire Music School - a form of PTA.

The aims and objectives of HUMSA are:-

• to provide a stimulating environment in which to promote the study and performance of music for students of all ages, abilities and backgrounds in Huntingdon and surrounding areas.
• to offer a broad range of specialist, individual music tuition for students at all ability levels, consolidated by theory tuition, aural training and group music making activities to match the varying needs and interests
• to promote the musical education of children and young persons and adults resident in the area around Huntingdon in particular by organising and supporting a music school
• to promote the enjoyment and performance of orchestral, instrumental and choral music and all other performing arts in this area

The role of HUMSA is to strive to achieve these objectives. Specifically it will:-

• establish, provide, maintain and encourage the teaching of music, music theory and music performance in the area around Huntingdon.
• make access to this musical education open to all without distinction of age, sex, race, religion, ethnic origin or place of residence.
• as far as practically possible encourage and enable the pursuit of this musical education and performance by children and young people of families of limited financial means.
• establish, maintain and encourage such orchestras, bands and musical ensembles as are judged by the Management Committee mentioned below to promote the objects of the Association.
• prepare and promote concert performances by such ensembles of music of all kinds both in public and in private.
• strive towards achievement of the highest possible musical standards by the various musical ensembles
• encourage the achievement of the highest possible success in practical and theory examinations in all kinds of music and performing arts by those taking part in the Association’s activities.

Whilst this might sound as though it needs super heroes with underpants on the outside, we are, in fact, everyday mortals (Mk 1 Human Beings).

Who is in HUMSA?

All adult pupils of the Music College and parents of our younger pupils are automatically members of HUMSA. Specifically, the types of membership available are:-

• Ordinary Members. Persons who have enrolled for tuition or participation in ensembles plus parents and guardians of these members. Friends of the Association who have paid the annual subscription
• Life Members. Individuals who have paid a single subscription or donation to the Association of not less than five times the Friend’s annual subscription
• Corporate Members. Bodies corporate and unincorporated societies which subscribe to the Association an annual sum of not less than ten times the Friend’s annual subscription

How Is it Run?

Like any other organisation, we have a committee that runs HUMSA on a day to day basis. We have formal positions of Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. We have an Annual General Meeting (groan ;-( )for the election of committee members and the formal positions which is normally co-incident with an end-of-term concert.

We do involve the rest of HUMSA where collective decisions have to be made or where information needs to be gathered to help formulate plans for the future.