Huntingdonshire Music School Association

Welcome

2008-05-25T20:00:14Z

Welcome to the Huntingdonshire Music School and Huntingdonshire Music School Association (HUMSA) - one of the Internet’s best kept secrets!

Whilst we may not brag very much, the school is very much a place of musical excellence where adults and children can learn an instrument and play with others in a relaxed and friendly setting.

We have an ‘open door’ policy so why not come in to see us on a Saturday morning and see what a few hundred people get up to in the name of music. We can’t promise that it will make you more attractive to the opposite sex or provide superhuman powers. We can, however, promise you fun and the ability to take up something that might very well change your life.

Sit back, relax and explore…

A snippet of the calendar

Concert - Sat 12th November - Strings & Chords

2011-10-22T20:52:48Z

Strings and Chords

A concert of songs and guitar pieces performed by

HuMS Singers and
HuMS Classical Guitar Ensemble

Performed at All Saints’ Church Huntingdon

19:30 on Sat 12 November 2011

Tickets £5 at the door

HuMS groups are students from Huntingdonshire Music School, www.humsa.org.uk, 01480 379220

Joint Concert - HUMS and Cambridge Guitar Orchestra (Sat 7th May 2011)

2011-05-04T07:40:57Z

This coming Saturday the 7th May there will be a joint concert from the singers at the Huntingdonshire Music School and the Cambridge Guitar Orchestra (www.cgo.org.uk) in Godmanchester.

The programme is a varied one with the CGO playing:

Prelude, Air and Rigaudon from the Holberg Suite by Edvard Grieg
La Oracion del Torero by Joaquin Turina,
Menuet Antique by Maurice Ravel
The Millers Dance by Manuel de Falla
As a Flower Blossoms and Letter from Home – by Pat Metheny
Becks Bolero by Jimmy Page

together with a joint piece with the HUMS singers.

The CGO has and continues to include players from the music school including current teachers Sandra Buckenham and Len Davidson and is always entertaining.

Tickets: £6, Students £3, children free
Starts 19:00
Location: St. Mary the Virgin, Godmanchester

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Anyone Fancy Learning the Euphonium - Loan Instrument Available

2011-03-16T15:07:16Z

HUMSA has a euphonium which is available for loan to anyone who wishes to learn this instrument at the Huntingdonshire Music School. It is part of the brass family and smaller and therefore more practical than the tuba. It is a solo instrument (meaning it often features on its own) and is an important instrument in a brass band although it can be played in a wind band, military band and orchestra so there are a wide variety of styles of music available to the euphonium player. It produces a gorgeous warm sound.

Famous euphonium players include Nicholas Childs (Black Dyke) his son, David Childs (Cory) and Stephen Mead (Royal Northern College of Music).

At the moment we have just the one loan instrument available (courtesy of Sean Pagington and First Brass) but if needed we’ll try and obtain more loan instruments.

References

Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphonium
YouTube - David Childs - Carnival of Venice - Euphonium - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqw8v1ILB2g
David Child’s website - http://www.davechilds.com/
Stephen Mead’s website - http://www.euphonium.net/home.php
YouTube - Stephen Mead - ‘Party Piece’ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYc682faPlc

Sing with Swing (25th March 2011)

2011-03-14T09:33:59Z

On Friday 25th March 2011 there will be a Sing with Swing concert featuring the HUMS Big Band and vocalists so a good time is guaranteed. It starts at 19:30 at the Medway Centre in Huntingdon. Tickets cost just £5 and there will be a bar and refreshments available. It is one of the ways that HUMSA raises funds to support its charitable aims in terms of supporting music education in the local area so please support it if you can.

Want to Sing with a Big Band as Your Backing Group? Sing with Swing Workshop (19th March)

2011-03-13T10:43:34Z

Saturday 19th March, 2pm – 5pm and Sunday 20th March, 10am – 6pm, Buckden

The Sing with Swing Workshop 2011 is being led by professional singer, Bridget Hardy in Buckden on the afternoon of Saturday 19th March 2011, 2pm – 5pm and the morning of Sunday 20th March, 10am – 1pm. The workshop will include individual master classes and cover singing in the swing style and microphone technique.

At 2pm the HuMS Big Band will join the workshop providing live backing for all the singers. Please select three songs from the provided list at the time of booking.

Participants may be invited to join the HuMS Big Band in a fund raising concert on Friday 25th March, 7.30pm – a great opportunity to lead a song and show off to friends and family the skills learnt and developed at the Sing with Swing Workshop 2011. Tickets for this event will be on sale at the workshop, costing just £5.

For further details contact Julian, tel. 07791 723 852

There are only 20 workshop places in total so don’t hang around!

This workshop has been organised by HuMSA (Huntingdonshire Music School Association), a registered charity supporting musical education in the Huntingdonshire region through provision of bursaries to children and other activities

HUMSA Summer Trip 2011 - Marburg, Germany

2010-11-26T12:16:11Z

Huntingdonshire is twinned with Marburg-Biedenkopf in the state of Hess, Germany, about 50 miles north of Frankfurt. It is a really attractive region with tree covered hills all around. Marburg Biedenkopf has a summer music festival and we have been invited to take part. The trip will be centred around the picturesque village of Bad Endbach. A new swimming pool and spa opened last October and the village also has shops, cafes etc.
Marburg is a very interesting old university town with plenty of shops to visit.

Links: Wikipedia - Marburg-Biedenkopf, Wikipedia - Bad Endbach, city of Marburg website, videos:

YouTube - video 1 (never mind the soundtrack!), YouTube - video 2

The trip is open to any student of the Huntingdonshire Music School - you don’t need to be playing in a band or ensemble.

Itinerary

Thursday 11th August:

Early start from HRC, travelling by coach and ferry.
Plan to arrive at 18:00 and have a group meal

Friday 12th August - Sunday 14th August

A number of concerts, depending upon who goes and the bands we can form
Coach sightseeing trips, possibilities include:
- Ski lift and summer tobogganing
- Edersee and Eder dam and waterparc
- Other options to be built into the itinerary
Final group meal

Monday 15th August:

Early start from Bad Endbach
ETA Huntingdon 19:00

Accommodation

We will be staying in the village of Bad Endbach. There isn’t a big enough hotel in Bad Endbach that will accommodate us all, so we will have to be split between 2 (possibly 3) hotels situated close together. The rooms are ensuite singles, twins or doubles, and some will have the capability of having an extra single bed put in the room. There may be an option to stay with local families.

Editor - Found this odd link connecting a visitor from Warboys to Bad Endbach

Cost

Adults c £220
Children c £200

We hope to have a donation from Huntingdonshire District Council that will help toward the cost of the trip; we will also hold fundraising events to raise funds for the trip. If there are 40 people on the trip and the fund raising goes well, the adult price could drop to £175.

Included in price:

All travel throughout the trip from and back to HRC, inc excursion transport.
Evening meal on arrival at Bad Endbach
4 nights Hotel accommodation, bed & breakfast.
End of tour meal.

Excluded:

All lunches and evening meals other than the above.
Travel or instrument insurance
Spending money
Additional excursions

A £25 deposit is needed to secure your place at the time of booking with the booking form (see entry in discussion forum) to either Alan Crosthwaite (a.crosthwaite495@btinternet.com) or Joyce Reeves.

Accompaniment Downloads for ABRSM Exams

2010-10-11T16:17:27Z

Having an impending ABRSM tuba Grade 4 exam looming I thought it might make sense to see what means of playing with accompaniment were available to me (short of kidnapping a piano player). I’d heard that somewhere there might be some download options available. Unfortunately for me, or rather anyone with a tuba, I didn’t find anything to help me. I did, however, find that the ABRSM does itself now have a ‘download shop’.

The ABRSM Audio Download Shop (http://www.abrsm.org/audioshop) provides the ability to download the piano part for Grades 1 - to 8 for the piano (!) [2009-2012], violin [2008 - 2011], clarinet [2008-2013] and flute [2008-2013]. Individual downloads are GBP 0.79 (79 pence) each or there’s an offer of 1 from each of the A, B and C lists (i.e. your complete exam) for GBP 1.95 available once per grade. Pretty cheap and a lot less hassle than trying to persuade the computer to create a backing track.

From the ABRSM site:

An expanding range
Launched in 2008 with recordings of ABRSM’s Piano syllabus (2009 & 2010), the download service has already proved highly popular with pianists. It now includes almost every piece from ABRSM syllabuses for Violin (2008–2011), Flute and Clarinet (both 2008–2013).

Amongst the huge range of repertoire, violinists will find Howard Blake’s jovial Dance of the Snowmen (from the famous animated film) at Grade 5, and can make new discoveries, such as the charming Sentimental Romance by Wilhelm Stenhammar (sometimes known as ‘the Swedish Elgar’) at Grade 8.

Individual movements from Koechlin’s 14 pieces were reintroduced to the Flute syllabus in 2008, and flautists at Grades 1, 2, 4 and 5 can enjoy these beautiful pieces. Grade 3 clarinettists can discover the highly effective transfer of Mendelssohn’s Song without Words. The Arabesque by Germaine Tailleferre (the only female member of the early 20th-century French group of composers, Les Six) is a wonderful find at Grade 7.

New features and offers
The preview facility allows all users to try out 10 seconds of any track before making the decision to purchase. Recordings of pieces set at Grades 1–5 are priced at 79 pence each, and those at Grades 6–8 are 99 pence each.

For the price of what is normally a single track, those purchasing Violin, Flute or Clarinet exam repertoire will actually receive two tracks: the exemplar recording of solo instrument with piano accompaniment, and a bonus track that includes just the piano accompaniment alone, for playalong practice.

This doesn’t help anyone on any other instrument, including the tuba. Are there any other sites out there than can provide accompaniment downloads for ABRSM (or Guildhall) exams?

HUMS Classical Guitar Ensemble Interview - BBC iPlayer (until 2nd August)

2010-07-29T17:00:53Z

The interview of the HUMS Classical Guitar Ensemble with BBC Radio Cambrigheshire’s Sue Dougan is can now be listened to on BBC iPlayer at http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p008zh1y/Sue_Dougan_in_the_Afternoon_29_07_2010/. It will be available for 7 days (usual restriction) which means something like the 2nd August. I wouldn’t leave it that late mind!

The interview starts at around 1h 15mins into the programme.

Enjoy.

PS The Interview features music from the recent CD, ‘El Huertos de los Olivos’ (The Olive Grove). A sample of the tracks from the CD can be heard on the Music Alley site (used to be the Podcast Music Network).

Interview - BBC Radio Cambs - Thurs 29th July 3pm

2010-07-27T17:50:06Z

The HUMS Classical Guitar Ensemble got interviewed by Sue Dougan at the BBC Cowley Road studios in Cambridge today. This was the product of an initial cheeky email following the concert the ensemble gave in Old Hurst church and quite a bit on communication in the meantime. The representatives of the ensemble were Sandra Buckenham (ensemble director) with students Peter Maylor, Terry Schooling and Lorena Serna.

The interview lasted for something like 30 minutes and ranged far and wide not only about the guitar ensemble but also the music school itself. We always hit the problem of ‘school’ being associated with youngsters so often folks don’t realise that the music school is open to all ages. This has surfaced before when talking with the BBC but apparently Sue hadn’t even heard of the school. Well she has heard now and there’s a tentative suggestion that an future feature might be made on the music school itself, perhaps in September.

For those who’d like to listen to the interview it will be broadcast at around 3pm on Thursday 29th July on BBC Radio Cambridgshire. The schedule for Thursday is available here. You can always listen live from the BBC Radio Cambs website. It will be available via the BBC iPlayer for up to 7 days after the interview.

The photos have been added to the Huntingdonshire Music School group on Flickr.

HUMS Classical Guitar Ensemble to Feature on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

2010-07-22T21:25:52Z

Next Tuesday 27th July the HUMS Classical Guitar Ensemble will be travelling to the studios of BBC Radio Cambridgeshire to record an interview with Sue Dougan to be aired on either Wednesday or Thursday on her weekday afternoon programme (12:30 to 16:00).

We will let you know when it is to be aired when we find out! The BBC have said that the interview will be available through the BBC iPlayer.

Bursaries for Young Students - Help With Tuition Fees

2010-07-22T14:07:58Z

Huntingdonshire Music School Association work to raise funding for bursaries for Music School students. We are fortunate in having a number of benefactors, including the Huntingdon Freemen’s Charity.

Each year we encourage students, and parents/guardians of students under 18, to apply for a bursary. This is usually the cost of one term’s tuition. However, we cannot guarantee that funds will always be available. Each application is treated in the strictest confidence and the details are only know to the Chairman and the Treasurer of the association, and the Director of the Music School. Application forms are available from the office and we advise students of the details for each year, via the internal music school Leger Lines newsletter.

Please note that some of these benefactors apply restrictions on access to a bursary, for example based on age or home address e.g. for Freemen’s bursaries. For students who do not fall within the access requirements we are also consider the availability of Association funds to provide bursaries.

Minor Changes to ABRSM Aural Exams from 2011

2010-07-10T19:10:18Z

From the ABRSM:

Minor changes made to ABRSM aural tests

24 June 2010

The aural tests that are part of all practical ABRSM graded music exams will be slightly altered from 2011.

There will be one different test at Grade 1, and a small number of minor modifications across the grades that streamline the requirements following feedback from teachers and examiners.

Examples of the new tests will be made available online, and new support materials for teachers and candidates will be published from July 2010. ABRSM exams taken in 2010 will continue to use the existing aural tests, and the revised tests come into use on 1 January 2011.

Reviewing the tests
The aural tests syllabus has been reviewed in detail, with a small number of areas identified for revision to allow the tests to run more smoothly and become more approachable for the candidate.

The test descriptions and examiner rubrics (the form of words used in the exam) have been re-evaluated to make sure that they are as clear and unambiguous as possible. Particular attention has been given to making the rubrics as clear as possible for candidates whose first language is not English.

The new 1C Test
At Grade 1, it was felt that a slightly different 1C Test would provide a better starting point and more even progression to Grades 2 and 3. At present, candidates are asked to identify a change in the rhythm of a two-bar phrase. The experience of our examiners, combined with feedback received from teachers, is that identifying the change is problematic for a proportion of candidates, particularly the very young, even when they have clearly heard the difference.

From 2011, the 1C Test will ask candidates to simply identify whether a change of pitch affecting one note occurs near the beginning or near the end of a two-bar phrase. This is a more approachable way of assessing the aural skill, and provides a better step towards similar tests at Grades 2 and 3. A practice set of new 1C Tests can be found online at www.abrsm.org/aural.

Other minor modifications
There are a few further minor modifications that will have relatively little or no noticeable impact on candidates, as they simply streamline the requirements. These small changes to Tests 4C, 5C(i), 6C, 6D(i), 7C(ii), 7D(i), 8A(iii) and 8C are listed online at www.abrsm.org/aural.

Support material for teachers and students
Five volumes of Specimen Aural Tests will be published in July 2010. These resources cover all eight grades, and include a wide range of tests, syllabus descriptions of each activity and answers to tests (where appropriate). They will also feature the examiner rubrics, allowing teachers and students to prepare thoroughly for the exam experience.

Each volume will be available with or without CD recordings of all tests, which are designed for use in lessons and for students to use for personal practice at home.

To coincide with the publication of Specimen Aural Tests, a single set of mock tests for each grade will be made available as free audio downloads at www.abrsm.org/mockauraltests from July 2010. This resource is intended to provide practical introductory support by mirroring how a student would encounter the tests in their ABRSM exam.

In January 2011, three volumes of Aural Training in Practice will be published, with entirely new text and musical examples. These will include an �??overview�?? that sets out the educational and musical purpose of each test; a summary of the requirements for each grade; teaching hints and strategies for each test; and a set of practice exercises with answers to enable students to gain confidence with the activities.

Ref: http://www.abrsm.org/?page=press/pressReleases/item.html&id=643

There is also an ABRSM podcast that you can listen to which provides more information.

Classical Guitar Concert - 3rd July Old Hurst

2010-06-23T20:23:28Z

The HUMS Classical Ensemble will be giving a concert at St. Peter’s Church, Old Hurst on Saturday 3rd July starting at 18:00. Entrance is free but there will be a retiring collection to help raise some funds for the PCC and say thank-you for allowing us to use the church in March for recording purposes.

The ensemble will be playing music from their recently released CD (see related article).

This isn’t a crack team of jewels thieves who broke in to discover that someone had left a pile of classical guitars but rather the guitar ensemble from the Huntingdonshire Music School.

This was at the end of a long - nearly 5 hour - recording session in Old Hurst at St. Peter’s Church.

El Huerto de los Olivos - CD Release on Behalf of HUMSA

2010-06-23T20:20:13Z

The classical guitar ensemble from the Huntingdonshire Music School spent nearly 5 hours recording in Old Hurst at St. Peter’s Church one weekend in March. There’s not much you can do in gloves! Anyway the end result was worth it and we now have a CD for sale (£5) with the proceeds going towards HUMSA and therefore future music-making at the music school.

The tracks include:

Boureé (Mozart arr K. Marx)
The Olive Grove - 1) Il Pensieroso 2) L’allegro (Peter Nuttall)
Contradanza (Ian Gammie)
Jeux Interdits (Narcisio Yepes arr. Remi Laredo)
Beginners’ Rag (Susan Sharp)
Ashokan Farewell (Trad.)
Arena y Sol (Ian Gammie)
Sarabande Varieé (G.F. Handel)
Jamaica Farewell (Trad.)

can be heard on the Music Alley site (used to be the Podcast Music Network)