Issue 10. January Contributors Mrs Petersen Mrs Routledge Mr Hughes Jake Bentley Mrs Parsons Oscar Bentley Emily Newlyn Harriet Emery

Transcription

1 Issue 10 January 2016 Performing Arts Newsletter TENTH Newsletter Date Contributors Mrs Petersen Mrs Routledge Mr Hughes Jake Bentley Mrs Parsons Oscar Bentley Emily Newlyn Harriet Emery Layout Mr Wells Editor Mr Atkins ROBERT SMYTH ACADEMY Burnmill Road Market Harborough Leicestershire LE16 7JG T: F: E: W: Welcome to the tenth edition of our Performing Art Newsletter. This edition focuses on the autumn terms activities within and outside of the academy. The main event this term was our annual Arts Week, which ran in the week before half term this year and left students and staff on a high going in to the October break. There is a full write-up of the Arts Week in this newsletter. Massive congratulations must go to the Robert Smyth Dance Company and Mrs Routledge, who have achieved a place performing at the prestigious Mass Movement show at the Curve Theatre in Leicester on Sunday 7th February. Dance groups have to audition for a place in this event and the RSA Dance Company were one of only two state schools to gain a place in the programme. Not only that, but the Dance company will also close out the entire show! Their performance will feature a piece of music written and performed live by one of our year 13 Music and Music Technology students, Taylor Burton. The Academy Big Band had massive success again at the regional round of the National Concert Band festival, achieving a Platinum Award for the third time in four years. They now go on to the national finals at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester in April. The Music department was offered a free workshop by the Tori Freestone Trio on Monday 11th December and we are very thankful to the Leicester-Shire Music Hub and Leicester Jazz House for giving our students this amazing workshop. And let s not forget the amazing annual Christmas concert. Every year we are amazed at the quality of our soloists and our amazing extra-curricular music ensembles, but this year in particular was superb. You had to keep reminding yourself that it was just a school concert, such was the sheer quality on display. A massive thank you to Mrs Petersen, the peripatetic teaching staff, Ed Hull, Chris Wells and the rest of the staff who helped out on the night. As always, there s lots going on in the faculty this term including our second GCSE Concert of the year on Wednesday, 10th February, the annual Spring Concert on Wednesday, 23rd March. Just after the Easter break the will also be the annual Dance show on Tuesday 12th April, which will feature solos, group dances and the RSA Dance Company. Although it s not officially been launched yet, please do visit our academy website at for more information on past and upcoming events. The News section is updated regularly with information, so please keep an eye out for information on some upcoming Drama showcases, which will feature some GCSE and A level work too. This newsletter is intended to be informative about both past and future events, as well as a celebration of the achievements of RSA students within the performing arts disciplines. If you have any comments or suggestions, or any items you would like to be considered for inclusion, we would like to hear from you. Please nhughes@rsacademy.co.uk

2 Page 2 Robert Smyth Academy held its annual Arts week from 12th-16th October and it turned out to be a very busy week, often with multiple workshops happening at the same time! Arts week is a chance for all students at the Academy to experience something new, or further their skills in an Art form with which they are already familiar. Students could attend two workshops/seminars in the week and nearly all workshops were completely free. Dance In dance we were very lucky to have Ross Carpenter and Anji Mehra-Hughes from Matthew Bournes New Adventures come in to share their knowledge and professional experience with the students as well as work on set tasks to develop the students knowledge of Bourne s version of The Nutcracker. Former RSA student and current student at Addict Dance School, Iquan Silcott, delivered a workshop in Lyrical Jazz and Commercial Dance. Our Head of Dance, Mrs Routledge, delivered two sessions to local Primary schools in Bollywood dance as well as delivering a session to RSA students on salsa! Drama Drama teacher Claire Parsons delivered a Drama devising workshop called Play in a Day with over thirty students at once! Whilst our lead drama teacher Kyle Eastwood pushed our drama and theatre students to the limits with a workshop on her specialism, Physical Theatre, in the style of the group Frantic Assembly.

3 Page 3 Music In music we had an African Drumming workshop led by Julie Wright who has visited RSA three times before in the past 10 years. This hands-on session involved playing a range of African percussion, such as djembe, dun dun and talking drums. We also invited local primary school students to come and have a workshop with Julie too. Recording and mix engineer, and ex Robert Smyth student, Jamie Ward delivered a seminar on creating a professional mix and talked us through his work, much to the fascination of our A level Music Technology students. Awards for Young Musicians Applications are now invited for awards of up to 2,000. AYM believe that all talented young people deserve the chance to progress in their music making. That s why they re awarding up to 100,000 in grants in 2016 to exceptional young instrumentalists aged 5-17 in need of support. As well as receiving flexible funding towards the costs of their musical development. Award winners will benefit from individually tailored support, which may comprise mentoring, workshops and master classes with professional musicians, the chance to observe rehearsals with professional orchestras and other musical partners, and performance opportunities. For info and to apply for a 2016 Award visit:

4 Page 4 Another Platinum for the Big Band Again! Many congratulations to the RSA Big Band who achieved a Platinum Award at the Midlands regional round of National Concert Band Festival held at Nottingham High School on Sunday 15th November. This is an outstanding achievement especially considering that more than half of the players are new to the band this term and this was therefore their first public performance with the Big Band. In their 15-minute programme the band performed three pieces featuring no less than 7 different soloists, all marked with * in the list below. The two adjudicators, who are both professional jazz musicians themselves, were very impressed with the band see comments below; a full adjudication report and audio files are available on the Academy website. As the band achieved the top award they have been invited to the National Festival which takes place at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th April. Well done to all the players for their fantastic achievement: Andrew Martin* flute Alex McCarthy* & Jane Earland alto saxes Esme Butler Davies* & Emily Moore tenor saxes Holly Barnett baritone sax Molly Sykes*, Maddie Oakland & Josh Watson trumpets Joe Horspool* & Tom Jenkins trombones Taylor Burton* piano Jake Cartwright* guitar Jake Bentley bass guitar Jonny Nicholson drum kit Lyle Burton auxiliary percussion Adjudicators Feedback What Were You Thinking Confident opening. Nice balance and good sound in each section. Good dynamics and intonation. Nice tenor solo. Great sound. Just be careful backings don t slightly overpower solo. Good trombone. Nice sound and solo comes across well. Nice to hear a baritone sax! Good feel to the rhythm section. Nice feel all the way through. Well played. Good sounding band. My Funny Valentine Be careful with intonation in the introduction. Lovely sound from the trumpet. Very nice. Band could maybe play a touch quieter so the solo doesn t get overpowered. Nice sax solo. I would suggest taking the band (ensemble) dynamics down one notch to play with soloist. Nice feel to bossa nova. Again watch dynamics. Lovely playing all the way through from soloist. Very nice. Back to the Basement Nice start with a good sound. Sax section plays well. Nicely in tune. Good section playing from trumpets of the melody too. Nice piano solo. Some lovely touches. Great to have a flute solo!! Good sound, well played. Nice guitar. Well played all solos. Good build to bring solo section to an end. Great sounds from every section. An exciting and well played performance. Well done everyone. You can hear the performances on the Robert Smyth website.

5 Grants for Musical Instrument Purchase Page 5 Christmas Concert 2015 The annual RSA Christmas Concert was held on Tuesday 1st December in the Main Hall to a full house. The concert featured all 11 academy ensembles: String Ensemble, Advanced Brass Group, Flute Ensemble, Flute Quartet, Saxophone Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Versatile Voices Choir, Folk Group, Big Band, Jazz Band and Soul Patrol. In addition the AS Music class performed one of their set AS analysis pieces You Can Get It If You Really Want by Jimmy Cliff. There was a n u mber o f A l e v e l soloists and small group items that had been chosen through audition: AS Music student and pianist Andrew Martin s highly expressive and technically flawless performance of Debussy s Clair de Lune was a real highlight of the evening. A2 Music student Georgia Whittle also impressed with her vocal performance of Finding Wonderland, arranged for strings, brass and rhythm section by her and Jake Bentley. The piano trio, featuring Lachlan Lindsay, Emily Newlyn and Andrew Martin, also produced a highly polished and professional performance whilst a Year 12 band featuring Ellis Barthorpe, Will Ashley, Bryn Williams, James Milsom and Ross Barnett entertained with one of their original songs. The full programme for the evening, along with names of all the performers, photos and video clips, can be found on our website. Dance Congratulations A huge congratulations to the RSA Dance Company for being selected by UDance/Dance 4 to perform in the regional dance performance Mass Movement 2016 at Curve Theatre on Sunday 7th February. The piece is called Yan Tu - In a State of Motion and has music composed by Taylor Burton. Only nine other performance groups were selected so this is a really fantastic achievement by the company so well done!! If you want to buy tickets for the show they are available form Curve Theatre box office. Well done to Charlie Tatman, who has secured a professional training place at Urdang Academy in London. Another amazing GCSE dance student following his passion to dance professionally! The EMI Music Sound Foundation offer grants to students in full time education to fund musical instrument/equipment purchase. In the past several RSA students have been successful in applying for funding. The foundation accept applications twice a year and the deadline for the next round is at the beginning of February For full details of the scheme and to download an application form please visit VAT off Instruments Students who wish to purchase a new musical instrument for use with their musical studies in the academy can take advantage of the scheme offered where the cost of purchasing the instrument will not include VAT. Students have to purchase the instrument through the academy and a form must be completed and signed by authorised academy staff before purchasing the instrument. No VAT refunds can be given retrospectively. Further details and an application form can be downloaded from the academy website under Parents -> Letters home.

6 Page 6 CAIRS Concert 2015 The evening of Thursday 19th November 2015 held the return of the CAIRS Concert, this time held in celebration of the life of the Academy s former drama teacher Bloom, who sadly passed away earlier in the year. Organised by the CAIRS Committee, the concert featured the best music, drama, comedy, and dance that Robert Smyth students both past and present had to offer. Hosted by Anthony Pollard, an ex-student of both the Academy and Bloom herself, the night got off to a nostalgic start with a video looking back at CAIRS Concerts of decades past. Anthony himself then took the stage for his own stand-up set, a brilliant introduction to the night. Other ex-students returned to perform in memory of their favourite teacher, included Jack Robinson, singing Take that s Shine, and Andy Maudling, Maeve Brannen, Rachael Mailer, and Hugh Murray, who in addition with current students Kruti Pabari and Alasdair Campbell performed Brokenville, a drama piece taught to them by Bloom herself. Amie Fretter opened the second act with a touching video tribute to Bloom, with Comedy Club providing laughs across the house, in addition to stand-up comedy from Joe Goatley, Alistair Beeson, and Alasdair Campbell. Charlie Tatman also performed a spectacular dance piece, while Steph Burns sang Song for a Friend for Bloom. The evening closed with a rendition of some musical numbers from We Will Rock You, the Academy s performance of which was directed by Bloom herself in 2013.The night managed to raise over 700 for Save the Children and Dementia UK, two charities close to Bloom s heart. The evening was a huge success, and we re sure that it made Bloom proud too. Oscar Bentley, CAIRS Committee Leader Christmas Lights Turn On On Friday 27th November the Jazz Band and Soul Patrol had been invited by Harborough Council and HFM to perform at the annual Christmas Light Switch-On Event in the Main Square. There were various primary schools performing from 4.00 pm whilst Soul Patrol was the Headlining act, performing from 5.45 pm 6.20 pm with the Light Switch-On taking place at 6 pm. It was the band s first public performance this academic year and they were very well received by the organisers and the general public. Unfortunately the rain started pouring down very heavily during the Soul Band set and the Jazz Band could therefore not perform for health and safety reasons.

7 Page 7 LSSO at the Schools Proms at the Albert Hall There is no doubt that, back in September, everyone at the LSSO (Leicestershire Schools Symphony Orchestra) was delighted to find out that we had been selected to perform at the School Proms. The Schools Proms are the final stage in the Music For Youth competition, which is sponsored by the likes of ABRSM and Classic FM. About thirty ensembles get the chance to play in one of three concerts, which are held at the Royal Albert Hall in London in November. It is an amazing opportunity and I think everyone at the LSSO was very flattered, and pleasantly surprised, that the LSSO had been invited to perform at the Schools Proms for a second year in a row. The day began with a horrendous early start, as we boarded the coach at 7.30 in the morning and began our four hour journey (the traffic in London is simply awful!). Once we arrived, we were quickly ushered into our dressing room, followed by a couple of rehearsals and sound checks. After this, we finally got a chance to admire our concert venue and take a lot (and I mean a lot!) of photos. The concert began at 7 in the evening, and during the first half we were allowed to watch the other performances up in the gallery (which is the top floor of the hall and is so high up that you can practically touch the mushrooms on the ceiling!) which has a fantastic view. For me, one of the best things about the Schools Proms is that the performances are so diverse. There are all kinds of music being performed- classical, choral, pop - from all kinds of groups: choirs, orchestras, bands, orchestras, etc. Every kind of music is being celebrated from musicians up and down the country, form all different backgrounds. It was our turn to perform at the end of the second half. First we performed excerpts from the Firebird Suite by Stravinsky and then Pomp and Circumstance No.1 (Land of Hope and Glory) by Elgar. However in an interesting turn of events, a new piece had been composed especially for the finale (which is usually Pomp and Circumstance). It was a reimagining of Land of Hope and Glory and it involved the Folk Ensemble at Birmingham Conservatoire, the LSSO and a massed choir of kids. It was very powerful song and I thought it was great that all the performers in the concert got involved in the finale. My favourite part was when the balloons, streamers and fireworks were released at the end with a rather loud BANG! Sadly, after this the Schools Proms was over and a long journey home was ahead of us. But we were all happy in the knowledge that we had had a brilliant day and got to play at one of the best concert venues in the world. It was a day that we will remember for many years to come. Emily Newlyn, Year 12 Bollywood Dance Workshops Year 5 students from Little Bowden Primary and Ridgeway Primary attended a Bollywood dance workshop lead by Mrs Routledge. All students explored traditional Bollywood movements, learning a short dance phrase and performing. Two arts award students assisted Mrs Routledge in the workshops to gain evidence for their Silver portfolios, they were Lucy Maskell and Izzy Blount. All students had a fantastic experience. Well Done!

8 Workshop with The Tori Freestone Trio Page 8 Leicestershire Music Education Hub and Leicester Jazz House recently offered the RSA Music Department a jazz workshop with the Tori Freestone Trio, a professional jazz trio consisting of tenor sax, double bass and drum kit. The trio were performing in Leicester in the evening of Friday 11th December and came to RSA to do a workshop in the afternoon from 3.30 pm 5.00 pm that day. Ten students from years had been selected to take part, mostly students from the RSA Big Band. The Trio taught the students a jazz tune in 7/8 time and this was a first for many of the students to attempt improvising in such an irregular time signature. The members of the trio had studied at Leeds College of Music and Guildhall in London and at the end of the workshop the students had the opportunity to ask questions about courses and careers in jazz. It was great for the RSA students to get a chance to be taught by professional jazz musicians in an engaging and challenging workshop. We are grateful to the Hub and Leicester Jazz House for giving us this opportunity. For full details of the Tori Freestone Trio please visit Year 13 Student Jake Bentley attended: On a Friday in December a professional jazz trio visited our music department. All three members were professionals, crafted from the various Conservatoires dotted around the country and all three could teach - it was to be an enlightening session. Filing into the band room, the initial reaction to their line-up was one of curiosity. Saxophone, double bass and drum kit; the groove would certainly be present but where was the piano to fill in the harmony? As luck would have it, a piano wasn t needed. Rich, sultry tones created by articulate saxophone playing and the distinctive twang of the double bass somewhere between a rubber band and a clarinet blended together in a most agreeable fashion, encompassing both chords and their individual lines. After treating our group to a number of pieces, the trio held a brief rhythmic workshop. We were split into three sub groups and taught separate son clave patterns to help us keep time in a metre of 7/8. Additional difficulty was introduced as we were encouraged to swap patterns, taking up the one clapped by the previous group. Next, we were invited to join the trio on an actual piece. Plugging in, tuning up, then a headlong dive into a 7/8 groove, we were immediately out of our comfort zone. However, once the established ostinato became familiar, nerves transcended into a striving for flair as each musician was invited to take a solo. It was challenging, particularly due to the piece s rhythmic complexity, yet confident and exciting phrases were captured all round. Once playing time had been exhausted, there was a period of questions and answers, particularly helpful for those with future musical ambitions. We bid the trio adieu, with the knowledge that our playing would never be quite the same again. New Adventures Dance Workshop A fantastic opportunity for dance students at the Robert Smyth Academy arose when dancers from Matthew Bourne s New Adventures delivered a workshop to GCSE dancers and Arts Award students. Ross Carpenter and Anjali Mehra-Hughes have performed in many of Bourne s productions and they shared their knowledge and professional experience with the students as well as working on set tasks to develop the students knowledge of Nutcracker. The students were able to ask them questions about their professional dance careers and explore practical repertoire from Bourne s Nutcracker. The teaching was exceptional and all GCSE and Arts award students were excited to work with the dancers.

9 Page 9 Practical & Theory Grade Exam Passes Congratulations to the following students who passed their grade exams last term. This information has been provided by peripatetic teachers, parents and students. For inclusion in future newsletters details of exam passes can be ed to hpetersen@rsacademy.co.uk. Saxophone Flute Holly Barnett Grade 4 Distinction Kiara Tooms Grade 8 Merit Alice Riches Grade 3 Distinction Emily Moore Grade 6 Pass Theory Orchestral Percussion Jake Cartwright Grade 5 Distinction Ben Horspool Grade 7 Distinction Sereti Ogwang Grade 5 Merit Piano Keyboard Daryanne Scott Grade 6 Distinction James West Grade 3 Rebecca Alder Grade 5 Distinction Guitar Charlie Hilton Grade 5 Distinction Phoebe Killworth Grade 2 Merit Jake Bentley Grade 4 Merit Tuned Percussion Bass Guitar Ben Horspool Grade 7 Distinction Jake Bentley Grade 8 Distinction Clarinet Violin Rebecca Iliffe Grade 5 Merit Madeleine Oakland Grade 7 Distinction Vocals French Horn Mae Dudley Grade 7 Distinction Abi Wright Grade 7 Merit Lola Pap Ella Soysa Grade 6 Merit Grade 6 Merit

10 Page 10 Parsnips Youth Theatre This past term has been a busy one for Parsnips Youth Theatre in Market Harborough, with two successful new plays being performed that starred many Robert Smyth students. The first play took place in November at Harborough Theatre and was called The World (According to Emma) written by Parsnips director Claire Parsons. It featured many of the school s Year 11s, (most, but not all, who take GCSE drama at the academy), a couple of the year 10s and year 12s and a year 13 student; as well as cast members from other schools and colleges. The play followed the life, aspirations and dreams of the lead character Emma, played by Robert Smyth s Emma Arthur, who is taking A level drama and has been a member of Parsnips for ten years. This was Emma a last show with the company and it was a massive success. Audiences loved the colourful comedic characters and the mix of fantasy and reality that included Game of Thrones, Mario Kart and Gogglebox sequences as well as a full musical number. The second play, in December at the Octagonal Theatre, Tall Tales and Breadcrumbs also written by Claire, was a film noir, steam punk fairy-tale extravaganza that followed the story of Little Red Riding Hood (Robert Smyth s Jess O Brien) as she disobeys her mother and runs away to the big city after a sinister Wolf (Robert Smyth s Dan Shorley). After her actions bring about the death of Prince Charming she is forced to re-evaluate who she is and what she wants in life. It also starred over half the current year 10 drama class as well as students from years 11, 12 and 13. The play was very well received by the audience, but was a bitter-sweet affair with it being a farewell show to nine Parsnips (all of whom either have been or still are members of Robert Smyth). These nine members, two of whom take A level drama (Alistair Beeson and Joe Goatley), have been with Parsnips between three and ten years and it was very sad to say goodbye. Parsnips Youth Theatre is run by Claire Parsons and she says that she has been very lucky over the last 14 years to have had so many talented and dedicated students from Robert Smyth Academy. This includes former student and Parsnip alumni Amy Wren, who is currently starring in The Last Kingdom on BBC Two, who was with the company for four years. If any current students would like to join Parsnips Youth Theatre (no experience necessary) to make new friends, create new shows and learn new skills then you can visit the website on Harriet Takes LAMDA Exam Every Tuesday after school I travel to Hinckley to attend private lessons with Prisilla Morris, where she helps me prepare for my LAMDA exams and my prose and verse exams. LAMDA exams consist on performing two or three monologues, depending on the grade, to an examiner. After the performances the examiner will then ask you a series of questions related to the pieces performed, the playwright, the play from which the extract is taken and the time period it was written. Prose and verse exams are slightly different. You are expected to learn off by heart an extract from a book and one poem. After performing them both the examiner will give you a sight reading of their choice to perform. Just like the LAMDA exams the examiner will then ask a series of questions about the characters and the themes within the book and poem. Before the exam you would have been expected to have learned about the way in which a performer breathes and creates speech and the examiner will also question you, testing your knowledge on this area. I have just recently taken my grade seven LAMDA exam and up until now have always taken my exams by myself. I feel that this strongly Increases self-confidence. However I took this grade with a partner and we had to work together each week on our three duologues. Working in a partnership for the exams means that it is vital to meet deadlines on learning lines and have a responsibility to ensure that I don't let my partner down. For the exam we were able to take costumes to change into to reflect each character in every performance, we were also able to use chairs within the piece. However no other props or set are allowed for the exam. My last exam was a grade six prose and verse exam which I took by myself. I read an extract from the book 'The Northern Lights' and the poem titled 'The Warning'. All examiners are extremely welcoming, friendly and look to give you as many marks as possible. For every exam I pass I receive UCAS points which will help me in the future when applying for dance school and jobs. Harriet Emery, Year 11

11 Performing Arts Clubs - Spring Term 2016 Monday Page 11 GCSE DANCE DROP-IN The Max Mrs Routledge ARTS COUNCIL Music Block Mrs Petersen ADVANCED FLUTES (Year13) Music Block Kate Cartwright STRING ENSEMBLE Music Block Mike Shaw RSA DANCE COMPANY The Max Mrs Routledge Tuesday SAX ENSEMBLE Music Block Francine Warner COMEDY CLUB Hammond Studio Chris Wells ORCHESTRA Music Block Mrs Petersen JAZZ BAND Music Block Mrs Petersen Wednesday Thursday VERSATILE VOICES (choir) Music Block Debbie Smith FLUTE CHOIR (Years 10-12) Music Block Kate Cartwright GCSE MUSIC DROP-IN Music Block Mr Hughes BIG BAND Music Block Mrs Petersen FOLK GROUP Music Block 6 th form student led Friday PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE Music Block Darron McHarg ADVANCED BRASS Music Block John Gornall GRADE 5 MUSIC THEORY Music Block Mrs Petersen SOUL PATROL Music Block Mrs Petersen COMEDY CLUB Hammond Studio Chris Wells Audition/selection is only for Soul Patrol, Big Band, and The Dance Company. To join any of the other groups simply turn up at the next rehearsal.

12 Performing Arts Events Calendar 2015/2016 SPRING TERM Sunday 7th February 7:30 pm RSA Dance Company perform at Mass Movement Venue: The Curve Theatre, Leicester Wednesday 10th February 7.00 pm RSA GCSE Music Concert Venue: The Max, Robert Smyth Academy Sunday 21st February 3.00 pm Trip to see Leicester Symphony Orchestra s Boats, Trains & Planes Family Concert Venue: De Montfort Hall, Leicester Sunday 6th March Music for Youth Regional Rock, Pop & Urban Festival for Soul Patrol Venue: Mac, Birmingham Sunday 13th March Music for Youth Regional Festival for Choir, Percussion Ensemble and Jazz Band Venue: Wootton Upper School, Bedford Wednesday 23rd March 7.00 pm RSA Spring Concert Venue: Main Hall, Robert Smyth Academy ROBERT SMYTH ACADEMY Burnmill Road Market Harborough Leicestershire LE16 7JG T: F: E: office@rsacademy.co.uk W: Saturday 9th April National Concert Band Festival for the RSA Big Band Venue: Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester SUMMER TERM Tuesday 12th April 7.00 pm RSA Dance Show Venue: The Max, Robert Smyth Academy Friday 20th May 7.00 pm RSA Year 13 Leavers Concert Venue: The Max, Robert Smyth Academy Saturday 21st May 7.30 pm Trip to see Leicester Symphony Orchestra Venue: De Montfort Hall, Leicester Our Proud Sponsors Visit us online: