Mash Up Festival 2016
In July 2016 over 1600 school children descended on to Redlands Sports Hub for the Dorset Music Service 'Mash Up Festival', we are pleased to announce our next festival.
Feedback from schools and volunteers included:
Just to say what a great time we all had at the Mash Up today! I've had some really enthusiastic feedback from staff and students. It was very well organised, great workshops and a great venue for us, being so near to Wyvern! This meant that a lot more of our students were able to access it and take part easily.- Wyvern school
I just wanted to say what an absolutely brilliant day we all had. Every child seemed to have a different favourite part of the day, all the workshops were fab and the amazingly efficient organisation meant that there was nothing to worry about and we could just concentrate on having fun! Thank you all so very much. - Trent Young's Endowed
Thanks for having us at the Music Mash Up it was a great day - really enjoyed it. You had fab weather, it was very well organised and well received by all. Loved the beat box bloke - he was really fun. - Volunteer
Schools Orchestra Concert
A Schools Orchestra Extravaganza - Lighthouse Poole - Thursday 06 July 2017
The Schools Orchestra Extravaganza showcased the exceptionally talented Dorset Youth Symphony Orchestra and Dorset Youth Jazz Orchestra and the energetic Folk Group, Reel Dorset; with a massed orchestra being made up of 190 students from The Purbeck School, Sir John Colfox, Gillingham School, The Gryphon School, The Grange, West Moors Middle, Lockyer's Middle, Emmanuel Middle, Cranborne Middle.
Dorset being a rural county with a rural road network spanning 60 miles East to West means that students wishing to play in an orchestra are reliant on parents and carers to drive them to rehearsals. Data from the annually completed needs analysis by the Dorset Music Education Hub shows us that there are many young instrumentalists that don't access orchestral experiences.
The project was born as a result of this analysis to bring together students from small school orchestras to play with others in a massed ensemble, and for them to have the experience of being led by a professional conductor; William Goodchild and playing alongside professional musicians from the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. The programme of music was selected from the resources made accessible by the BBC 10 Pieces initiative.
It was an exciting and stimulating concert for both audience and participants alike.