*********SUMMER SCHOOL EVENT**********

In association with The Jaunty Pangolin and Opera House Music Projects there will be an "I wish I could Sing" music weekend on the Isle of Arran from 8th to 10th May 2009. Please see the attached Word Document for complete details.

BROCHURE 2009

You should all have received your brochures for the 2009 school
(1 – 8 August) a few weeks ago, and we hope you like the new format. The size is smaller (to cut down on postage costs) and material in respect of the courses and tutors has been grouped together so that you can see all the information you need in the same place.

We hope that this makes the decision-making about which course to choose easier, and so we look forward to receiving your applications as soon as possible! If you have any queries, please contact admin@m4p.org.uk

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Q: What’s the fastest way to tune a banjo?

A: Wire-cutters

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MUSIC MAESTRO PLEASE

M4P have recently received a very kind donation of some music for the Dance Band from Paul Medina, so all you dancers out there don’t forget to bring your dancing shoes to Summer School when the Band will be adding to it’s repertoire and providing some great music for us to dance to.

Other courses at Summer School also need more music and even if we hire music to fill these gaps it costs us money. If anyone else is feeling generous and would like to contribute some money towards the provision of music for various courses please get in touch with the committee at admin@m4p.org.uk

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Q: What’s the difference between a puppy and a singer-songwriter?

A: Eventually the puppy stops whining!

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HELP WANTED

We have received some very kind offers of practical help in response to our request in the last newsletter but we can always use more volunteers on day one of the school so, if you would like to help, and would be able to get to Giggleswick early (10.00 am), please let us know at the usual email address. (A buffet lunch will be provided and tasks will be notified shortly before the school)

We did not receive any responses to the request for people to become involved in the actual pre-planning and organization of the schools, so we are repeating this request, in the hopes that some people may come forward. Some of the current organising committee have reached retirement age, and we do not wish to become dinosaurs, clinging on to outmoded ideas and refusing to move with the times! Younger blood from a variety of musical disciplines would be most welcome, so please give the idea some serious consideration and let us know if you are interested.

We hold most of our meetings by Skype (available by free download), so access to the internet is the only real necessity. Any expenses incurred are re-imbursed and, although it can consume a fair amount of time, the work is incredibly rewarding so …………… come and join us!!

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Q: Why shouldn’t you drive off a cliff in a minivan with three cellos in it?

A: You could fit in at least one more

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2008 CDs AVAILABLE
Just in case you didn’t get round to it here is a reminder that you can still order a CD of your own performances at the 2008 Summer School. The cost £10 each but you can specify exactly which recordings you would like.
I recently enjoyed a great night at the last night hoolie whilst tidying out my kitchen cupboards! What a tonic on a grey winter’s evening, It really captures the atmosphere of such a great musical week.
You can listen to some clips and download an order form on the website http://www.m4p.org.uk/audio.html

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Q: What do you call a soprano who can sight-read?

A: An alto

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COST vs COMFORT

As many of you are aware, we have been looking around to see if we can find potential venues for the school that meet all our needs – plenty of classroom space for the courses, plenty of accommodation space for students, suitable performance spaces, good food and, if at all possible, lovely surroundings and an improvement in the standard of student accommodation, with larger, more comfortable bedrooms and the possibility of en-suite facilities. Additionally, we look for venues that are fairly central, easily accessible both by road and public transport, and that are more manageable for the less fit and agile amongst our students.

You can imagine we have visited a great many venues and checked out a great many more on-line, and perfection is elusive! We have seen places with great accommodation but too few classrooms, we have seen places that would probably be okay in terms of amount of accommodation and classroom space, but the bedroom blocks are situated miles away from the classrooms etc etc. There are places that could answer most of our needs, but we would be sharing the space with hundreds of other people on other summer schools. There are some that might be suitable in terms of classrooms and accommodation but are situated in city centres with no available car parking. The list of problem sites is pretty endless!

There are still venues that we are considering but, in almost all cases, the improvements in sleeping accommodation come at much greater cost – often adding £150 to £200 to the current cost of the course!

We really need to know how you feel about this matter. We are aware that some people find the sleeping accommodation at Giggleswick somewhat Spartan, but would you be prepared to pay an additional £200+ for the week to have more bedroom space and an en-suite? Do people find the accommodation at Giggleswick so uncomfortable that they will not return to the school at that venue, or is the low cost of that accommodation more attractive? We don’t want to find a new venue with better bedrooms only to have no students because our prices have become too prohibitive!

SO ………… please contact us, by letter or email, and let us know what you think about this crucial issue.

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Q: What is the definition of a gentleman?

A: One who knows how to play the accordion – but doesn’t!
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JAZZ BAND ORGANISATION (by Roy Willson)

This was written to be an introduction to anyone wanting to start a Jazz band or to play in the Jazz idiom. It was inspired by attending the Summer School of M4P (Music for people).

Starting a Jazz band:

The leader.

When starting a Jazz Band, first find a leader.

The ‘leader’ of the band is not necessarily the best musician but will need to be a good organiser. He/she will be the one who initially defines the aims and aspirations of the group and arranges all the facilities required. He/she will need to consider the following things:

Premises, Players, Music, Rehearsals.

Premises.

Finding suitable premises for a band to play in is not the easiest of tasks.
Factors in the choice of premises include, size of venue, accessibility, heat, light, soundproofing, seating and of course, cost.

It will help if there is provision for the band to get a drink in breaks between rehearsals.

I mentioned soundproofing because not everyone wants to listen to a rehearsing band, particularly in its initial stages. So, one must choose a venue where there are no neighbours to offend.

Players

The leader will recruit a suitable number of players and possibly some “spares” because not everyone will be available every time there is a rehearsal.

The first essential is the rhythm section. Depending on the type of music to be played, the rhythm section may be only a banjo. Alternatively, you can have piano or keyboard, rhythm guitar, bass and drums.

The other players, known as the front line, will be chosen depending on the type of music the leader wishes to foster.

Music

Although the aim of a Jazz group is usually to be able to play eventually without musical arrangements, initially one must provide music in the form of “lead sheets”. Lead sheets will have the melody and chords of the tune in the key appropriate to the instruments of the band.

There are many ‘fake books’ available but I have found it easier to use the program ‘Band in a Box’ for which there is a wealth of Jazz lead sheets available and it is a simple matter to transpose the music for any instrument.

Playing in a Jazz band:

Rehearsals

Having recruited a group of musicians and some music to play, the leader will have a lot of information to impart. In a small Jazz group, the arrangements will not usually be written down. Typically, the musicians will be given only a melody and chords in a key appropriate to their instrument. The rest of the arrangement will need to be remembered; such arrangements are called “HEAD ARRANGEMENTS”.

The first time a piece is played, the leader will impart all the following information about how it is to be played.

Title,
Key,
Tempo,
Form of the intro
Whether there will be a Vocal and when it will be sung. (e.g. first or second chorus; at the final chorus etc.),
Solos,
Changes of key or tempo,
Form of the ending (eg drum break and reprise or triple ending , sudden ending etc.),
Style of the rhythm (eg Latin, jazz or a mix).

Of course, as the players become more rehearsed, all this information will be absorbed and its repetition will become unnecessary. However, it is vital that the players listen and commit the arrangement to memory to avoid the tedium of repetition.

I shall emphasise the need for the players to LISTEN. It is far from uncommon for musicians to start playing when they receive a new piece of music. If they are playing while the leader is trying to give information about how it is to be played, it will not be heard by those “noodling” on their instruments and those who are politely trying to listen will not hear it over the cacophony being played!

This is both discourteous to the leader and a great waste of time because, when the number is counted in, there will immediately be questions asked by those who were not listening the first time round.

The playing of music, particularly in an improvising band, is a highly co-operative exercise in which each player is listening to all the others and trying to improve the ensemble for everyone’s pleasure.

Any member of the band can contribute ideas on what to play and how to play it and a consensus about the best outcome will then become the head arrangement.

Improvisation

In a Jazz band, improvisation is what distinguishes it from the playing of arrangements. Although one thinks of the soloist as doing the improvisation, in fact, every member of the band is improvising. Because the arrangements are ‘head arrangements’ it is possible for each member of the band to make a choice about the nature of their contribution.

Because each member of the band is listening to the ensemble, he/she will be deciding whether to play loudly or softly; whether to play a harmony accompaniment or to play the tune and, indeed, whether it may be best to refrain from playing for some of the time.

Certainly, if the band has many players, too many players improvising loudly at once will result in unpleasant cacophony.

Practice

I would like to make the distinction between practice and rehearsal. Practice is what the individual players will do to improve their technique and to become familiar with the tunes to be played. Indulging in practice during rehearsals wastes valuable rehearsal time.

Practice by individual players will be undertaken to increase the familiarity with the instrument. Players need to be able to produce any note that they think is appropriate at the time. Playing of scales and chords will help in this aim.

One way of becoming familiar with scales and chords is to select one key each week and play the scale over the whole range of the instrument a few times each day for a week. Also, it is desirable to become familiar with the more common chords (or arpeggios on a single note instrument) by playing major, minor and dominant seventh chords of the key of the week. It is then helpful to learn to play one or more tunes by ear in the key of the week.

If one follows this routine, then all keys will have been covered in 13 weeks.

I was introduced to this method by Owen Bryce. (Let’s Play Jazz books 1 to 4).

Finally, it is always helpful to listen to music in the style that you wish to play. Listening helps one to absorb both technique and style of playing.