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Yearly Archives: 2013
Excellent results (2013)
Congratulations to our music students on achieving excellent results this year. We had 100% pass rate with 64% of AS students and 67% of A2 students achieving an A or a B.
In addition, many of our A2 students are continuing their studies at some of the top institutions in the country. Two students are going to Oxford (one to study music and another chemistry) whilst others are going to study music at Manchester, Southampton and other Russell Group Universities. We also have a student going to Trinity College in London to continue his violin studies at this prestigious conservatoire.
BBC Prom Picks
I was going to pick one prom a week that looked particularly exciting, but the programme for the next seven days is so brilliant that it is hard to know where to start, so I’ve gone for three. Follow the links – all can be heard live on the internet or radio and some are on the television too.
Sunday 14th July, 7.30
A programme of ballet music ending with Stravinsky’s revolutionary Rite of Spring played on instruments that would have been used at the time. Listen for the Bassoon straining in its top register at the beginning! The first half is four ballet excerpts from the Baroque to the late nineteenth century
http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on/2013/july-14/14556
Tuesday 16th July, 7.00
An old but brilliant warhorse – Rachmaninov’s second piano concerto alongside a new piece by David Matthew’s and the energetic ‘Inextinguishable’ fourth symphony by Nielsen (an early C20 Danish composer of whom I am particularly fond)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on/2013/july-16/14560
Friday 19th July, 10.00
This is an excerpt from Stockhausen’s opera Wednesday from the cycle Licht. The ‘World Parliament’ performed by Birmingham’s Ex Cathedra was the absolute highlight of a performance of this work in Birmingham last summer. It is totally bonkers but fascinating and there are some gorgeous moment. The rest of the opera (not being done tonight) also involves helicopters and camels …
A2 Summer Homework
Instrumental
Complete the Schumann Summer Homework including answering the essay question on the second page.
Composition
Find three pieces that you can listen to with score (use IMSLP) and complete the Worksheet attached.
Both pieces of work are due in on the first lesson back in September.
Last week of term
What is happening this week (some changes to normal timetabled lessons).
Monday
TASTER day for year 10 students 9.55-12.00. Any help still gratefully received …
G group – anthology ( 1.15)
Tuesday
F group – anthology (10:00)
G group – final composition lesson with sharing of work over cake (11:30)
Wednesday
CHOIR at 10:00 in the lecture theatre
F group – anthology for both lessons (13.50-14:40)
Thursday
F group – final composition lesson with sharing of work over cake (8:45)
Lunchtime concert at 1:00 in the Hall (sing through of choir pieces plus some student items – room for a couple more if anyone is
offering. Do bring your friends if you wish …)
Concert trips 2013-14
We have managed to get tickets for the following concerts for the bargain price of £4.50. All the programmes are really exciting with a mixture of familiar favourites, epic masterpieces and less well known little gems. You can download the forms from the Explorations in Music Moodle or collect them from the music office. I will keep some tickets back for September so that new Year 12s can take advantage of the offer, so you will need to get in quick.
| Thursday 19th Sept. | Andris Nelsons conductor Kristine Opolais soprano Wagner: Tannhäuser Overture Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring |
| Thursday 3rd Oct. | Nikolaj Znaider conductor Ingrid Fliter piano Mendelssohn: Ruy Blas Overture Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 Mahler: Symphony No. 1 |
| Thursday 5th December | Andris Nelsons conductor Isabelle Faust violin Wagner: Siegfried Idyll Britten: Violin Concerto Brahms: Symphony No. 3 |
| Wed. 26th Feb. | Karl-Heinz Steffens conductor Renaud Capuçon violin Mozart: Gran Partita (13 Winds) Glazunov: Violin Concerto Stravinsky: Symphony in Three Movements |
| Thursday 8th May | Andrés Orozco-Estrada conductor Simone Lamsma violin Ravel: Alborada del gracioso Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1 Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances |
Summer Tasks (New Students)
We hope you found the Welcome to College Day informative. This post is a reminder of the tasks we have set you to do, along with links to resources you might need to complete them:
- Fill out Individual Appointment Form in time for Monday
- Complete AS Initial Performance Proposals for Thursday 5th September
- Complete Short History of Music Task in time for your first music lesson
- Brush up on your basic theory (i.e. intervals, keys and key signatures – you might find the Basic Theory section of the AS Handbook helpful)
- Buy a ring binder
- Make sure your instrument is in good working order
- Go through the Important Dates Music 2013-14 with your parents and make sure they are in diaries
If you have any questions at all you can either reply to this post (you will have to create an account to do so) or email Tom Pankhurst (tompankhurst@kedst.ac.uk)
AS Composition (w/c 1st July)
By the end of Friday 5th July (note new deadline) you need to have completed the task below. You have both of next weeks lessons for this task and I would expect you to spend at the least the same amount of time on it outside class. I also want your orchestrated melodies with any improvements you have made emailed to me as well please.
Dramatic task
Write at least 20 bars of music that portrays a dramatic episode in the life of your character or reflecting a state of mind in which they might find themselves. You should email your melody with the accompanying notes in the email body.
- A fragment of your original melody should be present in the texture at some point
- You should write a paragraph describe the episode or state of mind and how the music reflects this
- You should document how you have used at least two ideas from example introduced in class.
You will find a list of examples you can use for inspiration along with annotated scores and tracks on Moodle.
AS Composition (w/c 24 June)
Composition
By the end of Tuesday 25th June, you need to have finished your orchestrated melodies. Don’t forget to use the Orchestration resources (topic 3) on Moodle