Kate is up this weekend and we are finishing off the songs for our song cycle. Who said composing wasn’t hard work!
Special improv in Eskdalemuir
Rather special evening with over 30 singers for an Improv Choir workshop at the new Community Hub. Took 5 Brampton Improvers with me and we ate at the amazing Bistro first, then had to wake up to do the session!. Highlight for me was the end with the lights off – suddenly the room was filled with individual voices in an explosion of exuberance. No tentative beginning with soft oohs or taps or percussive sounds, but straight in to this meld of long-held notes and cries. Great!
Jazz and Improv in Northumberland
Just got back driving over Pennines from Howick – great village hall made of wood and octagonal!
Sarah Gray organised 17 singers to be there and provided and amazing AFTERNOON TEA!
Bryony & I co-led the afternoon – takes on Equinox and my version of Trouble, with some group jamming. Everyone really up for having a go. Looking forward to the next one!
Drum Water
short film made by gail to my soundtrack fragment
Piano riff
doodle
Gadfly
Hi! I’ve been like a gadfly today.
Struggling to stay unfurled
Keeping my pointed elbows at bay
In and out of the world
Creating a space that edges out
To where I want it to go
Delving deep not casting wide
Right now.
poem 2
earth’s drum fails
leaking only sparkling tears
no beats left
Poem 1
In the slow down to the present
Plans for an easy way through
Fall off the curved back of time
Carried carelessly
Unimagineable without you
While your facts are often wrong
They are easy to grasp
Handholds for a future (handholding the future)
On the way through to what
London School of Puppetry
Based in Yorkshire, their summer course for puppeteers seems to have a fantastic programme and I was really chuffed to be asked to provide a small slice of it.
I did a day of vocal improv and it was really interesting. We ended up looking at rhythm in detail, as the responsiveness of the group to tone, timbre, signals, phrasing, conversation, dynamics was impressive – it is what they have to do all the time. What they weren’t used to doing was working within a rhythmic framework and allowing a pulse to inform and energise all those elements.
Ended up with a really interesting talk with the director, Caroline – well it is always thrilling to talk to someone who knows what they are talking about and also likes to listen to you!
She is doing a phd which is something I am toying with so her experiences were really valuable to hear.
BlueJam Garden Orchestra
Pretty common day really – out in the town centre with loads of instruments, letting everyone have a go – children and parents alike, with young music leader helpers. Good fun and rewarding – even more fun cos Bryony was down from Edinburgh doing the facepainting.