May Update

Staplehurst Music Centre celebrated the end of term and welcomed spring with an informal early evening concert to parents and relatives. We were lucky to be hosted in the beautiful, flower-filled garden of one of our families, amongst a sea of daffodils at the edge of the fields. The performance started with music from the rock band, led by Nick Stephens. The band have been playing together for a few months now and they sounded fantastic. They played covers of old favourites, including “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay” (Otis Redding), “Can’t Stop” (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and “Three Little Birds” (Bob Marley and the Wailers). They also played some original music written by the students, including the catchy “Rabbit Stew” and the Pink Floyd-esque “Carrots”. The rock band was followed by the chamber music group, who played a medley of pieces from “The Sound of Music”, and, very poignantly, the Ukrainian national anthem. We had a wonderful performance of “I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas” (Gayla Peevey). Finally, the evening evolved into an informal jamming session, with the mic passed around to anyone in the audience who felt in fine voice.
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In other news, Foundation Music classes will be starting up again after the Easter holidays. We are planning two groups. The younger age group (2-5 years) will experience music through songs, rhymes and dance, and will learn about pitch, rhythm, pulse, dynamics and more. The older group (6-8 years) will have the opportunity to play their instrument in a small group and will develop the skills needed to join one of the other ensembles on Saturday mornings.