Musician, Teacher, Examiner and Trainer
Simon and James headed over to Leeds to appear on BBC Yorkshire this evening to talk about the Flat Cap Brass Christmas Appeal in aid of Simon on the Streets. You can watch their cover of Fairytale of New York on YouTube Thanks for inviting us on! There is still time to donate at www.justgiving.com/flat-cap-brass; you can also stream Fairytale of New York on Spotify and Apple Music, or view the video on YouTube.
Flat Cap Brass have launched their Christmas appeal, producing their own version of the Christmas classic ‘Fairytale of New York’ to raise funds for West Yorkshire based homelessness charity Simon on the Streets.
Musical Director of Flat Cap Brass, Simon Jacobs, who is also Head of Music at Greenhead College in Huddersfield says: ‘We are delighted to be able to support Simon on the Streets with this version of ‘Fairytale of New York’. We hope the video raises awareness of homelessness, whilst also raising a lot of money for the charity.’
James Reevell who co-directs Flat Cap Brass and is Head of Music Technology at Greenhead College recorded the track. He noted that: ‘The video combines recent footage of Flat Cap Brass performing with the outstanding work of Simon on the Streets. In the recording we have tried to recreate that classic Yorkshire Brass Band sound alongside Flat Cap Brass’s unique drum and brass take on a classic Christmas track.’
Flat Cap Brass are happy to perform their version of Fairytale of New York live upon request.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/flat-cap-brass
It was great to catch up with 35 teachers and Music Technology specialists in London a couple of days ago to discuss the 2017 A Level Music Technology course and how to effectively support our students, along with plenty of chance to share good practice. I’m convinced that this must set a record for the number of Music Technology teachers in one room together!
One of the things we talked about was how to link listening to theory and practice in NEA work – and the importance of a ‘wraparound’ approach to the course to help students understand how everything fits together for their final Component 3 and 4 papers to develop their AO4 skills.
James delivers training for a number of different INSET providers and is happy to visit schools and colleges across the country to support delivery of the course. Get in touch for more details! Please make sure you’ve got a copy of the notes from Keynote Educational if you haven’t received them yet.
I have recently been involved in composing music and creating technology-based representations of astronomical data and images for an exciting new project, bridging music and science and working with ESO fellow Chris Harrison to contribute a show that was premiered at the British Science Festival on Friday 13th September 2019. Find out more below, and get in touch to find out more about how I can help with writing music for your project.
Chris led a project to design and produce an astronomical show aimed at people who are blind or visually impaired. A Dark Tour of the Universe offers a tactile experience of the Universe by using 3D models of astronomical images and sonification of real astronomical datasets. The show premieres at the British Science Festival on 13 September 2019.
The show starts with stars appearing as they are from the platform of ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, on the night of 13 September 2019. Using real data of position, magnitudes and colours of stars, a beautiful surround-sound effect is created, allowing the audience to listen to the stars appear.
Other highlights of the show include listening to variable stars or to galaxies merging and feeling 3D models of some of ESO’s best astronomical images, including the first picture of a black hole and the 360-degree panoramic image of the Milky Way, taken by our Photo Ambassador Serge Brunier. One of the datasets that has been sonified is related to the discovery of exoplanet NGTS-1b, using the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) instrument at ESO’s Paranal Observatory. NGTS-1b was the third gas giant to had been observed transiting an M-dwarf star.
People who have sight are also encouraged to attend the show. They will gain a lot from the experience, as they will be blindfolded.
The project, in collaboration with BMW, has been shortlisted for the prestigious industrial TCT awards, which are celebrating the innovators, technologies and collaborators behind the leading examples of Additive Manufacturing, 3D Printing, Design and Engineering across the globe. The awards ceremony will take place on 25 September 2019.
The project was led by ESO Fellow Chris Harrison, who worked with various astronomers at ESO, including other fellows and students. Chris built upon his experience producing planetarium shows for the ESO Supernova as part of his fellow duties, while conducting research at ESO Headquarters in Garching near Munich.
The show was produced together with Nicolas Bonne, a visually impaired astronomer from the University of Portsmouth, who provided valuable insight into how visually impaired astronomers conduct their research. He has also turned images into 3D models and is the presenter of the show.
German company BMW printed 300 3D models for the show, while the international company Arup used their acoustic-consulting team and Sydney-based SoundLab to produce sonified astrophysics concepts and data and created a soundtrack using full surround sound (6.1). Arup’s UK Midlands office provided the technical support required for the premiere showing at the British Science Festival.
James Reevell, a UK musician and teacher, created all of the music and “composer’s impressions” for the show. He used an ESO-produced simulation movie of a black hole as inspiration for one of his compositions.
We had a good time in the studio the other night recording this; our newest video for our Dance Medley.
I’ve put together a fun free ‘word cloud’ resource for A Level Music Technology; one focusing on effects and processors/controls. Let me know if you think it’s useful! It’s by no means exhaustive but an interesting way of reinforcing key words and terminology.
Introducing Flat Cap Brass’s German sister ensemble. This group is perfect for Oktoberfest events or Bierkeller evenings. Playing classic German drinking songs such as Ein Prosit through to modern day classics such as Engels by Robert Von Wilheims. Complete with lederhosen (if wanted) this ensemble is the business to get your beer themed evening swaying!
We’ve been rehearsing some new music over the past few months – here’s a sneak preview of our Yorkshire medley!
The final book I wrote for the Rhinegold A Level Music Technology series is now available.
More information on the links below; now available from MusicRoom.
http://www.rhinegoldeducation.co.uk/product/edexcel-a-level-music-technology-revision-guide/
STUDENTS AT GREENHEAD COLLEGE RELEASE BRAND NEW CHRISTMAS CAROL TO RAISE MONEY FOR MAKE-A-WISH UK
Over the past year, students at Greenhead College in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire have been working on a charity Christmas single to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation. ‘What Would Jesus Say’ was written by 17-year old music student Louis Enright and was performed by approximately 125 singers from Greenhead College and three primary schools; Mount Pleasant Primary School, Spring Grove Primary School and Reinwood Junior School.
Louis’s carol was the winner of Greenhead College’s #CarolForYorkshire competition which ran in Summer 2018 and was supported by local music hub Musica Kirklees. Students from schools across the district were invited to compose their own charity Christmas carol, and the entries were judged by Thom Meredith, Principal of Musica Kirklees.
The project is in aid of the Make-A-Wish Foundation; a children’s charity who make the wishes of seriously ill children become reality. In the first two days, the carol received over 4000 views on YouTube, and has already been streamed hundreds of times across Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes and Amazon Music.
The recording of the carol took place at Holy Trinity Church, Huddersfield on 21st November and the official launch was held in college on Monday 3rd December. As well as raising money for this incredible fund, the aim of this festive endeavour is to bring together children of all backgrounds and experiences using music and the Christmas spirit.
Louis states he decided to enter because ‘[he likes] composing and it would [gave him] something to do in the 11-week long summer break.’ He added that he ‘was very excited to hear that I won the contest and was excited when [he] first heard the finished result.’
Simon Jacobs, Head of the Music Department at Greenhead College commented:
We are really excited about the Carol project and it is fantastic to have three local primary schools working alongside us. It was wonderful to see our sixth form students performing with younger students on a large scale project such as this one. The carol written by Greenhead student Louis Enright is a really challenging piece with some magical harmony, and it is great to have seen the project come together, with students making such an extensive contribution to its success.
The carol is available to stream and purchase on Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon Music and Spotify. You can donate to Make-A-Wish Foundation on the Greenhead College JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/carolforyorkshire. We have been tweeting about the carol using #CarolForYorkshire.
You can also donate using the text code GCOL55 followed by an amount e.g. £5 (so GCOL55 £5) to 70070.
James Reevell 