New Sounds Festival - an MEI event

Pachelbel’s Canon - Johan Pachelbel (1653-1706)

Musicians from the Open Orchestra and Islington Young Chamber Players will jointly perform their very own version of the well-known canon by Pachelbel, giving room for improvisation by all students.

Symphony no. 9, 2nd movement - Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)

Islington Young Chamber Players is a brand new ensemble, formed over just three weekend rehearsals in the summer term. Supported by a group of tutors, the young musicians will perform the second movement of Anontín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9. Dvořák found inspiration in Negro Spirituals he heard whilst in America; he is quoted as saying that in the Negro Spirituals, he heard all the characteristics he needed to create a national school of Music.

Symphony no.1, 3rd movement ‘Juba Dance’ - Florence Price (1887-1953)

Richard Cloudesley Secondary is a school in Islington for young people aged 11-19 with physical disabilities and additional sensory needs and our Open Orchestra has been running since September 2021. Open Orchestra will perform Florence Price's Juba Dance, the third movement of her Symphony no. 1. Price also found inspiration in Negro Spirituals and, by writing her symphony in the same key as Dvořák, linked up his work with hers.

One of the instruments played by the Open Orchestra is the Clarion. Developed by Open Up Music, the Clarion is an award-winning assistive technology instrument which can be played by touch or any movement of the body, including eye and head movement. This enables it to be fully accessible as there are no physical obstacles to playing. The notes appear as coloured shapes on the screen which can be created and changed by the player. They then use any part of their body to play the notes they’ve programmed. The Clarion allows the player to be very expressive as they can change the volume and style of the sounds as they play. Anyone can start learning the Clarion but it takes practice to play well.

Bandology - Eric Osterling (1926-2005)

Pixar Medley - arr. Michael Brown

Islington Wind Band and Islington Flutes are made up of music students that attend the after-school Music Centres. They rehearse on a weekly basis and explore a wide variety of musical styles whilst developing their ensemble skills, enthusiasm for music and friendships across schools’ boundaries. A recent highlight for both groups was performing at Finsbury Park’s School Summer Festival.

The Bare Necessities - from Disney’s The Jungle Book, arr. Roland Kernen

Islington Wind Band and Islington Flutes are made up of music students that attend the after-school Music Centres. They rehearse on a weekly basis and explore a wide variety of musical styles whilst developing their ensemble skills, enthusiasm for music and friendships across schools’ boundaries. A recent highlight for both groups was performing at Finsbury Park’s School Summer Festival.

Song For My Father - Horace Silver (1928-2014)

Moanin’ - Bobby Timmons (1935-1974)

Little Sunflower - Freddie Hubbard (1938-2008)

In the Jazz, Funk, Fusion, Afrobeat, Experimental and Beyond course, young musicians are given all the tools they need to play in a professional band. They gain experience of playing in a band alongside top industry professionals and study a wide range of repertoire with an emphasis on improvisation, self-expression and team playing.