The ESO Working with Children

Primary School Cluster Group - Gifted and Talented Musician's Day - Monday 2nd July 2007

The objective of this day was to give children who are already showing promise as budding musicians the experience of playing with a full symphony orchestra and some understanding of how an orchestra works. A 'cluster ' is a group of schools making a common effort in projects which expand their pupil's experience in the community.

We were involved with a group from the west and north of Chelmsford in two sessions. The first part of the day was held at Ford End Primary School. Young musicians from all schools in the group met there and spent the day practising pieces of music. Some members of the Essex Symphony Orchestra went along to the school to help by playing alongside the children, taking sectional rehearsals and master-classes and talking about their instruments and the orchestra.

In the second part the children came to a full scale ESO rehearsal, with their parents, and sat alongside orchestra members playing the pieces they had practised. Anton Archer, a one time chairman of the ESO, stood in at the last moment for our conductor Justin Doyle (who had been delayed on his journey). Anton very skilfully used the opportunity to illustrate some key features of good orchestral playing; such as the need for good tuning, listening to the other important parts and allowing them to be clearly heard, and concentrating the mind when giving the final performance. In the second half of the evening rehearsal, some of the children were able to watch and listen while the orchestra rehearsed pieces of classical music under the baton of Justin Doyle. He showed them how he breaks the music down and helps the players produce a good performance, and he involved them in some critical assessment of the orchestra's performance .

This day was organised by Little Waltham Primary School, and their Headmistress gave a resume of the Cluster Group Scheme and thanked all the participants.

The picture shows Peter giving advice on procedure before the evening rehearsal (not conducting).

An Account of Experience at Briscoe's School Basildon on 27th November 2006

We bravely responded to a challenge from Sarah Cole at Briscoe's Primary School and Nursery in Pitsea, Basildon when she asked us to accompany the world premier of a video the school children had made under the project "Lie of the Land" This 3 year programme of bespoke creative activity has brought together parents, school staff and artists from the local community to help the children develop their creative skills. Steered (but not directed), by top professional artists, the children made all the decisions on the content of this video, including the choice of the Adagietto from Mahler's 5th Symphony as background music. The video expresses the sense of bewilderment and uncertainty they sometimes feel in the world today, showing them blindfold and searching for the truth. Up to the time of the first public showing, a recording of the Mahler had been used, but we took in the full power of a live 30+ string section and a harp, and, given that we gave this very emotive work our all, we hope we didn't prevent anyone hearing the children clearly.

Sarah says her favourite quote was from one of the children who looked shocked when we started playing and said "they're playing our music!!" At least one member of staff was reported to have been converted to the joy of listening to live classical music. In the strictest sense this is not a review, but we know from the response that we stood up well to comparison with a professionally made recording.

Quote Arising from a Children's Concert given on 21st May 2004

We played a programme of works especially chosen for an invited audience of 453 schoolchildren which included the well known 'Peter and the Wolf' by Prokofiev. At Little Waltham Primary School the children prepared for our concert by listening to a recording. After our concert a pupil of this school was overheard saying: "It was just like the real thing". We took this as a fine compliment.