Guitar teacher Ed spreads musical love

Guitarist Ed Taylor is banging the drum in schools around the borough as part of our bid to encourage more children to discover and develop an interest in instrumental music and singing.

Ed has more than 40 years of teaching and performance experience, and is travelling around West Norfolk schools for us as a recruiting officer to spread the word and hopefully encourage them to sign up.

“The psychology of how I work is that I offer schools a mini guitar concert, go in and play all kinds of stuff, and then once they’re interested I give a talk explaining the benefits of the centre and what it can offer, and sometimes I get as many as up to 30 from each year who seem to be interested,” he said.

“I teach the guitar at Downham Market Academy one day a week, and I’ve managed to get in there and do presentations to years 7 and 8 and there’s been a big take up from that.

“I’ve also got it confirmed that I’ll be going to Shouldham Academy and the Nelson Academy in Downham Market, and there’s a lot more schools that I’ve approached and hope to go to soon.”

We launched a major promotional drive to tie in with the new academic year to get youngsters in West Norfolk schools to come along and give instrumental music and singing a try.

No previous experience, exams or audition is necessary for entry, just a love of music and a willingness to learn.

We offer lessons in piano and keyboard, guitar and ukulele, brass, strings and woodwind, singing, music theory, drums and percussion, and numerous groups to join, as well as being the home of the West Norfolk Youth Choir, and a registered charity.

Ed said the quality and variety of teaching on offer made it a great place for youngsters to develop a passion for music and to hone their skills in all kinds of ways.

“The centre offers a huge variety of different types of groups, as well as individual lessons in every instrument you can think of, and it also has choirs,” he said.

“When I go into the schools to tell them about it, I point out the benefits of going along and getting involved with groups, rather than just sitting on your own at home playing, or only playing with a teacher – music can be so much more than that, and the centre offers it in so many ways.”

“It’s a wonderful place to go and learn because it has a fantastic base of really experienced good quality teachers, who have enormous enthusiasm for what they are doing, and also the facilities are excellent,” he said.

“It offers so many opportunities, and you’re working with people who really know what they’re doing.”

Campaign expanded to encourage adults to return or get into music

People who used to play musical instruments or who have always wanted to learn are being encouraged to come forward and join West Norfolk Music Centre.

For more than 40 years, we have been working with schools and young people, promoting the teaching and learning of music, in a bid to inspire a lifelong passion.

The Centre, which is a registered charity, recently launched a drive aimed at school-age children which has generated strong initial interest. Now we are also hoping to add older music lovers, whatever their level of experience or expertise, to their ranks as part of their campaign.

One person who can vouch for the Centre’s life changing possibilities is its chair, Derek Stringer, who has been involved with it for 25 years, with all his children – and his wife – having learnt music there.

“An important part of our work is about providing the opportunity to play in bands and ensembles which many schools are unable to do,” he explained. “We want to encourage people of all ages to discover or rediscover the pleasure of playing a musical instrument. 

“There are any number of people in West Norfolk who used to play an instrument at school but who have since stuffed the instrument in the loft and almost forgotten it exists but who, with a bit of encouragement, would appreciate the opportunity to get back into playing again.”
He added: “Learning music is known to have wider positive effects in terms of learning, and it’s great that our campaign has had a strong initial response, that now we want to open up even further.”

We offer lessons in strings, brass, woodwind, piano and keyboard, guitar and ukulele, singing, drums and percussion and theory of music.

Derek continued: “We’d love to welcome more adults through our doors, be it someone who played an instrument years ago at school, and has let it fall by the wayside, or someone who always wanted to have a go but never knew how to start – our doors are open, please come in.

“There are no auditions, just come along and have a go. Having adults playing alongside children in a band or ensemble is such fun for all and also spurs the children on.

“Music is an activity that we can all enjoy at any age, and it is also one that we can embrace and start at any age,” added Mr Stringer. “It is one of the most unifying things known to humanity – everywhere, we are all capable of making music, and we all love music, of so many different kinds, so our mission is to bring music, in all its forms to our community anything that helps spread the word and the love of music to people of all ages, can only be a good thing.”

Campaign launched to encourage youngsters into music

West Norfolk Music Centre has launched a campaign to encourage more children in West Norfolk to discover and develop an interest in instrumental music and singing.

The teaching of music has been recognised as being hugely beneficial to wider education, and it is with this in mind that we have launched a new drive for younger members attending both primary and secondary schools.

Aspiring musicians are not required to have taken any exams, or to go through any audition process, all that is needed is enthusiasm, a willingness to learn, and a love of music.

Lessons on offer include piano and keyboard, woodwind, brass, strings, guitar and ukulele, singing, theory of music, drums and percussion, and the centre is also the base of the West Norfolk Youth Choir.

We are a registered charity which has been facilitating Saturday morning musical education in King’s Lynn for more than four decades, and we’re supported by the Norfolk Music Hub.  

We offer instrument hire, music lessons and chances to join groups and choirs, and many of our staff and trustees have connections with the centre going back for decades, with several of them having initially become involved through their own children’s music lessons, and having remained connected long after they left.  

One such person is our chair, Derek Stringer, whose wife and three children all learned to play instruments at the centre, and who has been involved with it for 25 years.  

“What I like most about the centre is that it gives people of all ages and abilities a chance to get involved and discover the joy of playing together with others,” he said. “Anyone who cares about music is more than welcome to come along and see where they fit in.

“Seeing people make the journey from being confronted with a new piece of music at the start of the term, to being able to perform it at the end of term concert, is a joyous experience for us all, and that’s the beautiful thing about music, and particularly why it can be so good for children.”

In the new school year, we aim to get out into as many West Norfolk schools as possible, to take the message directly to youngsters, and as a follow-up to this, we will be holding an open day in October, with details to be confirmed soon.

“Music is all around us, and can be a lifelong companion for happiness, learning and socialising,” he said. “It’s a privilege to be part of an organisation that can introduce this to people’s lives, so please, come and join us.”

Vacancy: Choir Leader / Singing Teacher

West Norfolk Music Centre has a vacancy for a music educator to lead our choirs, with the possibility of offering individual singing or instrumental tuition.

We operate a Saturday music centre during school term, and our ensembles include two small choirs: a youth choir and a community choir (our ‘senior choir’). The youth choir attracts singers aged around 7-14, and the community choir members are mostly adults and teenagers. The choirs perform at our own concerts (which are at the end of each term) and occasionally elsewhere.

The successful candidate will:

  • Be an accomplished musician with a broad range of musical knowledge and skills including singing and choral skills.
  • Be a confident and engaging conductor and group leader.
  • Be able to commit to regular attendance 30 Saturday mornings a year, and at our concerts on the last Saturday afternoon of term.

The role will involve:

  • Choosing suitable repertoire for the choirs
  • Preparing the choirs through rehearsals for performances of a high standard
  • Developing members’ singing and choral skills and maintaining high standards in all aspects of choir participation

We are also likely to offer the successful candidate the chance to provide individual singing lessons (and, subject to the candidate’s skills and member demand, instrumental tuition) to Music Centre members.

We will require a satisfactory DBS check, and we will also require you to register with the DBS update service (for which we will cover the fee if you are not already registered).

This role is self-employed and will be paid at an hourly rate dependent on qualifications/experience (£25 with a degree-level qualification in music and/or as a qualified teacher).

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact our chair Derek Stringer at info@wnmc.org.uk or on 07752 181 781.

To apply, please send your CV, along with an email telling us what you would bring to this role, to info@wnmc.org.uk by Thursday 18 August. Our first rehearsal after the summer break will be on Saturday 17 September and we are planning to run an open day on 29 October in addition to our usual term dates.

Vacancy: Conductor(s) for Orchestra/Band

West Norfolk Music Centre is seeking to appoint conductors, with experience in music education, for our community orchestra and beginner band.

We operate a Saturday music centre during school term, and our ensembles include a community orchestra and community concert band, with both groups attracting players of all ages (children and adults) at a playing level around grade 4 upwards. We also run a beginner wind band for players around grade 1-3 level. The groups perform at our own concert at the end of each term, and occasionally elsewhere. 

The successful candidate will:

  • Be an accomplished musician with a broad range of musical knowledge and skills.
  • Be a confident and engaging conductor.
  • Be able to commit to regular attendance 30 Saturday mornings a year, and at our concerts on the last Saturday afternoon of term.

The role will involve:

  • Choosing suitable repertoire for the orchestra, including from our own library
  • Preparing the orchestra through rehearsals for performances of a high standard
  • Developing members’ orchestral playing skills and maintaining high standards in all aspects of orchestral participation

We may also offer the successful candidate the opportunity to offer individual instrumental lessons to members, to lead other Music Centre ensembles to cover short-term absence, and to develop other educational activities.

We will require a satisfactory DBS check, and we will also require you to register with the DBS update service (for which we will cover the fee if you are not already registered).

This role is self-employed and will be paid at an hourly rate dependent on qualifications/experience (£25 with a degree-level qualification in music and/or as a qualified teacher).

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact our chair Derek Stringer at info@wnmc.org.uk or on 07752 181 781.

To apply, please send your CV, along with an email telling us what you would bring to this role, to info@wnmc.org.uk by Monday 15 August. Our first rehearsal after the summer break will be on Saturday 17 September and we are planning to run an open day on 29 October in addition to our usual term dates.

Make More Music

For children and young people just starting to learn an instrument, come and join our new starter band and singing group, and make more music! Playing in a group is a great way to develop your playing skills, as well as learning how to play together and to read music. Singing will help you learn pitch, rhythm and the other elements of music.

On Saturdays from April 2022, the starter band (10.30am to 11.10am) and singing group (11.20am to midday) will be open to new members. There are no auditions, and you certainly don’t need to be an expert — even if you have only learnt one or two notes on your instrument, we’ll make sure that you can take part.

We don’t have a strict age limit for the group; we expect most members will be in School Years 5 to 8. As members develop as musicians, they will be able to move on to our intermediate and community groups at no extra charge. Membership is £20 a term (equivalent to £2 a week) for primary-age children, and £30 a term (equivalent to £3 a week) for children at secondary school.

See our flyer and poster below:

dl-flyer-webDownload

King’s Lynn Music Society: Oboe and piano recital

Kings Lynn Music Society is hosting an oboe and piano recital by Katherine Bryer and Irena Radic on Wednesday 16th March at 7.30pm at King’s Lynn Town Hall.  

London-based oboist Katherine Bryer is a graduate of Royal Academy of Music and performs regularly with pianist Irena Radic .

Free to under 18s and students.  Other visitors a £10 donation is suggested at the door. Coffee available from 7pm. 

See www.klmusicsoc.org.uk for more details. This event is supported by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust.

Vacancy: Music Educators

West Norfolk Music Centre is seeking to appoint 2 music educators.

We operate a Saturday music centre during school term, and we are extending our provision for children. We would like to appoint two individuals to work together to deliver the following activities each week, for children in the age range 9 to 12 (school years 5 to 7): 

  • Mixed ensemble. To lead a group for children playing at pre-grade 1 level, with flexible instrumentation and, where appropriate, multi-ability arrangements. 
  • Singing group / choir. To lead our children’s choir, developing aural, reading, ensemble and performance skills through singing.

The successful candidates will:

  • Be accomplished musicians with a broad range of musical knowledge and skills.
  • Be engaging and confident educators, ideally with experience of working with children in the target age range.
  • Be able to commit to regular attendance 30 Saturday mornings a year.
  • Be willing to work as part of a team.

The following skills would be an advantage:

  • Knowledge of choral singing technique.
  • Basic knowledge of a wide range of orchestral instruments, their technique, capabilities and limitations.
  • Experience of conducting/leading ensembles or choirs.
  • Piano playing, sufficient to accompany the choir as required.

We may also offer successful candidates the opportunity to offer individual instrumental lessons to members, to lead other Music Centre ensembles to cover short-term absence, and to develop other educational activities.

We will require a satisfactory DBS check, and we will also require you to register with the DBS update service (for which we will cover the fee if you are not already registered).

These roles are self-employed and will be paid at an hourly rate dependent on qualifications/experience (£25 with a degree-level qualification in music and/or as a qualified teacher).

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact our chair Derek Stringer at info@wnmc.org.uk or on 07752 181 781.

To apply, please send your CV, along with an email telling us what you would bring to this role, to info@wnmc.org.uk by Wednesday 24 November. We are aiming to start the ensemble and singing group after February half-term.