Hello there. Just thought I would write a quick post to let you know how Peep is going. Peep is the show for 0-3 year-olds that I'm in at the Macrobert in Stirling. I'm performing in the show and I've also written the music. We opened on the 9th December and it runs until 24th.
So far it's been going really well and we've had lots of very happy audience members (babies, toddlers and adults!) The show is in the form of a performance installation so the children have the opportunity to explore the space as they come in. They also are allowed to wander about during the show so that they can interact with the performance in a way that they are comfortable with. This of course can be quite tricky as a performer - Lottie (the actor) and I have to be on our toes to alter the performance elements. Sometimes we have a fairly quiet audience who are happy to find a viewing space and take it all in from there, and sometimes we have children following us around as we perform. It's a really enjoyable piece to be a part of as it feels very fresh and hugely appropriate for such a young audience with short attention spans!
We have just had a really good review in The Stage - read it here.
http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/26599/peep
Monday 14 December 2009
Thursday 12 November 2009
Settling in, Belgium and beyond!
Hello there. I'm going to use this blog to document my artist residency with Imaginate. I started the position in September 2009 and will be working with them until March 2011. I'm a musician and composer with a huge interest in creating exciting work for children and young people. There are two stages to my residency: a research study, and the development of a new piece of music performance for children.
I have been spending the first few months of the residency doing some desk-based research. I'm interested in how children listen to live music. What happens in their imaginations as they listen and do they hear something different from adults. I've now refined my area of study to this:
How do children aged 8+ engage with experimental music styles that are often seen as too 'challenging' for a young audience.
In order to explore this I am going to be working in partnership with 3 Edinburgh primary schools. I will be visiting each school (occassionally accompanied by other professional musicians)over the course of 8 weeks in early 2010. The workshop sessions will be fun and experimental and I hope to get some great responses from the individual participants involved. I will be recording the sessions so that I can later analyse the results and I will also lead some creative response sessions (such as drawing and improvisations). Stay tuned for more information once the workshops get under way!
The second stage of the residency will be the development of a new piece of work for children. This is to be called Ditto and it will be an interactive performance for soprano, clarinet, trombone and percussion. I've lined up some really great performers, a designer, and some great venues. I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into the composition and development.
I've just been away with some of the Imaginate team and a group of Scottish artists on a study trip to Belgium. We spent some time in Ghent working with the excellent Kopergietery, then travelled to Brussels for the Bronks children's theatre festival. Wow what a trip! It was really inspiring to see so much great work (personal favourites were Unfold by Kopergietery, Berninna by Studio Orca and Mondays by Jan) and to learn how several different organisations function and create work.
Finaly, I'm going to be taking some leave from Imaginate at the end of November as I'm going off to work on a show for 0-3 years called Peep. I was involved in this show previously through the Starcatchers programme when it was on at North Edinburgh Arts Centre. It will now be on at Macrobert Arts Centre in Stirling as their Christmas show for young 'uns from 9th - 24th December. Book your tickets quick as I'm told it's selling well.
I have been spending the first few months of the residency doing some desk-based research. I'm interested in how children listen to live music. What happens in their imaginations as they listen and do they hear something different from adults. I've now refined my area of study to this:
How do children aged 8+ engage with experimental music styles that are often seen as too 'challenging' for a young audience.
In order to explore this I am going to be working in partnership with 3 Edinburgh primary schools. I will be visiting each school (occassionally accompanied by other professional musicians)over the course of 8 weeks in early 2010. The workshop sessions will be fun and experimental and I hope to get some great responses from the individual participants involved. I will be recording the sessions so that I can later analyse the results and I will also lead some creative response sessions (such as drawing and improvisations). Stay tuned for more information once the workshops get under way!
The second stage of the residency will be the development of a new piece of work for children. This is to be called Ditto and it will be an interactive performance for soprano, clarinet, trombone and percussion. I've lined up some really great performers, a designer, and some great venues. I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into the composition and development.
I've just been away with some of the Imaginate team and a group of Scottish artists on a study trip to Belgium. We spent some time in Ghent working with the excellent Kopergietery, then travelled to Brussels for the Bronks children's theatre festival. Wow what a trip! It was really inspiring to see so much great work (personal favourites were Unfold by Kopergietery, Berninna by Studio Orca and Mondays by Jan) and to learn how several different organisations function and create work.
Finaly, I'm going to be taking some leave from Imaginate at the end of November as I'm going off to work on a show for 0-3 years called Peep. I was involved in this show previously through the Starcatchers programme when it was on at North Edinburgh Arts Centre. It will now be on at Macrobert Arts Centre in Stirling as their Christmas show for young 'uns from 9th - 24th December. Book your tickets quick as I'm told it's selling well.
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