The Music Workshop Company Blog

Each month the Music Workshop Company publishes two blogs. One blog, written by the MWC team addresses a key issue in Music Education or gives information about a particular genre or period of music. The other blog is written by a guest writer, highlighting good practice or key events in Music Education. We hope you enjoy reading the blogs.

To contribute as a guest writer please email Maria@music-workshop.co.uk

NYJO Under 18s Living Values

Posted on 28th December 2023 at 15:22

Also known as the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, NYJO has grown over the years from a single jazz orchestra to an organisation with a range of activities focused on supporting and developing musicians. From programmes that focus on professional development for emerging artists, to its Learning programme for under 18s, NYJO works to make jazz and creative music-making accessible to everyone.

In this month’s guest blog, Beth Ismay, NYJO’s Learning Programmes Manager and Kenyah Johnson, NYJO Assistant, lift the lid on their work developing a set of ‘Living Values’ to underpin their under 18s programme – co-created with the young people themselves.

Dvořák Symphony No 9 New World

Posted on 16th December 2023 at 13:30

Dvořák's Symphony No 9 "From the New World" is one of his most famous works and it's slow movement "Largo" was inspiration for a song and a classic advert. As a Cor Anglais player, MWC's Artistic Director Maria Thomas has played the famous solo on many occasions and it remains one of her favourite works.

The title "From the New World" highlight's Dvořák's contribution to the development of American Classical Music.

The second movement of the Symphony is recommended listening for Year 3 upwards in the New Model Music Curriculum.

For ideas for activities linked to the work click here.

Image: By Unknown author - This file comes from Gallica Digital Library and is available under the digital ID btv1b8417521d, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=101281

Nicole Wilson on the joy of music courses

Posted on 30th November 2023 at 18:03

Photograph of Nicole Wilson holding a violin

This month Nicole Wilson, Artistic Director of Virtuoso International Music Academy, tells of the life-changing music courses she attended as a teen, and how she tries to recreate the experience for the next generation.

Nicole, who is also violin professor at the Royal Academy of Music, London, a freelance leader and Chair of European String Teachers Association (UK) reflects on the value of the arts for young people.

To learn more about the Virtuoso International Music Academy’s next course, visit https://www.virtuosointernationalmusicacademy.com/

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Fanny Mendelssohn Piano Trio Op. 11

Posted on 14th November 2023 at 09:24

Fanny Mendelssohn’s music is now reaching a wider public, having been overshadowed by her more famous brother, Felix Mendelssohn both during her lifetime and in subsequent years. Despite periods of her life where she was unable to compose, Mendelssohn established herself as a composer, conductor and performer in a largely male-dominated environment. Her life highlights some of the challenges female composers have faced throughout history.

We explore her Piano Trio in D minor, Opus 11, which is suggested in the Model Music Curriculum as a piece suitable for Year 5, and offer some activities to help you study the composition.

"Fanny-mendelssohn-9ba7472d-18ca-43cc-9f62-85362217db2-resize-750" by Wikiludiki is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/?ref=openverse.

Stuart Hancock: my musical journey as a composer

Posted on 30th October 2023 at 10:48

From hobbyist to professional: my musical journey as a composer

This month on the blog, composer Stuart Hancock tells us how he first began playing and composing music, and the light-bulb moment that led to his career. Stuart also gives us a sneak preview into what promises to be a special event this November: a series of family performances of the classic Oscar-winning film Peter and the Wolf, complete with live orchestra.

MWC is pleased to be able to offer our blog readers a discount on tickets for the 18th November Peter and the Wolf performance - see the end of the post for details.

Saint-Saëns Danse Macabre

Posted on 14th October 2023 at 14:30

This month, in preparation for Halloween – our blog explores the spooky Danse Macabre by Saint-Saëns.

The composition is familiar to listeners all over the world, thanks to its use on film and TV soundtracks, where it has frequently been employed to instil a sense of the uncanny.

With its inventive instrumentation, cleverly arranged to evoke a scene of the dancing dead, the work is suggested as a piece suitable for Year 3 and above in the Music Model Curriculum.

We suggest activities linked to the piece.