MORE than 140,000 children are anticipated to take part in the Big Month of Music this March – the largest celebration of young people’s music-making across the entire West Midlands.
It is the first major project of West Midlands Music – a unique collective of all 14 of the region’s Music Services, including Coventry Music, Solihull Music Service and Warwickshire Music Hub, and the largest of its kind in the UK.
The project is designed to celebrate young people’s musical achievements and inspire and encourage them to continue their musical discoveries by signposting ongoing opportunities.
This ambitious month-long project will include 130 concerts, gigs and events ranging from large-scale, region-wide projects like the Big Sing at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall and Spotlight gigs showcasing rising young bands, to local TRY open days where families can try instruments and find out about local opportunities.
Local schoolchildren will be involved in the Big Play, filming One Minute of Music from their First Access music sessions which give all children the opportunity to learn an instrument in a classroom setting.
All the ‘minutes’ from across the West Midlands will then be profiled in a virtual celebration via social media, one after another, throughout the day on Friday March 27.
There will also be a wide range concerts and gigs covering an exceptional musical range from jazz ensembles to pops orchestras, choir and recorder festivals to orchestral weekends and rock and pop galas to give a flavour of the many ensembles and opportunities young people can get involved in.
On Monday March 16 young singers from local schools will form an 800-strong choir converging on the world-class Symphony Hall, Birmingham for the Big Sing. Mentored by Ex Cathedra, the Big Sing brings together youngsters from all 14 regions in a professional-standard concert to sing songs from communities across the world, taken from the British Council’s World Voice project.
Four regional Spotlight gigs will give young artists and bands the opportunity to come together to perform live in well-known music venues including The Coal Vaults, Coventry and Malvern Cube.
Families are being invited along to a FREE regional TRY and ‘come and play’ open events to take their musical learning further. They’ll be able to try an instrument, discover local ensembles and chat to Music Service staff to find out what opportunities are available locally.
Last year, the 14 Music Services in the West Midlands impacted 140,000 children every week, supported music making in 1,963 schools, loaned 79,789 musical instruments and created 776 events and performances across the West Midlands.
The work of West Midlands Music is supported by Music Education Hub funding distributed by Arts Council England. West Midlands Music is also grateful for the support of its major strategic partner Arts Connect.
For further details on Big Month of Music and full list of events across the region, visit www.westmidlandsmusic.org.uk.
BIG MONTH OF MUSIC: WHAT’S ON IN COVENTRY, SOLIHULL & WARWICKSHIRE
COVENTRY
Events organised by Coventry Music Service:
*SPOTLIGHT Rock and Pop, Tin Arts/The Coal Vaults, Coventry, Wednesday March 11 – Young bands and artists from Solihull, Birmingham and Coventry Music Services perform live, 7-9.30pm
*TRY / Have A Go, Saturday March 7 (time tbc), Coventry City Centre
*Primary Improvisation for Beginners – Tuesday March 10
*Charanga for SEND schools CPD, Friday March 13
*Mornings of Music (singing festival), Monday March 16 – Friday March 25 (daily)
*Mornings of Music Big Sing – Friday March 27
*Bands Concert – Sunday March 29
www.coventrymusichub.co.uk
Event details: www.coventrymusichub.co.uk/whatson
SOLIHULL
Events organised by Solihull Music Service include:
*Brass Blast – Thursday March 5
*Rock and Pop Event – Friday March 6
*SPOTLIGHT – Wednesday March 11, 7pm, Tin Arts/The Coal Vaults Coventry – young bands and artists from Solihull, Birmingham and Coventry Music Services perform live
*TRY / Solihull – Saturday March 21, 1-3pm, Lyndon Music Centre
*Termly Ensemble Concerts – Wednesday March 25
*Rock and Pop event – Thursday March 26 & Friday March 27
*Termly Ensemble Concerts – Friday March 27
www.solihullmusicservice.com
WARWICKSHIRE
Events organised by Warwickshire Music Hub include:
*Central Area Concert ‘Centre Stage’ – Monday March 2
*SPOTLIGHT, Wednesday March 18, 7pm, The Cube in Malvern – Young bands and artists from Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Wolverhampton Music Services perform live
*Northern Area Junior Choir Concert – Tuesday March 24
*Southern Area ‘rotary’ concert – Tuesday March 24
*Eastern Area primary schools’ choir festival – Wednesday March 25 & Thursday March 26
*Southern Area ‘rotary’ concert – Tuesday March 31
www.warwickshiremusichub.org
