Brancaster Festival Concert and Workshop
The "Clasic Buskers' programme consists of virtuosic arrangements of a surprisingly large number of classical masterpieces, played at unlikely speeds on unusual instruments, all accompanied by a small but perfectly formed piano accordian, and delivered with dry British humour - so we didn't quite know what to expect. The duo consisted of virtuoso and world renowned flautist Michael Compley, accompanied by Ian Moore on Piano Accordian.
The concert lasted an hour, which flew by as the duo performed music from all eras on all kinds of different instruments - from conventional ones like recorders, flute and piccolo, to the more obscure like ocarinas (in all shapes: "duck-arinas", "bear-arinas" and "clog-arinas"!) pan pipes and bizarre electronic wind instruments from Japan! Year 7 and some students from Docking, Brancaster, Redgate & Heacham Junior schools enjoyed the concert, and I was most impressed with the student participation parts!
The afternoon saw a workshop for GCSE Music students, where we were introduced on a more "up close" and "hands-on" level to the instruments involved in the morning concert and involved some students being brave and trying them out! We also learned more about life as a professional musician, considerations that need to be made when performing to audiences and how to arrange music for different ensembles.
Thank you must go to "The Classic Buskers" themselves and to Brancaster Music Festival and its organisers for providing such an entertaining act to our school - a thoroughly entertaining and informative time was enjoyed by all.
Mrs Nicholls
Head of Music.
