Monday was a full day at the selected special schools for Drake Music Scotland. There was a good deal of high spirited hilarity as they are preparing for two full performances of Planitarium & The Red Planet Suite at the Queen’s Hall here in Edinburgh. This is a seven movement work the young people have been involved in creating and performing. It is inspired by BBC Ten Pieces for schools.
I was there to observe the music teacher’s and associate musicians working with the young people. However I was required to help out at both schools by standing in for missing participants. This helped me experience and understand the music they were playing first hand.
There was a marked difference in the rooms used, as one was large and open with lots of space to move around. The other was somewhat cramped. Also as their composition was Fortissimo this meant that the music was too loud for comfort in this small space. I am sure it will be better appreciated in the Queen’s Hall.
Learning about this large-scale project I can understand that the logistics involved will be extremely complex. It makes me realise my own project is a lot more manageable. Of course there is a strong team of people from Drake and the six schools responsible for this. Delegation must have been a key management tool. This knowledge has helped me reflect on my own planning, management and what support I have for my project. It has made me value the support of my Supervisor and PAs all the more.
Friday was a full day at Drake HQ. This time I had the opportunity to support an associate musician and some of their clients by playing keyboard both in groups and individual sessions. I was able to ask questions and explore Figure Notes of which more in a future post. I really enjoyed this day and it affirmed my goal of becoming a community musician. An added bonus was meeting up with an old friend from Edinburgh College who is a volunteer.