In a series of three 1.5 hour workshops, contemporary music ensemble Ret Frem (retfrem.com) will work with children aged 9-10 from St Peter’s RC Primary School in Woolwich, South East London to create a brand new piece of music.
Together with the children, they will take Louis Andriessen’s Workers Union piece apart and explore his approach to rhythm, repetition and controlled improvisation through group workshops, sound games, listening activities and playing. Having taken ideas from this work, they will then use their new-found compositional skills and work together to create a new piece of music. At the end of the three workshops sessions, the children will teach their new piece to members of Ret Frem ensemble before joining forces to perform it together at a concert in the London Ear Festival (7.30pm, Friday 23 March – The Warehouse, Theed St).
This will be a unique and exciting opportunity for the participants and one which we feel will not only enrich their experience of the world, but may well encourage some of them to pursue music as a hobby, and even as a career, later in life. We know that engagement with music improves the quality of peoples’ lives (including better mental wellbeing, academic performance and social skills) and London Ear is providing a platform for children from diverse backgrounds to be able to take part in such a beneficial experience.