|
After four years of activity, we now have a steady flow
of up to 400 musicians a week coming through the doors
of Penwith Music Centre, to rehearse, record, train,
teach, compose, discuss, collaborate...and in order
for us to develop our potential for projects that will
support and stimulate community music, we have now formed
a company, Penwith Music Centre.
The Centre is currently consulting with all its users
and contacts to find out what our local community would
like to see happening here. Ideas proposed so far include:
-
weekend and holiday
music programmes for young people not currently
involved in music making
-
training programmes for
local musicians interested in becoming music leaders
-
a junk percussion band
for young people to develop as their own project
-
inter-generational music
making - young people and community elders sharing
musical memories
Annual General Meeting 2010
We
shall be holding our second Annual General Meeting for
2010 in the Library at Humphry Davy School, at 7.00pm.
The Board has spent a lot of time this year getting the
organisation ready, with new policies and procedures, to
run community music projects, apply for funding for
projects and events, and to continue making things
happen musically in Penwith. There are opportunities for
interested and experienced people to join us as Board
members, or simply to attend and discuss with us what
you think the organisation should be doing in the year
ahead. If you would like to attend, please contact
Amanda Pickering on 01736 785755, or at
apickering@humphry-davy.cornwall.sch.uk.
Penwith Music Centre
Penwith
Community Music - important update!
Over the
summer, a major development has taken place for the
organisation of Penwith Music Centre. The Centre was
originally the result of a collaboration between Penwith
District Council and Humphry Davy School, providing a
part time Music Development Worker and opening up
facilities at the School for community musicians to use.
After the District's funding ended, the School took on
the whole project as part of its Specialist Music School
function, and at the end of 2007, a company called
Penwith Music Centre was formed to progress the projects
and developments that were taking place. The Board of
the Centre is made up of school governors (two reps),
the School's Director of Music, the Music Development
Worker, and several local people active in the community
through music or related interests.
-
Chair:
Neil Walden, Governor, Humphry Davy
School and Community Music College
-
Secretary: Gareth Hart,
Consultant,
Perfect Moment
-
Treasurer: vacant
-
Andy Hazlehurst:
musician
and Golowan Festival
-
Simeon Royle: Director
of Music, Humphry Davy School and Community Music
College
-
Paul Marks Joffe:
composer, accompanist and music teacher
-
Katherine Uren: Chair of
Governors , Humphry Davy School and Community Music
College
-
Olivia Khadka: business
advisor,
Unlocking Cornish Potential
-
Amanda Pickering:
community musician and Music Development Worker,
Humphry Davy School and Community Music College
With the
School and the Penwith Music Centre continuing to
develop, it has now been agreed that the School will
continue to provide low cost music-making facilities.
while the Music Development Worker's remit will focus
primarily on developing links and projects with other
schools in Penwith. The independent organisation,
previously called Penwith Music Centre, will now become
Penwith Community Music, with the overall aim of
furthering musical education opportunities for the
people of Penwith.
PCM's initial
plans include a three-year programme of Band Lab courses
for local young musicians - and one for older musicians
who want to jump back on the wagon; developing a local
Musicians' Coop to be run for and by local musicians to
set up training, equipment bank and stage gigs locally;
and staging a Penzance celebration of song next March,
with all ages and genres involved in live singing events
all over town.
If you'd like to
get involved with Penwith Community Music, either
through working on any of these projects, or developing
your own with our support, please get in touch! Contact
Amanda Pickering,
Music Development Worker 07751 786315 or 01736 352151
or email at
apickering@humphry-davy.cornwall.sch.uk
If you've any ideas, ambitions, constructive criticisms - please get in touch at any time, by calling Amanda Pickering on 07751 786315, or by email at apickering@humphry-davy.cornwall.sch.uk.
When you visit the Centre, you'll meet a whole team
of staff - we've included their photos and biog's below
so you can find out a bit more about them!
|  Simeon
Royle
Director of Music and
Assistant
Head Teacher
Originally from Lancashire, Simeon studied singing
and conducting at York University before training
as a teacher at Goldsmiths College, London. He
has taught in Southwark, Surrey and Kent before
moving to Humphry Davy School in 2000. Since then
he has written the school’s successful bid
to become a Specialist Music College, one of only
15 in the country. His musical experiences are
wide, varied and certainly curious, ranging from
supporting Bob Geldof in Sheffield, to leading
bands to perform in the Albert Hall, the Millennium
Dome, and in front of Mick Jagger. |
|
|
Dave Richards
Music Teacher
Dave was formerly our Music Technician, and set
up the studio side of the Music Centre,
as well as acting as teaching assistant in the school
music lessons. Having trained as a secondary
school teacher over the past year, he rejoined us in
September as part-time Music teacher. Outside school, he is vocalist
and guitarist with the band Blackfish, recently
returned from the International Pan Celtic song
contest, as well as with the Penwith acoustic
band The Space Between. |
Dare Mason
Consultant to PMC
Dare Mason, of the VIP Lounge in Penzance, advises
the Centre on our recording studio facilities.
He has extensive experience in the music industry
and a strong interest in developing the same skills
in others. |
Amanda Pickering
Music Development Worker
Amanda works to link the Centre with the local
community, developing music networks, projects,
and facilities. She also runs her own community
music business, BoumBoum Drum Workshops.
teaching West African Malinke drumming in
schools and community groups. |
Anthony Cooper
Music Tech
Ant Cooper plays keyboards, saxophone and clarinet
and started his musical career as a musician in
the Army with the Paras and then in the Band of
the Welsh Guards. He studied at the Royal Military
School of Music and has played on many occasions
for the Royal Family all over the world. Ant has
also played and toured Europe with different rock
and blues bands and recorded several albums. He
currently plays with a local rock band called
Solution www.solutionmusic.com. |
James Oecken
Music Teacher
James joined the Music Department here in September '09,
having recently qualified as a Music Teacher. He
brings a special interest in jazz music to our mix
((Barnaby Ray Quartet keyboard player!)
and we're pleased to have him on the team at Humphry Davy
School.
Lisa Jenkin
Penwith Music Centre Administrator 2
Lisa Jenkin handles all queries and bookings
at the Centre, and works with us every weekday
afternoon from 1-5pm. Within the School, she also takes care
of all pupils' instrumental lesson bookings. Her
musical favourites include Simply Red, UB40 and
Queen. |
|
Contact
Here are a few quick contact details for the
staff at PMC.
Amanda Pickering
Music Development Worker
t. 01736 352151
m. 07751 786315
e. apickering@
humphry-davy.cornwall.sch.uk
For anything relating to projects, training, and development of music locally, please contact Amanda on either of the above numbers, or email.
Lisa Jenkin
Music Centre Administrator
For room bookings, please contact Lisa weekdays after 1pm or leave
a message and we'll get back to you.
t. 01736 352152
e. ljenkin@
humphry-davy.cornwall.sch.uk
|
If you're trying to get hold of anyone in particular
please contact us here.
|
