Holy Trinity Church Hall, London NW3

1. Recollection by BBCM newcomer Melissa Willby
2. Report by Agnes Kory

1) A grand time was had by all at the BBCM workshop and end of term party held on Saturday, 28 June. BBCM pupils of all ages filled the afternoon with music, and there was also a hefty amount of audience participation and singing. This was a real workshop in which everyone was called on to contribute. No one got away without singing!

As it was my first experience of one of Agnes' seminars, I was struck by both the skill and variety of her pupils. The programme began with communal singing ("Bell Song" and "Frère Jacques") and then moved on to showcase individual talent. Salome Auberge played Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" on violin, Minerva Saner performed three piano pieces, Ryan Davis and Agnes herself contributed two pieces for cellos, Becky Galfalvi performed the "Hunter's Chorus" from Der Freischütz on violin and pianist Sui Ming Chu, from the adult class, played two selections from Bartók's "Rumanian Dances". Board work was used to show how Haydn structured a short three-part vocal piece, a four-part compositional exercise using a simple and short Japanese song followed, then the teenage class demonstrated another compositional method by singing "Quodlibet". The programme concluded with family contributions and a final chorus of "London's Burning" from everyone in the room.

The hard work and talent of the participants was clear to see, along with their love of the music. The afternoon was a wonderful way to showcase the year's work.

Melissa Willby
Mother of Christopher (BBCM kindergarden class)

2) Thanks to all those present, our 28 June 2003 workshop worked according to plans. Communal work was the essence all way through, we successfully demonstrated some aspects of our regular weekly class work (such as training in polyphony, analysis, compositional skills) and we gave a platform to several individual instrumental performances. I was (and remain) delighted with our demonstration of self-rounds. These young children, who so skilfully presented Frère Jacques in two - and three part rounds individually as well as in four part self-rounds in pairs, are well on the way to hear every part of an even complex musical score in their heads.

As at previous workshops, Ilan Lazarus (teenage class) and his father John generously provided accompaniment to individual performers when needed. And, as always, for me the highlight was again provided by family contributions: many thanks to brothers Hugo and Oscar (who should continue playing together); grateful thanks (in alphabetical order) to the Lazarus, Leyow, Saner and Yap families for their much appreciated contributions at this workshop (and at previous BBCM workshops). I also wish to thank and congratulate our 3-4 years old kindergarden class pupils who sat through (and often participated in) our programme.

Many thanks to all of you who generously contributed to our communal feast and extra special thanks for helping to clear and clean the church hall with speed and efficiency: our communal music making and communal feast was extended to truly communal cleaning when 8 years old Akira and 9 years old Ryan contributed some very diligent and truly effective cleaning work alongside mother Catherine and father Jason respectively. As at all previous BBCM workshops and events, parents Suzie and Alan Gold helped greatly in a variety of ways: thank you, greatly appreciated.

Below see the full programme of our workshop, introduced by numeral statistics.

Summer Term 2003, number of BBCM students (of all ages): 40
Number of BBCM participants at workshop: 28
Number of family members at workshop: 30
Full number of participants at workshop: 58 + Agnes = 59

(Workshop, not a rehearsed concert, all participate)

Tuning: major scale - Swan Song

Tuning: major triad - Bell Song: communally; 4 years old Hollie Gold plucks Ding Dong, i.e. notes D and A on cello continually, and at the same time she sings song; 8 years old Paul and 5 years old Stephanie Christensen: Paul on cello (plucks Ding Dong) while Paul and Stephanie sing in two-part round

Frère Jacques: communally; self-round in group (8-12 years old children sing and at the same time play second part of round on their respective instruments); 3 pairs of children (8-12 years olds) in three renderings of the four part round: Becky Galfalvi and Mira Lazarus, Ryan Davis and Sophia Dignam, Clotilde Yap and Minerva Saner sing one part each and play another part each on their respective instruments; Mira Lazarus presents a three part round on the piano (she sings one part, plays second and third parts)

Beethoven: Ode to Joy - Salome Auberge (age 9) plays melody on the violin, audience hums melody, teenage class sings Beethoven's harmony

Minerva Saner (age 9) performs 3 piano pieces: Witthauer (1751-1802): Allegretto, Gurlitt (1820-1901): Cradle, Golle: Reigen (Round dance)

Ryan Davis (age 9) and Agnes play two pieces for cellos (vocal harmony is provided by teenage class members Ilan Lazarus and Sam Ellison)

Becky Galfalvi (age 12) plays on the violin the Hunter's Chorus melody from Weber's opera Der Freischütz, the original D major piece is arranged in G major in Becky's violin book; Ilan Lazarus (teenage class) and father John Lazarus provide piano accompaniment by transposing from the original Weber score

Sophia Dignam (age 12, youngest member of BBCM teenage class) plays two movements from Telemann's viola da gamba concerto on her viola, Ilan Lazarus plays continuo cello, father John Lazarus plays orchestral parts on piano

Becky Galfalvi and Mira Lazarus sing a two-part piece from Kodály's Bicinia Hungarica twice: they swap parts (melody and accompaniment) second time

Pianist Sui Ming Chu (BBCM adult class) plays two pieces from Bartók's Rumanian Dances

Teenage class (Ilan Lazarus, Sam Ellison, Daniel Weegmann, Matthew Gold and Sophia Dignam) sing Bartók's chorus Ne Menj El (Don't leave me) first in sol-fa, then in Hungarian

A simple and short Japanese song is used for contemporary music exercise by singing it in a four part round, the parts entering after one beat each: the music is notated with stick notation (rhythm and sol-fa symbols) - for all to see - on a board

Haydn's short three part choral piece (Harmony is divine) is shown (on the board with stick notation) to comprise of 6 bar melodies in the first half of the piece, then each part reversing in the second half of the piece. The 5th year class (six 8-10 years old children) sing the three-part piece, then everybody sings (with instrumentalists also providing additional timbre on their violins, viola, cello and piano)

The teenage class demonstrates another compositional method by singing Quodlibet, three matching German folk songs sung together

Family contributions:

BBCM students Hugo (age 10) and Oscar (age 8) Blouin-Cooke play a violin /cello duet by Haydn: this is the first time that the brothers play their instruments together

BBCM student Akira Leyow (age 8) and mother Catherine sing two Jamaican songs (and invite the audience to join in at specified moments):
1) Chi Chi Bud O (a song in Jamaican Patois about a Flock of Birds)
2) Counting Song

BBCM students Minerva (9) and Otto (7) Saner with mother Emily and father Cengiz sing a song (Home) by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies

BBCM students Clotilde (8), Thibaut (6) Yap, mother Marielle, father Cornelius (and 22 months old brother Dimitri) perform Je lourai l'Éternel (I'll praise eternal God)

BBCM students Mira (11) and Ilan (16) Lazarus, Oxford University student brother Micha, mother Shelley and father John perform a guitar piece by 18 century Spanish composer Sor but as a five-part vocal ensemble with sol-fa

Finale: London's Burning in four part round with all present

BBCM kindergarden students (age 3-4) sitting through (and participating as appropriate) in the one and a half hour long workshop: Christopher Willby, Joshua Leonce, Justin Stollery, Hollie Gold, Natalia Elliot and Becky Dillon

Grand Finale: delicious food prepared by workshop participants