What Makes Me, Me?
WDCYO closes prestigeous education conference
The Youth Orchestra was invited by the Learning Partnership to close the Tapestry Conference "What Makes Me, Me?" in Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall on Tuesday 25th September 2007.
This was the first time that the orchestra had performed out with the council area and was an exciting day for all involved. The young musicians attended four rehearsals in Dalreoch Primary School to prepare for this event and performed "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" for an audience of nearly seven hundred delegates from all areas of education from across Scotland.
The young people gave an excellent performance and received many messages of congratulations.
Excellent performances were also given by young wind band musicians from Inverclyde and Clackmannan Councils.
We hope that this is the first in many invitations to perform both locally and nationally for the orchestra and for other Music Service ensembles in the months and years to come.
West Dunbartonshire Youth Orchestra
Auditions
Pupils should note that application forms to join the West Dunbartonshire Council Youth Orchestra are now available from all instrumental instructors, the Music Base and should be available in all secondary school music departments.
Completed audition forms should be returned by Wednesday 3rd October 2007 by post or fax to the Music Base.
Auditions in schools will take place from Monday 8th October. Pupils are asked to prepare one piece of music for the audition panel.
Please note that secondary school aged musicians who are resident in the West Dunbartonshire area but attend a school out with the council area are also eligible to apply to be members of the orchestra.
The orchestra will be rehearsing on Thursday evenings from October to March and will give two public performances in Clydebank Town Hall on Tuesday 11th December 2007 and Tuesday 18th March 2008.
ABRSM concert
Celebrating Success
Pupils from across the West Dunbartonshire area applied to sit external examinations run by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.
The ABRSM is made up of four colleges of music, The Royal Scottish Academy of Music, the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, the Royal Academy of Music, London, and the Royal College of Music, London.
The Music Service submitted entries for examination on a variety of brass, woodwind and stringed instruments at a range of grades from grade one to grade five.
Pupils were aged between ten and fifteen and had to prepare three pieces, scales and were also tested on their musicianship and listening skills.
The exams took place in Dalreoch Primary School over two days in June with pupils receiving their results in August. Pupils were accompanied by Instrumental Instructors and also Music Teachers from various secondary schools.
All pupils passed the exams with thirteen receiving between 100 and 119 marks (pass); thirteen receiving between 120 and 129 marks (pass with merit) and four pupils receiving between 130 to 150 marks (pass with distinction).
The Music Service presented a concert in Clydebank Town Hall on Thursday 6th September 2007 to showcase the musical ability of these talented young people to an audience of elected members,council officials, family and friends.
All of the young people received their framed certificates from elected members of the Council at this "Celebrating Success" concert.
