Studio to Stage: School Orchestra Resonate at the Queen's Hall

A wonderful opportunity for our children to participate in this showcase event, in a prestigious venue, celebrating young people's talents in music, drama and dance with schools from across the city. Our pupils were expertly prepared for the Resonate: Studio to Stage concert at the Queen's Hall on Monday 30th March by Mrs Campbell and they all made us truly proud, rising admirably to the occasion by performing one of the BBC Ten Pieces: Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King." Pupils also performed "Greensleeves" and thoroughly deserved their rousing applause.

Many thanks to Lucy Vaughan (Principal Officer Creative Learning) and Carla Hay (Youth Music Initiative Projects Assistant) for inviting us to take part and to the huge behind-the-scenes team who provided such high quality sound and lighting, making everything run so smoothly. Thank you to Mrs Samanda Campbell who led and conducted the orchestra superbly, accompanied by Mrs Ruth McVicker on piano. Thanks also to Mrs Katherine Peace for escorting and playing alongside the pupils and to all the families who came along to support and celebrate the children's hard work and achievement. A lovely way to end the term and we look forward to hearing the Orchestra and other musical ensembles perform on May 13th at a showcase organised by the Parent Council.

Orchestra members with Lucy Vaughan, CEC Principal Officer Creative Learning

Sean in one of our plush red Reserved seats

Lucy Vaughan introduced proceedings and has been a great supporter of our BBC Ten Pieces projects

School Orchestra at Queen's Hall

Resonate: Studio to Stage at the Queen’s Hall

Monday 30th March 5.45pm for 6.30pm-9.00pm 

The Sciennes School Orchestra, conducted by Mrs Samanda Campbell, has been invited to perform at the Queen’s Hall on Monday 30th March. Resonate: Studio to Stage is an annual, highly regarded, event celebrating Expressive Arts in our city schools. Children will be seated in the audience until it is their turn to perform at approximately 8.00pm, but N.B. they do not require a ticket.

Pupils require to wear full school uniform: white shirt and tie, dark trousers and dark shoes and should make their way to the Green Room in the Queen's Hall at 5.45pm (or by 6pm at the very latest) to collect their instruments then sit in the red seats, as shown at the rehearsal this afternoon.

Tickets for the event can be purchased at £4.00 each (£2.00 concessions) from the Queen’s Hall Box Office:

The Queen’s Hall Tickets & Information: 0131 668 2019 |
If you buy tickets in person or over the telephone, credit/debit card fees can vary. http://www.thequeenshall.net/whats-on/shows/resonate-2015-from-studio-to-stage 

Sciennes School Orchestra at Queen's Hall

Resonate: Studio to Stage at the Queen’s Hall

Monday 30th March 5.45pm for 6.30pm-9.00pm 

The Sciennes School Orchestra, conducted by Mrs Samanda Campbell, has been invited to perform at the Queen’s Hall on Monday 30th March. Resonate: Studio to Stage is an annual, highly regarded, event celebrating Expressive Arts in our city schools. Children will be seated in the audience until it is their turn to perform at approximately 8.00pm.

Pupils require to wear full school uniform: white shirt and tie, dark trousers and dark shoes and should meet Mrs Campbell and Ms Gallagher at the rear entrance of the Queen's Hall at 5.45pm (or by 6pm at the very latest). The children will attend a rehearsal from 2pm until 2.30pm on Monday, and we expect to return to school by the end of the day but please be aware that there may be delays in rehearsing the programme.

Tickets for the event can be purchased at £4.00 each (£2.00 concessions) from the Queen’s Hall Box Office:

The Queen’s Hall Tickets & Information: 0131 668 2019 |
If you buy tickets in person or over the telephone, credit/debit card fees can vary. http://www.thequeenshall.net/whats-on/shows/resonate-2015-from-studio-to-stage

SCIENNES ORCHESTRA AT THE QUEEN'S HALL

Resonate: Studio to Stage at the Queen’s Hall

Monday 30th March 5.45pm for 6.30pm-9.00pm 

The Sciennes School Orchestra, conducted by Mrs Samanda Campbell, has been invited to perform at the Queen’s Hall on Monday 30th March. Resonate: Studio to Stage is an annual, highly regarded, event celebrating Expressive Arts in our city schools. Children will be seated in the audience until it is their turn to perform at approximately 8.00pm.


Pupils require to wear full school uniform: white shirt and tie, dark trousers and dark shoes and should meet Mrs Campbell and Ms Gallagher at the rear entrance at 5.45pm (or by 6pm at the very latest). The children will attend a rehearsal from 2pm until 2.30pm on Monday, and we expect to return to school by the end of the day but please be aware that there may be delays in rehearsing the programme.


Tickets for the event can be purchased at £4.00 each (£2.00 concessions) from the Queen’s Hall Box Office:


The Queen’s Hall Tickets & Information: 0131 668 2019 |
If you buy tickets in person or over the telephone, credit/debit card fees can vary. http://www.thequeenshall.net/whats-on/shows/resonate-2015-from-studio-to-stage

End of Term Christmas Assembly

Mrs Noble led the P4-P7 Christmas Assembly on Wednesday 17th December at St Catherine's of Argyll. Ms Anstruther led the P1-3 Christmas Assembly earlier in the morning. Mrs Campbell led the School Orchestra while Mrs McVicker accompanied on piano and we were treated to some lovely singing from the Vocal Acapella group. Mrs McVicker was thanked for her tremendous contribution to the School Choir and we gave Mrs Johnston our fond farewells. The Woodwind ensemble, led by Mr Ironside, played to welcome pupils, staff and parents to the Assembly and the House Captains confidently provided readings.

Mrs Noble leads the Christmas Assembly

Woodwind Ensemble

Vocal Acapella

School Orchestra

 

Mrs Noble told the story of a WW1 truce to play a game of football at Christmas

Fondest wishes and lots of love to Mrs Johnston as she takes up her new post at JGPS  in January

A message of peace and best wishes for a Happy Christmas holiday to all our families.

Thank You EUMS!

What a fabulous musical presentation on Wednesday 12th November by Edinburgh University Music Society in the Reid Concert Hall! Grateful thanks to Ben Crabbe and Amanda MacLeod, President of EUMS, and all the talented musicians for such a lively, informative and inspiring presentation. Our children from P4A, P5A, P5B, P5C, P6A, P6C and P7B learned about all the different instruments of the orchestra as each musician gave demonstrations from each section of the orchestra - strings, brass, woodwind and percussion - then played pieces highlighting each section. We even had some interactive body percussion and Singing sessions, where everyone joined in with the Orchestra and Choir, and an opportunity for Rui to take a starring role conducting! Beautiful improvised Jazz singing and piano playing and powerful singing from the Choir. From Mozart to Calvin Harris and ending with Skyfall it was a joy to be a part of and our children absolutely loved it! What fantastic role models, who undoubtedly have encouraged our own musicians and inspired more to get involved in music making. Thank you for making us so welcome and for graciously getting involved with some clips for our BBC Music's "God Only Knows" tribute. A delight!
More photographs and video on our Music blog.

BBC Ten Pieces : Nicola Benedetti

Ten Pieces Ambassador, Nicola Benedetti

Watch Nicola Benedetti's lessons with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra on the BBC Ten Pieces website or view here:

http://sciennesmusic.blogspot.co.uk/

Orchestra at Reid Hall

Sarah Deters

Jenny

Many thanks to Sarah Deters and Jenny at the Edinburgh Museum of Musical Instruments who gave Sciennes School Orchestra a fascinating historical tour of instruments through the ages on Monday 10th November in the Reid Concert Hall. Sarah and Jenny explained how instruments and their use in orchestras have developed over time. Thank you to Mrs Samanda Campbell, who leads the School Orchestra, for providing the children with this lovely opportunity to value their commitment, and to Mrs Katherine Peace and all the parents and grandparents who escorted. More photographs on our new Music blog. Orchestra members will be able to view a slideshow of the instruments they learned about on the trip when they next meet on Monday 17th November, before rehearsal and immediately after morning break in the Hall.

Change of Venue for Orchestra! Reid Hall

The Orchestra will now meet Sarah Deters in the Reid Concert Hall, Bristo Square, on Monday 10th November and will view pieces from the Museum's collection of stringed and wind instruments. Some Primary Seven pupils have been asked to bring their instruments, if they can, for filming.

Reid Concert Hall

A state-of-the-art teaching facility when it was built by Professor John Donaldson back in 1859 with Reid Bequest funds, the Reid Concert Hall's auditorium (the ‘Music Classroom’) is still in use for public classical concerts and as a lecture theatre. The organ is considered one of the finest of its kind in Britain.

The Reid Museum, the earliest surviving purpose-built musical museum in the world, comprises of an extensive collection of antique wing, bowed, stringed and percussion instruments.

Route will be via George Square

New Sciennes Music Blog

Check out our new 'Music at Sciennes' blog http://sciennesmusic.blogspot.co.uk/

CBBC Friday Upload!

It's not every day that we get an invitation from CBBC's Friday Download team to have a go at creating our tribute to a music video and uploading our film clips to the show! Primary Seven pupils began planning their response today to this fantastic creativity challenge and it was wonderful to hear so many great ideas and see such motivation, co-operation and team work. We begin filming tomorrow! There is a chance that some of our clips might be used in the TV programme and even if they do not get selected, Primary Seven are having great fun, and learning loads about using their iPads.

We will try to recreate sections from the Children in Need video "God Only Knows", produced by BBC Music, and will film members of the Sciennes Orchestra on Monday. Parental permission requests specific to this event, for those pupils who have not completed the Media section of our EE2s, will be sent out on Friday.

Grateful thanks to Researcher Jenny Garton for this lovely opportunity for the children. 

School Orchestra at St Cecilia's Hall

Mrs Campbell will accompany the School Orchestra to St Cecilia's Hall on Monday 10th November. Pupils will have a chance to view the Musical Instrument Museum's fantastic collection, dating back to the 16th Century.

Edinburgh University Collection of Historic Musical Instruments ranks among the world's most important collections of musical heritage. All the main types or musical sound-making device are represented, and are presented to the public in two museums. The c. 5000 objects in the permanent collection constitute a rich research resource of both breadth and depth, and include many historically typical models of musical instrument spanning over 500 years together with prized rare and unique items. 

Many thanks to Sarah Deters for this wonderful opportunity. Sarah is also providing free music workshops in school for Primary Four and and Primary Five. The Primary Five workshops on 'Old Edinburgh Music' will feature some of the collection's historical instruments, dating back to the time period the classes are studying.

Further information can be found at Musical Instruments at Your Fingertips:
http://www.miayf.org/