Education and Outreach work
With all of the players in the Ardeton Ensemble also working as professional instrumental teachers, it was decided from the very start that the group would have a strong emphasis on music education.
With all four members working in both the private sector and with LEA Music Services, they have drawn upon their collective experience and training to develop a variety of presentations and workshops for schools. You can find out more about the latest two workshops below.
Fromebank Primary - 'Good choice of music. The children were very involved and attentive with the pupil listen/interaction time very successfully balanced. Thank you'
Stanbridge Primary - 'Teaching of the musical elements was good, eg pitch, pulse etc, these were linked into the music skilfully. The film theme also linked with the primary framework's literacy objectives'
'The Magical Musical Moods of the Movies'
Lights! Camera! Action! A real treat
for pupils, this 45-minute workshop will illustrate the musical trickery used by the
famous film composers to make us react to the mood of the movie.
All the KS2 music elements of pulse, pitch and rhythmic devices will be explored as pupils also learn about the members of the string family and the string quartet along with a bit of singing and performing along the way!
Pupils will learn about conducting, and how the pulse can change to reflect different moods. There'll be a song to sing all about the notes of the scale as we discover pitch as a melodic device. Pupils will learn the different and unusual sounds string instruments can make, and how accents can be used to make music exciting and energetic.
Finally, it's all brought together with a section of Shostakovich. This composer began his musical career playing piano for silent movies with a life of spies and espionage worthy of a Bond film. Pupils will be able to hear everything they have learnt making this music much easier to listen to!
'Around the World in 45 Minutes'
Welcome aboard flight 007 with String Quartet Airlines, as
this specially devised workshop for KS2 pupils introduces the instruments
of the string family and the string quartet in the fun setting of world
music.
Pupils will travel by air, sea and land on a round-the-world trip and asked to respond to the different music they find. Each country has its own activity, designed to fit the key elements of KS2 music: pulse, rhythm, pitch, sounds, describing an emotional response to music and even a little bit of singing and performing for good measure!
The workshop is all brought to a close with a little bit of Dvorak's 'American' Quartet - a piece the composer wrote about his own summer holiday. Pupils will be able to hear everything they have learnt making this music much easier to listen to!
If you are interested in finding out more about these or any other of the workshops available for schools, please contact the Ardeton Ensemble using this site.