Rocking Recorders!

Almost 100 children from Portsmouth schools came together for a Recorder Festival held at Northern Parade Infant School. The primary-aged children rehearsed all morning and at the end of the morning they performed a concert for parents, with pieces including 'Samba', 'Caribbean Carnival' and the children's favourite 'Let's Rock'.

The children performed as a massed recorder ensemble with different parts played by the more advanced players. They also had the opportunity to hear six different sized recorders played, from the tiny garklein flautlein to the large bass recorder.

Sue Beckett, CEO of Portsmouth Music Hub said: "Festivals like this enable children to experience playing in a large instrumental group and is the foundation for them joining a band orchestra later on in their musical journey. The children's enthusiasm was infectious and the audience were very pleasantly surprised at the quality of sound and the standard of playing in the concert."

At the end of the Recorder Festival Matthew Roons, aged 8, said: "Today has been exciting and fun, and I loved seeing all the different sizes of recorder. The best song was 'Recorder Rock' - it was very cool and I loved it!"

WORLD PREMIERE PERFORMANCE FOR YOUNG SINGERS

The New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth came to life with a stage full of excited young singers telling the story of Bombay the cat's adventures in Portsmouth in a brand new musical for the city.

On Friday 30 June, in front of proud parents, the public and the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, over 200 children aged between 6 and 8 sang their hearts out in a world premiere performance.

In keeping with the show's story, all the children came dressed as cats - from house cats to tigers and even a pink panther and the Cheshire cat, the singers performed in a feline frenzy of songs and music.

Bombay's Big Adventure, a show produced by Portsmouth Music Hub, showcased a range of songs written by the Music Hub's composers, which included 'Spinnaker Salsa, 'Cool Cat' and a firm favourite with the audience 'Bombay Rock'. The songs were linked to iconic venues around the city including the Guildhall, Kings Theatre and the Wedgewood Rooms.

The highlight of the show for the young performers was a surprise appearance on stage by the star of the show, Bombay the cat who took his starring role in his stride, purring and sporting a very classy bow tie!

Charlie Oatley, aged 8, from Milton Park Primary School said: "I loved singing songs about the city where I live and I really loved meeting Bombay. I'm still buzzing with excitement!"

Sue Beckett, CEO of Portsmouth Music Hub, said: "Bombay's Big Adventure was an uplifting celebration of the sights and sounds of Portsmouth especially written for young singers, musicians, dancers and a marching band. Concerts like this are full of talent and enthusiasm and they are absolutely unforgettable, not only for the audience, but for all the young performers who took to the stage."

IT'S A RECORD! 900 DRUMMERS MAKE DRUM HISTORY ON BBC MUSIC DAY

Hundreds of school children from schools across Portsmouth descended on Guildhall Square to smash a Guinness World Records®  Record for the largest Djembe Drum Ensemble.

900 infant, junior and secondary school pupils showed off their musical talents as they took part in the challenge for BBC Music Day. Organised and inspired by Portsmouth Music Hub they smashed the record which previously stood at 476 drummers.

The children spent weeks training for the record attempt which was held as part of BBC Music Day. The music was written by one of the Music Hub's composition team and was a firm favourite with the children.

Sue Beckett , Chief Executive of Portsmouth Music Hub said "The children drummed brilliantly and it was a fantastic event that enabled everyone to celebrate the power of music as part of BBC Music Day. To smash the record was a huge triumph for everyone and the children were so excited that all their hard work had paid off."

The young drummers were joined by the Taiko drummers and a Samba Band, with a special finale performance by the Corps of Drums from the Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines.

Sofia Doan, aged 11 from St. John's RC Cathedral Primary School said "Drumming today was the most amazing day of my life - I will never forget it as it was incredible."

An enormous cheer rang out across Guildhall Square as Paulina Sapinska, the Guinness World Records® Adjudicator announced that the record had been broken and that the drummers were "officially amazing".

The Secret Garden

More than 500 local children were part of Image Music Theatre's production of the Secret Garden performed at the New Theatre Royal on the morning of Tuesday 6 June.

The new adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic story, tells the magical tale of hidden places, personal secrets, revelation and transformation. When the central character Mary, finds herself alone and unwanted in a manor house, it is the simple joy of two moorland children that cause her to change. In turn, when she shares the wonderful secret of her hidden garden, the entire household is brought back to life.

Primary-aged children from Portsmouth Schools participated in the interactive production, singing many of the heart-warming songs, and 8 lucky children were chosen to be part of the on-stage action, rehearsing with the actors before performing as villagers, woodland creatures and flowers.

Later in the day, the Company travelled from the New Theatre Royal to Isambard Brunel Junior School, where they performed The Secret Garden to the entire school.

Sue Beckett, CEO of Portsmouth Music Hub, who brought Image Music Theatre to Portsmouth, said: "Today has been an enriching experience for hundreds of children. Joining in with the songs and being part of a magical production fires up their imagination, and it was wonderful to see so much enthusiasm for live theatre."

Image Music Theatre will be back in November for their new production of the classic fairy-tale, Hansel and Gretel.

Ensembles Concert

On Thursday 30 March, Portsmouth Music Hub's young ensemble musicians came together to hold an end of term concert at the Church of the Resurrection.

It was a night with a wide range of music on offer when the Music Hub's rock bands, orchestra, wind band and choirs showed off their skills. Proud parents heard music from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical 'Cats', plus the sounds of Beethoven, the Beatles and even a performance of Adele's 'When We Were Young'.

The Ensembles concert was the final event of a week of concerts. Sue Beckett, Chief Executive of Portsmouth Music Hub, said: "It's been a busy week for the Music Hub. In the past few days almost a thousand children from Portsmouth have had the chance to perform in some of the largest venues in our city. Seeing the excitement, the enthusiasm and the skill of so many young performers has been incredibly inspiring, and the high quality of so many singers, dancers and musicians proves that the cultural future of Portsmouth is in safe hands."

Infant Voices

On Wednesday 29 March, more than 500 local children took part in the Infant Voices Showcase at a packed Kings Theatre in Southsea.

The annual event is the culmination of a week of music-making in schools and a wonderful opportunity for the young performers to perform in one of the biggest and most exciting venues in the city.

It was an unforgettable evening with the stage full of 6 year-old children singing songs about space, and they came dressed as stars, astronauts and creatures from alien planets!

Mad Scientist's Songbook

On Monday 27 March there was a spectacular performance of the 'The Mad Scientist's Songbook', which was created by Portsmouth Music Hub's team of composers.

During an evening of explosive music and dance at Portsmouth's Guildhall, in front of a packed auditorium, hundreds of children from 12 schools from across the city put science under the microscope.

Fossils, skeletons, elliptical orbits, magnetism, seeds and teeth were just some of the subjects brought to life by the cast of young performers, and there was even a song about the journey of our food after we've eaten it which was a firm favourite with the audience and particularly the young cast.

'The Mad Scientist's Songbook' is just one of a series of award-winning songbooks, composed by Portsmouth Music Hub to support teaching in schools. 

University Students Entertain Local Schools

Portsmouth University performed a concert for hundreds of local children at the New Theatre Royal on Wednesday 8 March.

The University students were there for a week to rehearse for a public performance of Gilbert & Sullivan's 'Pirates of Penzance', but the students decided to give up an afternoon of rehearsals to invite local schools along to experience live music. The University musicians performed Gilbert and Sullivan's famous songs 'Modern Major General and 'A Policeman's Lot', but knowing their young audience well, the University students went on to perform music from Doctor Who and the children's firm favourite the 'Frozen' medley.

Sue Beckett, CEO of Portsmouth Music Hub, said: "It was a wonderful event and we're very grateful to Portsmouth University students, who gave so many children the chance to experience the sights and sounds of live performance. Children react so positively to seeing enthusiastic and engaging musicians and singers, it fires up their imagination and we hope it will encourage them to go on attending concerts and events as they grow older."