School with ‘something very special’ experiences ‘amazing’ performances
from author James Mayhew and violinist Caroline Speca
What do you get if you mix music, story and art? If you’re lucky, you get an inspiring event
that introduces young children to whole new experiences. On July 7th award-winning author
and illustrator James Mayhew and former Royal Opera House violinist Caroline
Speca brought their ‘Once upon a Tune’ project to Aldborough Primary School, in
North Norfolk. The pair, who are both based
in Bungay, are on a mission to reach out to rural schools and let children
experience – perhaps for the first time – the power of classical music, and the
way it can tell stories. “And if we
don’t get them with the music, we hope to get them with the art or the tales!”
Caroline said.
For example, for one part of ‘Once Upon a Tune’, James told
the story of the Arabian Nights. Then
Caroline played a piece from Rimsky Korsakov’s Scheherazade while James painted
a picture to illustrate the tale. Other
story, music and art combinations featured the Firebird and The Swan from
Carnival of the Animals.
The performances certainly went down well with the
children. Lettie, a Year 2 pupil, said,
“The music made me want to learn to play the violin,” while her friend William
said, “It made me feel really good. If I
was James Mayhew I would want to write thousands of books!” Their classmate Sophia added, “I really loved
the art and how inspiring it was. I
found the music magnificent, especially when Caroline played the swan.”
James commented on the way even the younger children were so
engaged in the performance. “I know when
I come into a school and see such wonderful displays on the wall, it’s going to
be a great day,” he said. “You have
something very special in this school, you should be very proud of it.”
Caroline and James are keen for their young audience to
understand the power of literature, art and music, not just by making them
accessible, but also to underline the value of jobs and careers in the creative
sector. During the Q&A sessions
after the two performances (one for KS1 and one for KS2), children asked them
how they had become so good. As they
explained, both of them had been told they should give up their dreams to get
‘proper jobs’, but through passion, practise and hard work (and talent, to be
fair) they both had become very successful.
Class 2 teacher Nicola Cuthill arranged the performances. She said, “Learning about one of our most
important school values, resilience, from two amazing professional artists
helped the children understand that hard work and not giving up really do pay
off. To have two exemplary role models
to demonstrate this in such a creative way was just amazing, not only for the
children but the adults as well.”
The school invited some of the volunteer readers in to enjoy
the performance, along with reading dog Ozzie, as a way of thanking them for
their hard work. Dave Morrison was
amongst them. “It was a great idea for a
show,” he said. “Wonderful violin
playing, masterful painting, and the timing was very impressive – they always
managed to finish together!”
For more information about the Once Upon a Tune project,
visit www.jamesmayhew.co.uk.
Aldborough Primary School is in North Norfolk, between
Aylsham and Cromer. Visit www.aldborough.norfolk.sch.uk
for more information.
Press contacts:
In term time: Mrs D Knight, the office, Aldborough Primary
School
01263 761264 /office@aldborough.norfolk.sch.uk
Alternatively: Tim Morgan, 07947 280137 or timmorgan4@me.com