Ed Balls launches campaign with Jamie Cullum, VV Brown and Killa Kela
Pupils in Year 9 at Twyford Church of England High School were treated to an unusual lunchtime treat today. The school was chosen to launch a government campaign - Tune In: Year of Music.
There was a huge buzz of anticipation as we waited for Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in Twyford's wonderful new performance centre.
While we waited, a number of us were treated to a jamming session with singers and drummers from the school - playing along with Jamie Cullum, VV Brown and Killa Kela. Konnie Huq, who was hosting the lesson, joined in. They were conducted by Dan Francis, the Head of Music at Twyford.
They all made a joyous noise and we would have been quite happy to listen for much longer. Once Ed Balls had arrived, he joined in with the musicians and a number of talented Twyford pupils. He proved to be something of an expert on the drums.
Konnie Huq then introduced the campaign which is being launched by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. While a video of VV Brown was played, Konnie's microphone was adjusted and taped and Ed Balls had to help her rearrange her hair afterwards.
VV Brown played a few bars of one of her songs to illustrate how she had started playing music on a guitar she bought for £10 in a charity shop. "I called it 'Stringy'." VV told the enthralled audience that she had started playing piano, then progressed to the trumpet, then sang in church and joined choirs. "I also played the Artful Dodger in Oliver". She seems very talented and looks like a not-at-all scary version of Grace Jones with an amazing quiff roll and signature wacky hat. She also duetted with Angeline Bejjani in Year 11 who sang beautifully.
Killa Kela told us how he started experimenting with beat box and just got better and better. He coached four volunteers from the school and within less than a minute they provided him with a backing for an inspiring impromptu performance.
Jamie Cullum then talked about how he had always loved music and intially started playing the guitar as he wanted to be like Kurt Cobain. He then realised he could work out tunes very easily and started by picking out the theme tune to Eastenders on the piano. Killa Kela admitted that he had done the same for the Grange Hill theme.
Jamie realised he could impress girls by learning to sing and play songs they liked. He then began to experiment, annoying his teachers by using his desk as a drum. "You can get an amazing number of different noises out of a desk," he said. Jamie had some advice for aspirational composers. "Learn the songs you love, play them and understand the structures in them. Then throw them out of the window and start jamming. Group singing is great. The anxiety you get performing can give you a great buzz and help you to perform better."
VV, Killa and Jamie then sang a wonderful version of Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime - the 1980's hit by the Korgi's.
The campaign is supported by a huge number of stars including Simon Cowell, Lily Allen, Vanessa Mae, the English National Ballet and the casts of Wicked and Mamma Mia. Ed Balls spoke about how every young person in every school should be encouraged to participate in music activities. Music helps children to work as part of a team going from practising to performing, it helps with exam performance, improves standards and has all sorts of other benefits.
Twyford School Headteacher Alice Hudson said: "Music is a vital part of our school and has enriched the lives of the school community. I would whole heartedly support schools developing music for its own sake and as an aid to learning."
It is easy to see why Twyford was chosen as the launchpad for this campaign. Their exciting new performance and music facilities are brand new and opened only on June 17th. The facility supports their new diploma in Creative Media and Event Management. They are lucky to have a number of qualified people at the school who can operate the amazing flexible space which can be used for all sorts of different events and concerts.
It's not every day you get to jam with Jamie Cullum, VV Brown and Killa Kela in front of a Secretary of State, but those lucky Year 9 pupils may need a little encouragement to get them to concentrate on their maths for a while.
September 10, 2009