June 2014 – Royal College of Music JD Day-Trip

 

Royal College of Music Junior Department Day-Trip

21st June 2014

On Saturday 21st June 2014 a group of eight students aged 11-14 had the opportunity to spend a full day at the Royal College of Music Junior Department in London.  Flying over in the morning, the sun was shining and the excitement was already building:

Upon arrival at RCM, their first activity was to join in the RCM JD String Orchestra rehearsal.  They rehearsed Piazzolla’s Libertango,  having prepared their parts in the build up to the tour.  The orchestral staff and conductor welcomed them into the orchestra in a most sensitive and encouraging way, and they sat side-by-side with their London counterparts:

Following this rehearsal, they participated in a Performance Class led by Katya Lebedeva (one of the RCM JD teachers who had come previously to Jersey on several occasions with groups of students) and pianist Leanne Singh-Levett.  All the students performed to each other and received feedback and advice from the teachers.  A picnic lunch in front of the Royal Albert Hall then followed:

After lunch, the students had a guided tour of the RCM, which included a visit to the spectacular library, with their 10,000 strong CD collection, and an interesting collection of old books including the ABRSM Violin syllabus from 1942 (which the students found fascinating to compare with nowadays).  A very engaging and stimulating session then took place at the RCM Museum, in which a series of ancient-instrument specialists gave demonstrations on keyboard, wind, string and brass instruments from different periods of history.  One student even had the opportunity to play a Baroque violin:

This brought us to the end of our day at RCM, and we would like to thank all the staff involved for a simply fantastic experience.  Our thanks also go to the Jersey Arts Trust for their continued support of our Projects and Events.  Plans are underway for their next return visit to Jersey in the next academic year.