DEVELOPING YOUNG MUSICIANS
Stringcredible Apprentices is a project designed to help talented young musicians to communicate more effectively with their audiences.
Our mantra in creating performances is:
Pitch – know your audiences and what they need from you
Pace – understand how to create a perfectly balanced programme of pieces
Perform – really ‘sell’ yourselves and the music you perform
Our pilot Stringcredible Apprentices project
In 2014, we ran a pilot Apprentices project working with 16 string players aged between 14 and 18 years old drawn from King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls and Birmingham Music Service.
Over ten weeks, the participants developed their performance skills beyond the traditional instrumental exam criteria. It encouraged them to perform from memory and taught them how to present themselves physically, speak with confidence, select and structure a musical programme and create visual materials to accompany their performance. They were then divided into four string quartets which each delivered a performance to 200 primary school pupils.
By the end, of the project, the difference in their ability to communicate with audiences through their instruments was self-evident. One of the participant’s teachers stated:
“I think the major highlight for me has been to have faith in the pupils… the ones who have made the most progress in this are the ones I was most worried about. I thought they would never be able to stand and deliver in front of an audience. And yet, they did it with amazing confidence”
The future of the Apprentices project
The Stringcredibles are currently planning a longer-term initiative which takes the findings of the pilot project onto the next stage.
Our three-year programme will engage a bigger group of young musicians as well as peripatetic music teachers and Conservatoire students. The overarching aim of the project is to give participants additional performance skills which will improve their relationship with the audience.
Finding out more
If you would like to be added to our mailing list so that you can be updated about the project’s progress, please contact us here.
