20years

Oxford Town Hall

Anniversary concert

Solos and ensembles by students on the Yamaha Junior Courses

6th December 2009

JXC JAC

The Performers Comical Train Victoria Amott James Heron Claire Hutchinson Isabel McCarthy Leonardo Symonds Kate Taylor Ella Thompson Elizabeth Van der Veen Thomas Brand Honor Derrick Jessica Kan Alejandra Priestman-Degano Heather Wilkinson Rock’n’Roll Sorrel Gibson Henrietta Owen Rosie Toolin Robyn Truggelmann Elizabeth Hayman Archie McChesney Megan Parker Alex Revill-Hivet Alasdair Czaplewski Japanese Carnival Stefan Cetnik Libby Clark Josef Hanke Katelyn Munro Anna Pitt-Francis Lydia Willis Tomas Zhang Anna Biswas Gladwin Billy Haist Harry Jenkins Evelyn Jones Evelyn Mannering Tara Paxton-Doggett Alys Quainton-Blake Josefina Santander Charis Sung

Allegra Boothman Ella Boothman Bonny Gao Ciaran Kennedy Billy Lines Adriano Matousek Tick Tock Clock Holly Ashby Alison Gamble Charlie Hedditch Connie Hedditch Bryony Jones Siân Kennedy Tamar Kennedy Philippa Sayers Nathan Hawkes Kari Waring Matador Ibrahim Baig Charlotte Broomfield Sasha Hargreaves Joanne McCabe Eleanor Watts Alana Westwood Anna-Paulina Geppert Eleanor Anderson Ellen Cole Charlotte Glover Roxanne Owen Renée Truggelman Space Charlotte Fisher Jasper Murison-Bowie Imogen Reay Lucas Rushton Christopher Broomfield Bethany Cole Hannah Glover Antonia Haist Sarah Jenkins Chelsea Owen Tom Taylor

Inside... Happy Birthday, Matrix!

20 years at Matrix

Programme

The soloists

Junior Original Concert 2008

European Junior Original Concert 2009

Courses and tuition at Matrix

The Junior Courses portfolio

The performers (back cover)

Pictured left: Our Christmas Celebrations.

Pictured below: the annual barn dance in the Matrix courtyard.

Matrix Music School & Arts Centre 15 – 17 The Nursery

Sutton Courtenay Oxfordshire OX14 4UA

Tel 01235 847264 mail@matrixmusicschool.co.uk

matrixmusicschool.co.uk

Happy Birthday, Matrix! Since its conception, there has never been a truly quiet time at Matrix, as you can see from the potted history inside these pages, but with all the national and international developments surrounding the Junior Courses, the last couple of years have been incredibly busy – and it doesn’t look as though things will slow down in 2010! Lindsay has started training three new teachers for the Easter intake of the Junior Music Course, two of whom will start teaching in new rooms at Oxford Brookes University on Saturdays. Nathan Hawkes has been chosen to represent Matrix and the UK at the European Junior Original Concert in Vienna next year (February). In March, teachers will take their Yamaha teacher qualification. In the summer, teachers will receive training for the newest version of the Junior Music Course, due to start in November. We aim to begin the piloting of another new course to the UK in November: Music Wonderland, a pre-JMC course. Composition was fairly new territory for us when we were first asked to include it in our teaching last summer, but the first composition concert held in Christmas 2008 made us understand that this is the natural outcome of the Junior Courses, which prepare so well for musical creativity. We are incredibly proud of the progress both we and our students have made and would like to use the opportunity to celebrate our recent achievements in this anniversary programme. We would like to say a big thank you to Tony Furze, our compere this afternoon; and many thanks to all the teachers, students and parents who have made this 20th anniversary concert possible – we hope you enjoy it! Antonia, Lindsay and Joy – the admin team

20 years at Matrix Arts Centre

1984 George Taylor and Lindsay MacKenzie dream of an arts centre!

1988 Yamaha Music School and Adventures in Music lessons are the first activities and start at one end of the building while the rest is completed

1989 Matrix finally completed and other activities start, including children’s art, aerobics, ballet, ballroom dancing, and music workshops; an inaugural concert is given by the celebrated Prussia Cove masterclass centre

1990 Junior Music Course introduced; an Electone ensemble performs at Yamaha’s National Showcase – an ensemble from Matrix appeared at this showcase for five consecutive years

1992 Matrix becomes a registered charity; one of Nigel Somerville’s brass students becomes the first of several from Matrix to be accepted into the National Youth Orchestra, Chetham’s and other music institutions

1994 A concert series of jazz and folk music from South America and England is organised by George Haslam and takes place over several years

1995 Lindsay is chosen to pilot a new Yamaha course: Children’s Electone Course (now called EMC)

1996 The first performers’ platform is held; Yamaha students at Matrix reach 300; Christina Wartke-Dunbar takes over the art classes

1998 ‘Music at Matrix’: a concert series with accompanying workshops

2000 Antonia King is trained for JMC and gradually takes on much of the administration

2001 A link with Oxford Brookes is established – the university music department becomes a source of teachers; the first Artweeks exhibition at Matrix is put on display; Sue Lynn joins the team to teach violin – several of her students have since been accepted into the National Children’s Orchestra and various music conservatoires

2002 New Junior Music Course introduced

2003 The National Children’s Orchestra hold the first regional auditions at Matrix – this has become an annual event

2004 New Junior Extension Course introduced Pictured left: The Matrix saxophone ensemble

2005 Lindsay becomes the principal JMC instructor

2006 A Saturday satellite school opens in Oxford, offering JMC; Joy Marzouk and Frances Munt join the team and together run the Oxford classes; pictured right is a snap of the Amey Hall concert that took place that year

2007 Matrix joins OMEG, the Oxford Music Education Group; Junior Extension students record with Radiohead for their album In Rainbows; Lindsay is made JMC Key Teacher representing the UK abroad; Matrix is given the status of national flagship JMC centre

2008 Matrix holds the first JOC (Junior Original Concert) in the UK

2009 Imogen Reay represents the UK at the European EJOC held in Paris in February with her composition, The Chicken and The Rooster

Programme

Comical Train

An ensemble performed by JXC6 and JXC8 students directed by Lindsay MacKenzie

Rock’n’Roll An ensemble by children studying JXC6

directed by Victoria Leyshon

Twilight Piano solo

composed and performed by Connie Hedditch

Japanese Carnival An ensemble of children studying JXC5

directed by Joy Marzouk

Jigsaw Jazz Piano solo

composed and performed by Sarah Jenkins

Tick Tock Clock An ensemble by JXC8 and JAC1 students

directed by Antonia King

The Chicken and The Rooster Piano solo

composed and performed by Imogen Reay

Matador An ensemble of children at the final stages of JXC7

directed by Antonia King

Forest in a Nutshell Piano solo (in three movements)

composed and performed by Nathan Hawkes

Space An ensemble composed and performed by JAC students

directed by Lindsay MacKenzie

Tell Me Your Dreams A song for all the performers

The soloists Connie Hedditch Whilst at home messing around on the piano I started making up a tune. I then showed it to Antonia and before I knew it, it was a real tune!! Then I was chosen for auditioning for playing in a concert. I wasn't chosen for it but I get to play my piece at two Matrix concerts!

Sarah Jenkins I have been coming to Matrix since I was four and three quarters, and I really enjoy my group lesson with Lindsay and my friends, and then having an individual piano lesson with my piano teacher Keiko. I got inspiration for my composition from things I've seen and heard, and also from other pieces I've played in my group lessons.

Nathan Hawkes Forest in a Nutshell is my first composition which began as a squirrel leaving its nest and going on a perilous journey looking for food. I hope you enjoy my composition as I would like to combine composing with my love of computing and programme the music for games. Nathan has been chosen to

play at the 2010 EJOC in Vienna – well done, Nathan! Connie, Sarah and Nathan all played their pieces at the Junior Original Concert at Matrix on Saturday 7th November. So too did Philippa Sayers, who played Hide and Seek, and Hannah Glover, who played Autumn River. Archie McChesney, Elizabeth Hayman and Alasdair Czaplewski represented their group singing the song the class had composed: Animal City. The next JOC will be in the summer of 2010 at Matrix.

The Junior Original Concert 2008 The first Junior Original Concert for the UK took place at Matrix in December 2008 and was a very special evening. The performers were: Jasper Murison-Bowie, Battalion Honor Derrick & Sol-Anna Weissensteiner (piano duet), Raindrops Lucas Rushton, Ocean Deep Antonia Haist, Forest Dream Daniel Shackleton (for violin and piano), Tangoing Out Imogen Reay, The Chicken and the Rooster

European Junior Original Concert 2009 Imogen Reay was chosen to play her piece at the second ever EJOC earlier this year – this is what she says: “I have played music with Matrix for about 6 years and it is fantastic! It has provided me with so many opportunities, such as learning how to write my own composition and winning a place in the Junior Original Concert in Paris. I played in a big concert hall called the Salle Gaveau. That was incredible and I will never forget it! My composition was called the Chicken and the Rooster, and there were lots of other JMC students from all around Europe, all with completely different brilliant compositions. I felt so pleased with myself, as learning with Matrix, you learn so much without realising! I don’t think I will ever get such an amazing opportunity. It was a fabulous experience and I had great fun learning!”

Pictured above: Tak Tanaka, Imogen Reay and Lindsay MacKenzie

We have been recording as much as we can: you can visit our website at matrixmusicschool.co.uk to hear some of these compositions.

“We have been absolutely thrilled at how Matthew has developed confidence in singing, playing and listening to music. It has been such a different experience from traditional piano lessons (which I endured as a child). It has given him a depth of musicality and a great sense of achievement, and he's only just finishing book 2!” Becky Waller

“I came away feeling very excited for my children, they are extremely lucky and personally I feel the Yamaha training is a fantastic holistic approach to music and a very firm foundation from which to move around musically.” Katie Kidner (from an email after a parents’ evening)

Courses and tuition at Matrix Adventures in Music This is a pre-JMC course written by Lindsay MacKenzie and is currently taught by Joy Marzouk. It is for children aged 3-4 years and will be replaced by Yamaha’s Music Wonderland in the autumn. Art for Children Christina Wartke-Dunbar takes these after-school art classes: children enjoy painting, drawing and making in these hourly sessions. Christina also holds daytime painting and drawing classes for adults at Matrix.

Ballet Matrix is one of the venues for Marian Goodall’s ‘St Mary’s School of Dance’.

Individual music lessons are available on several instruments – please see the website for more information about our teachers: Brass with Gary Howarth, Nigel Somerville and Lloyd Payne Flute with Sarah Ashfield Guitar with Paul Owen Piano with Olga Meadows, Victoria Leyshon and John Oxlade Saxophone with George Haslam Violin, Viola with Sue Lynn and Piotr Jordan Matrix also hosts: Keep Fit, Yoga, student concerts, occasional professional concerts, a flute choir, a saxophone ensemble, ABRSM exams (music), RAD and ISTD National Dance exams (ballet), and art exhibitions.

The Junior Courses portfolio The Junior Music Course (starting age 4-5 years) and Elementary Music Course (starting age 6-7) are foundation courses which open up the possibility of study on the following Yamaha courses, the Junior Extension Course and Junior Advanced Course. Students enjoy regular individual lessons with their teacher in addition to the weekly group lesson when they start JAC.

The Junior Courses are currently taught by Lindsay MacKenzie, Antonia King, Joy Marzouk, Victoria Leyshon and Pip Dunnington, with Tomomi Okuno, Robyn Summers-Emler and Pippa Beckford joining us at Easter.

Pictured right: Students with their Fundamental Skills Survey certificates. This comprehensive survey marks the end of the Junior Music Course. These students went

on to study the Junior Extension Course and are just about to embark on the Junior

Advanced Course. You might recognise them performing in ‘Space’ today!