Education ViVA

Fantasy Forest
Hermitage Leisure Centre, Coalville
24 March 2010

"This was a brilliant experience, one never to be forgotten." - Participant, Ashby School

After the success of Life in the Forest last year sinfonia ViVA returned to North West Leicestershire to work on a collaborative music and dance project with addict Dance Company called Fantasy Forest. The project involved around 60 young musicians from Holy Cross Primary School, Ashby School and Ivanhoe College and 30 young dancers also from Holy Cross Primary School.

At a planning session in January workshop leader and composer Jack Ross and the teachers from the participating schools composed a song that formed part of the concert on 24 March 2010 at the Hermitage Leisure Centre. The song was titled Enter These Enchanted Woods and was performed alongside a programme that included Carmen Arcadiae Mechanicae Perpetuum by Harrison Birtwistle, Adjustable Wrench by Michael Torke and John Adams' Chamber Symphony.

"I liked the songs that we made up." - Participant, Holy Cross Primary School

During March 2010 the pupils and teachers from the participating schools worked closely with Jack Ross, Isobel Adams (viola) and Matt Dunn (clarinet) from ViVA to create new music and songs through a series of creative music workshops. The music and songs created in these sessions were inspired by the repertoire of the concert and a visit to a National Forest Site. These visits took place before the workshops and they helped inspire the participants when creating new music. The themes of the visits varied with some taking part in a Tree for All Day which focused on conservation and the planting of trees.

"I loved writing songs as a group it was very fun because when you work together you get a great song." - Participant, Holy Cross Primary School

Running simultaneously to the music workshops were creative dance workshops led by addict Dance Company Member Sarah Jaggard. She worked with Year 6 pupils from Holy Cross Primary School to devise a dance piece. The pupils imagined what their Fantasy Forest would look like and considered what kind of creature would be living there. Sarah and the pupils explored the movements and journeys of these creatures to create their dance piece.

"I felt very proud of myself because they [the Orchestra] were playing our songs." - Participant, Holy Cross Primary School

The final two days of the project saw all the groups coming together to rehearse the music and choreography they had created. They met conductor Richard Laing and combined both the music and dance elements of the performance to create one large collaborative piece. The new music created by the schools was interspersed with Carmen Arcadiae Mechanicae Perpetuum by Birtwistle and Adams' Chamber Symphony and addict Dance Company performed to Adjustable Wrench by Torke.

"I enjoyed meeting the orchestra for the first time." - Participant, Holy Cross Primary School

The final day of the project saw the young people meet the 18 piece orchestra prior to the final rehearsal and evening performance. The combined music and dance performance was a great success enjoyed both by the participants and the audience of family and friends.

"Many thanks for the opportunity to be involved in the project; it is great to be given the chance to work with professionals." - Teacher, Ashby School

Fantasy Forest has been generously supported by Rolls-Royce plc, North West Leicestershire District Council, Orchestras Live, Thomas Harleys Charities, J R Corah Foundation Fund, TS Shipman Trust, Maud Elkington Charitable Trust, Helen Jean Cope Trust, The National Forest, Sir Andrew Martin Trust for Young People, sinfonia ViVA and Arts Council England.

Images from the project...