News of projects in 2006

14th December 2006

• The News of the Victory cd project was coming along well. Recording finished, mixed, all design work complete and packaged. Then we discovered a law that says everyone in the printing and duplication trades must begin their seasonal holidays at least a week before everyone else. We received a phone call earlier this week, one day before we were expecting delivery of the first batch of cds. Apparently we have been officially caught up in "the Christmas rush" and the new cd, NotV, will now be available early in January ... probably.

• Pupils at Mileham School performed for the community yesterday afternoon in the Parish Church. The show had a Scottish theme when the younger children played a simple soundscape based on the story of Katie Morag's two grandmothers while the older ones played a hypnotic arrangement of a "silkie" song using tuned and untuned percussion, harmonica, keyboards with Derek on guitar. Mileham Church is particularly interesting for its range of glass (some dating back to the late medieval and a modern commission in the East window) and for stones inside the church marking the resting places of two of Pepys' relatives.
• Earlier this week Derek was offered a composition commission for some of the music for next year's La Tour Au Loup show in Haute-Savoie.

18th November 2006

• The mixing for The News of the Victory cd completed earlier this week. Art work and duplication still to be dealt with.
  
• Some discussion of a possible recording of Hoofbeat's repertoire - possibly early next year.
  
• Pupils at Yaxham School performed for parents and friends some of the music they had been working on this term.

• The News of the Victory - recording more or less completed. We are aiming to produce a mini-cd. Mixing starts next week on 13th ... good choice of date!
• Another composing week coming up. Derek is currently working on new repertoire for The News of the Victory and has started recording the songs for the new DeeP Sound Show.
• Current DeeP Music projects include composition workshops in schools in Mileham, Yaxham and Walpole Cross Keys, Norfolk. Monthly samba percussion sessions at Little Snoring for Norfolk Music Works.
• Hoofbeat rehearsals continuing with new accordian player, Ray, who is often to be found playing in the street with ceilidh band Eel Pie. He is getting his fingers around Derek's obtuse compositions, "The Culinary Terrorist" and "Fourth Floor Agenda", both of which seem to be coming together nicely.
• Project in West Walton Primary School - working with foundation and key stage one pupils towards a collection of English and French songs. The school has been introducing the younger pupils to the French language, one word a week ... Derek has composed songs to reinforce these words and introduce associated language. He is also teaching the pupils some traditional French songs. This interesting project will pick up again in the summer when pupils in the Marshland catchment area will have an opportunity to sing and dance traditional English and French music and dances. The culmination of that project will be a day of sharing songs and dances when The News of the Victory will hopefully provide the music for a bal/ceilidh in the afternoon.
• King's Lynn Community Samba Band continues to meet at Presnell's in King's Lynn (check the dates here )
• Half-term session in Norwich for Surestart, during the half-term holiday included a session with Derek for families with young children. Very well attended session and, despite the attraction of so many other activities, some children decided to stick with the music for the two-hour session ... amazing!