Derry City has always celebrated its own rich musical heritage and the WEA on 2nd February shared some of its musical culture with children from Rosemount Primary School with the "Top Notes" Music Project.Top Notes is a unique music project run through the WEA's Learning Age Project. It has worked with older musicians, singers and song writers and in this phase of the project the older participants have worked with children from Rosemount Primary School to create music together. Top Notes has been running since October last year and is funded by Derry City Council Grant Aid Programme and The Atlantic Philanthropies. It has offered older participants the opportunity to play, to listen to music, and to learn about different musical influences as well as learn new skills using digital technology to record work. There has also been a singing element to the project and it is this element of the project that was offered to the schools.

Facilitators Aideen McGinn and John Leighton co hosted the workshop with some of the participants from the project. Called the TOP NOTES SINGERS, they were represented at the workshop by Brona Sharkey, Mary Anna Quigley and Gerry McGoldrick. The day began with a full body and vocal warm up consisting of a range of games, exercises and stretches.

Below faciltiators from the Top Notes Project Aideen McGinn and John Leighton leading the children in song.

For example, they played High, Low and Middle whereby everyone had to identify whether notes played on the piano were from a hig,  low or middle scale. This was presented with three different movements according to what scale was being played. The children loved this game and indeed were very good at identifying the scale each time as you can see below.

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The Storm game introduces the idea of a sound picture or sound scape. The class was divided into four sections representing the elements of a storm starting with sun, then wind and rain and finally thunder.  The children were asked to find a sound with voices or  bodies for each element. Thunder and rain came with rapping fingers and loud clapping whilst wind was echoed with whisphering voices. Sun was the hardest one to embody but the children rose to the challenge creating a lovely tinkling sound which made everyone smile and indeed think of better weather ahead. Throughout all the games our Top Notes Singers were on hand to assist the children and support them throughout the workshop.

Aideen introduces the idea of a sound scape - a picure of a storm made only with voices and bodies

Top Notes Singer Brona Sharkey helps the children create the "wind sounds" using their voices.

 Top Notes Singer Mary Anna Quigley helps create rain!

The children were then introduced by the Top Notes Singers to several songs throughout the day beginning with a fun warm up number called "The Duchess" which was then developed into a full round. It is a tricky song both musically and lyrically but the children really enjoyed the fun element of singing it. Indeed many stood to sing it on their own or in pairs with a friend as part of the process. The children also sang "Oh When the Saints" as a round as well.

The children were encouraged to look at and to try to play the piano with John Leighton. He also introduced them to the idea of singing and speaking into a microphone and we all had great fun both recording our voices and listening back to how they sounded. 

John encourages the children to have a try on the piano

Top Notes Singer Gerry McGoldrick supports a nervous participant singing into the microphone

One of the main aims of the workshop was to record a song together. We had chosen "This Little Light" as the Top Notes Singers know it as part of their repetoire but also because it is an easy song and the children knew it in advance so it was an ideal choice to record. The children even added their own little parts to it and the Top Notes Singers added some harmony to make it a really unique version. As we listened back to all our voices in harmony together,  the children began to dance and we all ended up in a dance circle - it really was a wonderful moment in the day; young and older singing and dancing together.

The children with Top Notes Singers Gerry McGoldrick and Mary Anna Quigley practice "This Little Light of Mine" before recording. Also present Miss McDonald (P4 Teacher).

Miss McDonald, the P4 teacher expressed her thanks to WEA and all the facilitators noting that it was a very timely workshop as Friday 4th was being marked by the school to celebrate Grandparents Day. She felt the singing workshop had helped to strengthen all the positive reflections about older people that the school were going to celebrate and share with their grandparents later in the week.

Top Notes Singers are going to resume on Wednesday 23rd February at the earlier time of 6.00pm at Unit 7 Studios in Springtown Industrial Estate. For more information please contact Sinead Devine on 028 71 369947.