MUSIC ENSEMBLES

Leo loves being part of the Junior Strings Ensemble. It is a special place where he can meet and share his musical journey with other kids outside of school. The Ensemble play a wide range of pieces which have really expanded Leo’s musical horizons; he can now name and talk about a number of composers with confidence.

The weekly rehearsals and regular performances give his viola practice a concrete purpose, and a sense of pride in his musicianship. As a proud mum, I have particularly enjoyed attending performances in different venues across the city – nothing compares with watching your child step onto the stage at a world-class music venue. We have brought friends and relatives along to enjoy these performances which has helped bring us together as a family.

The SfE provide what can only be described as an incredible opportunity for children and young people in Birmingham – I wish there had been something similar when I was a child. I genuinely think SFE membership is life-changing for these kids, and there is no doubt it will lead some of them to choose a future career in music/performance. Thank you to all the SFE organisers, but particularly to Kirsteen Scott who is an outstanding leader.

Ruby’s journey with the clarinet has been profoundly shaped by the support and opportunities provided by the music service. From the outset, the service has been instrumental in nurturing her musical talents, offering a structured environment where she could develop both technically and artistically.

Ruby’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of music education. The music service has not only equipped her with musical skills but has also played a crucial role in her personal development. As she looks forward to pursuing a music degree, she carries with her the lessons, experiences, and confidence gained through the support and opportunities provided by the music service.

We want to thank each one of you at the music service. For your passion, drive and commitment to shaping the lives of so many young people. I as a parent have also found the confidence to join a choir after years of watching my daughter play in orchestras. Thank you for your inspirational work.

When Will was 8, he decided he wanted to learn to play the trumpet, so we started lessons with SFE through his primary school. Unfortunately, all of the trumpets had already been allocated so Will came home that day with a trombone, which was very loud and quite a bit bigger than I had bargained for! His arms proved to be too short, so he quickly transitioned to a baritone (even bigger and louder!), gained confidence really quickly thanks to his amazing teacher, Mr Ali, and the following autumn he joined Training Brass Band. Fast forward to July 2023 (less than 2 years after he started lessons) and I was so incredibly proud when he performed in his first concert at Symphony Hall, now playing a tuba, taking it all in his stride and growing enormously in confidence. I remember turning to the parent at next to me and excitedly saying ‘that’s my 9-year-old son playing a tuba’! He’s made some lovely friends through the central ensembles and genuinely looks forward to coming to rehearsal every Saturday morning.

I was in the central ensembles when I was at school – TWO, WO and BSSO – and I know how amazing it feels to perform as part of an ensemble. I’m so thrilled that Will now gets the same opportunities that I got, and I feel that Birmingham is extremely lucky to have such a fantastic music service.

My child was very hesitant about joining an SFE Ensemble, but after attending the first session they wished that they had joined two years previously, when their music teacher first suggested it.

SFE Ensembles are amazing in how they bring together children from across the city to work together and focus on making music. All sorts of differences—in background, age, experiences and so on—are set aside when they have the common goal of performing together and helping each other.  New friendships are made, new confidence is gained. The performers rise together to the challenges of being responsible to the wider group and supporting each other within their sections. And the standard of music-making is extraordinarily high, thanks to the dedicated and talented leaders who get the best out of each child and enable them to achieve things together that they could only dream of on their own.

The history of SFE Ensembles is remarkable: my family has been associated with it for over 30 years. It means so much that the present generation of children still get to participate in music making of the quality which we experienced all that time ago and which has fostered a lifelong love of music, along with the confidence and joy to be gained from performing with others.

Ensembles Parent