November’s Rockin’ Roundup!
🎄 November at Music Evermore: Rocking Our Way into the Festive Season! 🎶
As November wraps up, we're getting ready for an exciting finish to the term with end-of-term showcases and Christmas concerts just around the corner. Here’s a glimpse of all the amazing things our schools and young people have been up to this month.
🎸 Wythenshawe Forum Creative Space
This month, the Music Evermore sessions at the Wythenshawe Forum have really come into their own! Every student has brought a passion for learning and playing music, making each session a joy to run. As we gear up for the festive period and our Christmas showcase, the effort and enthusiasm have reached new heights.
On Mondays, students have been diving into advanced music theory, starting with the circle of fifths, exploring sharps and flats in key signatures, and learning how to form triads and 7th chords. These concepts have been applied to writing basic chord progressions and recognizing interval changes. In the second session, students have been working hard on Billie Jean by Michael Jackson and Last Christmas by Wham, polishing their arrangements for the winter showcase.
On Tuesdays, both sessions have made great progress. The first session is in full stride, learning Santa Tell Me by Ariana Grande for Christmas while finalizing Twist and Shout for the showcase. The group has been tackling more complex strumming patterns and expanding their chord knowledge while also learning varied beat patterns on the drums. In the second session, students have grown significantly in their ability to play together as a band. With the emergence of two fantastic singers, they’ve been preparing a festive favorite, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
It’s been a productive month, and we’re looking forward to ending the term with as much festive spirit as possible as we allow all 4 groups to opportunity to perform to parents, friends and family at 5.30pm on the last Tuesday session of the year!
🎤 Whalley Range Funded Saturday Band Session
Our funded Saturday session in Whalley Range has grown into a large group, full of strong personalities and an exciting dynamic. The focus has been on encouraging students to experiment with different instruments and learn to collaborate as a band.
This group has shown immense potential and enthusiasm, with newcomers bringing a cheerful energy and a willingness to explore a variety of instruments. The band has made great strides with Ghostbusters, now able to play through all the parts successfully together, and they've begun revisiting Beautiful Things to incorporate their newest members into the arrangement.
🎸 St Mary's Primary School
Dan and Pat are thrilled with the progress of both their groups this month. They’ve been hard at work learning two Christmas-themed songs, Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Jingle Bells. The students have tackled tricky rhythmic concepts and mastered challenging note transitions, and both groups are ready to deliver standout performances at their showcase on Wednesday, December 18th.
After-school club members have also been making waves! Their rendition of Spooky Scary Skeletons is dynamic and full of character. They’re also working on Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree—a festive treat we hope will be performance-ready for the showcase.
One small group of enthusiastic singers has been working closely with their tutor to bring energy and personality to their performances, and they’re excited to shine during the showcase.
🎸 Webster Primary School
The buzz is building for Webster’s festive showcase, with a rocking lineup featuring students across multiple year groups:
Year 4 (all 70 of them!) will perform Last Christmas by Wham! as a full group, showcasing a wide range of instruments—acoustic guitars, bass, electric guitars, drum kits, keyboards, glockenspiels—and a powerful chorus of singers.
Year 6 will light up the stage with Merry Xmas Everybody by Slade and Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms.
Year 2 students have been enjoying their ukulele classes, mastering the C and G chords. They’re preparing a video performance for the final week of term and are already dreaming of joining the full-class rock band when they move to Year 3.
Siobhan has also launched singing assemblies this term, teaching KS1 students essential vocal techniques like warming up their voices and breathing properly. Meanwhile, Year 5 students have been practicing Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses, focusing on lyric articulation and transforming words into expressive singing. Siobhan is even mentoring two students one-on-one—one to improve their rock band vocals and another preparing for a Rock School exam in the new year.
🎶 Thank You to Our Supporters!
We are incredibly grateful to our funders: Rising Tide AI, Manchester City Council, The Wythenshawe Forum Creative Space, and the amazing individuals donating monthly. Your support is the heartbeat of Music Evermore, enabling us to inspire and empower young people through the gift of music.
📈 Exciting Times Ahead
November also brought promising developments for Music Evermore. After some productive meetings, we’re thrilled to announce that more local businesses are coming on board to support us. This means we’ll soon be expanding to fund music lessons at two more schools! Watch this space for updates.