The Grimethorpe Colliery Band are delighted to announce the wider launch of our education project – A Grimethorpe Adventure!
A Grimethorpe Adventure is a playalong musical adventure story, intended to help children learn to play a brass instrument whilst joining Kim the Canary as she discovers the exciting underground world of the Grimethorpe mines, complete with noise, trains, explosions and fun!
This exciting playalong scheme is aimed at all standards of young player from the absolute beginner up to Grade 1, and caters for Bb and Eb instruments. A key part of the project is that it includes a set of differentiated parts which fit together to enable children of different standards to join in – particularly useful for mixed-ability groups such as WOPs / WCET / First Access classes. The current launch includes YouTube play-along videos and downloadable parts, with further classroom resources to follow.
Originally recorded under socially-distanced conditions, the project has been piloted with schools prior to its wider launch. The scheme was created with the intention of supporting beginner brass musicians from other bands, as well as educating schools on the heritage of Britain’s mining industry, which is particularly relevant in the South Yorkshire region.
“We’ve been delighted how the project has been received, and in particular how the children have been engaged by the narrative of life underground. They are always astonished to find that children their age used to work down the mines, and they are filled with questions about what it was like. We’ve got some terrific music which creates a vivid soundscape, from the noise and danger of life at the coalface to the eerie quiet of abandoned tunnels – it really launches their imaginations!”
Helen Varley – July 2022
The project features compositions by a number of exciting composers, from the pen of Liz Lane (Composer-in-Association), Jack Stamp (International Composer-in-Association), Ben Palmer (Brassed Off Live conductor) and brass band favourite Rebecca Lundberg (solo trombone of the Fairey Band).
Helen continued “We’re now working towards some exciting live performances – it will be great to see youngsters getting the chance to play shoulder to shoulder with the Grimethorpe players for real!”