The Milestone School meets the Gamelan

We had a wonderfully colourful and musical day last week when a group of pupils from the Milestone School came to play the Cheltenham Gamelan. There were smiles all round as the pupils, led by our expert tutor Jonathan Roberts, got straight down to making music, filling the Pittville Pump Room with a riot of sound.

The Gamelan is an ensemble of tuned percussion instruments from Indonesia, and playing it demands concentration - as evident on the faces around the room – as well as the ability to listen to each other. The morning went quickly as the pupils followed Jonathan's rhythms, learnt how to play quietly (and really loudly) and swapped around to try out different parts of the Gamelan. At the end of the session the teachers decided to give it a go, prompting a lot of laughter and some words of advice as the pupils looked on.

Playing the Gamelan is a great activity for a group of any age; it ca ...read the rest of this article

11-12-2007

Announcing Jazz It Up! 2008

Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th May 11am - 2pm, Jazz Marquee Imperial gardens (free).

Two days, twelve great bands

Every year the education team at Cheltenham Festivals brings together the cream of Gloucestershire’s school jazz bands to perform on stage at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival. This year’s Jazz It Up! promises to be better than ever. From soul to swing to big band, the twelve brilliant bands performing this year have a style to suit every jazz fan.

A brand new venue, a new time

For 2008 Jazz It Up! has been moved from its usual weekday slot, and will now take place on Saturday and Sunday, 3rd and 4th May in the Jazz Marquee in Imperial Gardens. We hope this move means that Jazz It Up! can attract the wider audiences it so richly deserves.

Shaken and stirred, Jazz it Up! gets a 007 theme

To celebrate the centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth, there is a James Bond flavour to this year’s performances, with ten of the twelve ban ...read the rest of this article

04-02-2008