The Ensemble works mostly by ear, covering traditional and modern jazz repertoire. This group is for young musicians aged 14-18 to develop their skills in ensemble playing, sight-reading, playing by ear, and improvisation techniques. The sessions use historic and modern jazz as the starting point for rehearsals and develop listening, playing and performance skills.
Vocalists are welcome – your instrument is your voice!
Currently, this group rehearses every Saturday during term-time from 11:00 – 13:30. This group is led by NYJO Resident MD Winston Clifford.
“Ensemble is a place for expression. You never know what’s going to happen in these sessions. Sometimes Winston shows us some crazy piece that he wants us to play and we just listen to it and work it out by ear. By the end, all of us are playing this song, jamming, improvising and feeling the music – practically ready to perform. Other times, Winston gets us standing in a circle and we play through a percussive groove. It’s almost hypnotic. There’s something about physically moving with music that really makes you feel it. It makes me realise how much I can feel music inside me and how much I want to do it in life. I want to move with Winston, I want to clap with the people around me, I want to stomp my feet to the music.”
Pixie, NYJO Under 18s Programme Member
If you are interested in joining our NYJO Under 18s programme, please get in touch today by emailing [email protected].