North Steel and Steelettes at North Leeds Music Centre Concert

Saturday 24 March, over to Allerton CE Primary School, host to North Leeds Music Centre. We have lessons, rehearsals, then set up in the hall and our Easter/Spring concert.

We now have two beginners classes, and we put them together for the concert, starting with that old classic:

 Largo in F [all 8 bars played with variations][from the Easy Classical book], then
Whole World in his Hand [all 16 bars with variations][from the Gospel Collection], then,
 and this was awesome: I Got Shoes [also from The Gospel Collection]

Beginners and Beginner beginners were Julie, Harvey, Lola, Lucy, Debbie, Patrica, Ziggy, Charlotte, Theo, Nyal, Ginny, Darcy, with Eddie on kit.

North Steel itself was Satinder, Sylvia, Kurum, Julia, Theo again, Luke, Isha, and me, and Eddie on kit. We played Can't Smile Without You [originally by Barry Manilow, but we like our version better!], Can't Help Loving Dat Man [which was incredible, if we do say so ourselves!] and then El Condor Pasa. This was a bird, however which really fly. Well, you can't win them all.

Here's some screen shots of the video of the concert, which is so lovely [apart from the Passing Condor] that I must learn how to upload these little videos so that the players can see themselves, as they were in March 2018, because, at this rate of progress they will be some miles forward by March 2019.

Also can I mention trolleys. By this time were two - mine and Julia's. Soon they were to expand!

Finally thanks to Eddie for his drum-kit-playing, tea-bringing, cake-making, child-minding and being butt of jokes support this year. Also to his dad for the video.

North Steel and North Steelettes play North Steel Music Centre Concert

We were at Allerton CE School where the music centre is based. We are inside and it is warm. We were on last and we followed Amy's lovely violins and also the adult singers [these made Georgia cry].

After three years at the music centre, we now have more beginners than pans. And we are outgrowing our room [which point I make regularly to Mark!].

This year we have also been able to include some Foxcubs [in the shape of James, Lola and Maya], and the concert we have an average of two parents/carers per cub.

The North Steelettes are Niall, Harvey, Lola, Darcy [only there for the rehearsal], James, Lola, Maya, Theo, Julie, Lucy, Ginny [also only at rehearsal], supported by Satinder. They play African Noel [wouldn't be a Christmas concert without a beginners' class playing it]  and Au Clair de la Lune.




North Steel took on We Three Kings, which according to Jackie [Luke's mum], was a massive raise on last year's standards, and then Kylie's entirely unseasonal Can't Get you Out of my Head.

We were me Sylvia, Satinder, Kurum, Ella, Julia, Luke, Isha and Theo, and I really enjoyed the challenge of playing both songs myself and was really proud of North Steel.

PS: They were allowed to wear antlers or Christmas hats as long as no one tried to invited me to do the same! Lol!

North Steel play their Christmas Concert

December 3rd, it's Christmas Concert season. First up it's Elaine and the orchestra.

Second up it's North Steel from North Leeds Music Centre. Kurum was poorly for the morning rehearsal but determined to make the evening concert. V proud. I brought 6 yr-old Niall the pink pan jumbie pan to play for the event. It's not a bad-sounding little pan, but very little use outside its key [G].  Andreas [David's father] was just trying to escape with those famous last words, "Is there anything else you need?" when I appeared swinging the van keys.




They all laughed, explained he was just trying to make good his escape, and then he collected the three extra pans we needed.

setting up earlier on

On the day we were Satinder, Sylvia, Luke, Emma, Kurum, Ella, Julia, David.

We played African Noel, In the Bleak Midwinter, and, as  homage to Leonard, Hallelujah. And, of course, we were ace!

I invited the audience to sway with arms and smart phone torches, and it was really really lovely, if not moving to see them do so.
 ,

New North Steelettes debut at North Leeds Music Centre

Hall set up for concert

This is my second year with NLMC. Half of last year's players started again, and a few new people joined. Some of the pans were a bit ropey at the beginning of term, but I have been slowly replacing the less desirables with more desirable ones. Last week I borrowed a pair of double basses from Bradford and I like to think made Isha's day.

basket music holder

Martin and the Gang

Mark looking grown up in suit

Anyway everyone seems to have caught up with each other, and we are now working on sixteen bar tunes with three or more chords, minors and majors, even the odd seventh, a few bits of unison, and call and response.

rehearsing

Here we are now, December 5th at this, what I took to be end-of-term concert, at NLMC, now housed at Allerton CE Primary School, no longer at Carr Manor. Better for pans as this is a single storey building and Mark has now purchased some tremendous trolleys and a stand bag.

For the concert we are Emma, Satinder, Annie, Julia, Isha, Kurum, Ella, Niall, and for a debut proper concert, I would say we were awesome.

Next weekend, I found out, almost by chance that there was yet another music centre lesson. Oops. And that Mark organised these concerts one week early so that the carols at Thorner didn't clash with the concert, and exhaust everyone. Fair enough.

nice trolley

Four steelbands, two pan workshops and a guitar duet

Saturday 13 June 2015 and I have three gigs in three separate venues with four bands, a workshop [later turned into two!], and Jordan's first public performance on guitar. I have already taken pans, stands and chime bars to Shire Oak for the workshops, Little Pans Plus and Sparrows. And the basses and kit are at the back of the van ready for the evening.

 

 

 I have invited all Year 6 from 3 local schools to play as Little Pans Plus, but I do know that, without providing transport etc it is just too hard for ten year olds to move off their own patches. One year I did Kirkstall Festival with three children from Sacred Heart; one year, Unity with one girl from Quarry Mount. I wonder who will come to Headingley Festival?

 

 

Twelve noon. I bobbed into Shire Oak en route for NLMC, left the guitar and established a parking spot for the van. Met James from Springbank and his dad, caught his rehearsal, took a photo, and left.

 

 

Twelve Thirty. It is end of the year at North Leeds Music Centre and 1.we are having our second mini-gig and 2. I must collect all the pans and take them away.

 

 

 

 

 

My plan is that the weather forecast is wrong about it raining all day. It was. So we play in the courtyard - good for audience but also conveniently near to where the van is parked.

 

Well our lovely North Steelettes only had nine lessons [and two were mini-gigs!] and were amazing [and thanks especially to Wanda and Pippa for their support when I could and when I couldn't make the lessons]. We played twelve tunes. The players were Annie, Victoria, Isha, Kurum, Dan, Delaney, Nyal with support from Julie and Pippa. The audience was a proper clapometer. Loud when we played well, soft when it wasn't so good. [Thanks to Mark and team for collecting all the detritus that we left in our wake - bits of kit, trolleys etc.]

 

 

 

 

One Fifty-five. Got to Shire Oak School just before two o'clock, met Vicky, Ash and Julie. We set up ready for the first workshop. Jordan appeared. He and Ash went off to rehearse.

 

Various members of the public appeared, as did Eve and James from Springbank and Razan from Quarry Mount. Then we went for the world record of soft toys in single seconds for no reason at all.

 

 

Two thirty. We whip the pans to be used for the performances over to the stage tent.

 

Two forty. Jordan - grandson takes the stage for Apache and Eye of the Tiger. Ash "volunteered" to playing backing chords for him. I thought I have had to listen [and play along] to these tunes for so long now. . . Time someone else had to!

 

 

 

Two fifty. It's Little Steel Plus at which point Razan and I discover that we have left all the Aflats in my car. We are Eve, James on pans, me and Razan on chime bars [minus Aflat] with support from Yi Bai, Sophie [still wondering what she had let herself in for this time!*], Tim, Vicky, Georgia and Julie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Five. We get the tenor basses out of the back of the van, but forget the guitar pans, play with one set of bass, two sopranos, kit and three single seconds. Sparrows were Chloe [taking an A level revision break], Ash and Georgia supported by Yi Bai, Sophie, Vicky, Tim and me. Messed up a coupla tunes, had a laugh.

 

 

 

 

Three Forty. Well, just as we thought it was safe . . . . Lizzie, Daisy and Cherie appeared with Tau, Annie, Maeve and Lola. Time for Workshop Number Two. Did this picturesquely under the trees at the front of the school. Some more people turned up.

 

 

 

Four o'clock. We came to a halt at four and then Vicky decided to accept the challenge of packing an already disorderly van through the side door [I was backed up to the espaliers] while trying to keep workshop and gigging pans apart. I was beyond caring!

[Thanks to Jane Liz, Alun, Mike and their teams for it all.]

 

Four forty-five. At home Rick and I replaced workshop and NLMC pans with Foxwood ones.

 

Six o'clock.  Tim appeared and we all went to the Woodside where by now Jason seemed to have told the surprise to everyone except his bride! 

 

 

 

We sneaked a nine piece steel band in through the back doors of the big room, and played very loudly for nearly an hour! The wedding had a Disney theme. Fortunately Peter had written out Under the Sea. We were me, Bex, Georgia G1, Katie, Vicky, Charlotte, Yi Bai, Sophie and Tim. Foxcubs, looking cute curled up in the banner were James and Mikey. Rick appeared and took the pans away, and some of us settled down for a debrief. [Thanks to Jason and Catherine for letting us gate-crash their wedding.]

 

 Then just as I thought Katie was ordering a taxi she came back with another couple of pints!

 

Sunday didn't happen, and Monday Rick and I swapped the pans back over.

 

[* Sophie, it's another fine mess]

 

If you want to play steel pans, or invite a steelband to your event or a workshop, please contact us at foxwoodpanyard@outlook.com