The Music Workshop Company Blog

Each month the Music Workshop Company publishes two blogs. One blog, written by the MWC team addresses a key issue in Music Education or gives information about a particular genre or period of music. The other blog is written by a guest writer, highlighting good practice or key events in Music Education. We hope you enjoy reading the blogs.

We embed multimedia content in many of our blog posts, if you have rejected cookies for this website, you may have white spaces where the multimedia content should be. This is due to a recent change of policy by YouTube, Spotify and other platforms. We are in the process of updating all our posts. If you come across white spaces in a blog post, you can open the link in another browser or private browser and approve cookies to access all the content. We are sorry for any inconvenience this causes.

To contribute as a guest writer please email Maria@music-workshop.co.uk

The Samba Workshop – How it Works

Posted on 16th September 2013 at 15:30

Our Samba drumming workshops here at MWC introduce the instruments and rhythms of Brazilian carnival music. Participants form a Samba band using a range of traditional drums, and within half an hour can be playing exciting music together, achieving new levels of communication and performance skills and enhancing team building in an energetic, informal way. Samba drumming is a really inclusive way of creating music; perfect for participants of all ages and abilities. Add an experienced workshop leader and you have a session which is enjoyable and interactive right from the start.

Music Workshops for Black History Month

Posted on 17th August 2013 at 15:30

A music workshop is the perfect way to approach the emotive and valuable subject of Black History Month, which is coming up in October.

Here at the Music Workshop Company (MWC) we have been busy creating some brand new workshops designed to explore the culture and history of the African people through the universal, recognisable medium of music.

Stories and Symphonies in Stevenage

Posted on 15th July 2013 at 13:30

The Music Workshop Company (MWC) joined forces with Stevenage Symphony Orchestra last month for an exciting composition project with three Hertfordshire primary schools. The orchestra, which is for amateur musicians in and around Hertfordshire, won a grant last year from the BBC Performing Arts Fund to commission the work, Legends of the Tor, from composer Alison Wrenn, and to fund workshops in local schools.

Composition and Creativity at Newstead Wood

Posted on 19th June 2013 at 14:30

This month our blog is about a two-day composition workshop in Orpington, which has become an annual event.

The workshop participants are students from years 7, 8 and 9 at Newstead Wood School, an all girls’ school where up to 30% of the children take regular instrumental lessons. The school was graded as “Excellent” in a recent Ofsted report. MWC has run at least one project a year at Newstead Wood since 2003.

African Drumming – Culture, Confidence and Communication

Posted on 18th May 2013 at 15:30

African Drumming is one of our most popular workshops here at Music Workshop Company. Workshops are based on traditional drumming circles creating a positive, inclusive space in which to explore the music and culture of Africa, boost self-confidence and develop key skills. Our workshops are suitable for everyone, from school children to big business. African drumming is a fantastic, fun, team building exercise and sessions can be structured specifically to develop communication and performance skills, or to focus on African culture, rhythms and music.

Welcome!

Posted on 12th April 2013 at 15:00

We have just celebrated our tenth anniversary here at Music Workshop Company (MWC), and to mark this achievement, we are starting a blog! This will be a space to share our experiences, give you ideas for musical activities, and to write about the projects we do.

MWC was seMicia darabukat up by Maria Thomas in 2002, since when the company has worked with over 50,000 participants, from toddlers to grandparents, in schools, community groups and businesses all over the UK.