Norfolk County Council has been granted £2.3m from the Arts Council to develop a Music Education Hub, which will bring together orchestras, choirs, schools, teachers and performers to boost music learning in all Norfolk schools.

The County Council’s music service already works closely with a range of partners, such as the Britten Sinfonia, Sing Up and the Voices Foundation. Its Youth Orchestra also holds regular concerts and, over the last year the county has joined up with young musicians in Serbia and Germany to develop an international Triorca orchestra.

The latest funding will mean the service can develop even further, with the aim of reaching every child in the county. It is one of 122 hubs to receive funding nationwide.

The funding will cover four key areas:

* The weekly learning of instruments through whole class ensembles, for the minimum of a term, for every child aged five to 18.

* Regular singing opportunities including choirs and vocal ensembles for every pupil as a result of a singing strategy.

* More opportunities for children to play in ensembles.

* Clear progression routes which are available and affordable to all young people.

Norfolk County Council’s Music Service will be leading the development of the hub working with schools; district arts officers; Norfolk and Norwich Festival Bridge Organisation; The Garage; Community Music East; Springwood Academy; Britten Sinfonia; Aldeburgh Young Musicians;Access to Music and Norfolk and Norwich Community Arts (NORCA).

Britten Sinfonia Academy is a new chamber orchestra that will meet for intensive weekend courses focusing on the thinks that make Britten Sinfonia unique:

– playing without a conductor
– mixing up genres and playing in different styles
– performing in small chamber groups
–working with inspiring special guest artists
– improvising, composing, exploring new music

To find out more, watch the intro video, or to apply for an audition please visit: www.brittensinfonia.com/academy  or to have a chat with us call Isobel Timms on 01223 341019 or email Isobel.timms@brittensinfonia.com

Britten Sinfonia are also advertising for three job vacancies - Creative Learning Assistant, Development Assistant, Marketing Assistant. Deadline for applications is 23rd April 2012.  Job descriptions and an application form can be found on the website http://www.brittensinfonia.com/about-us/vacancies/

GET YOUR STILTS ON AND JOIN THE COOLEST NEW CIRCUS SCHOOL IN TOWN!

SeaChange Arts are looking for young people to join our brand new circus school at the Drill Hall. If you have a passion for circus or if you have always wanted to try it out, then join our school and get taught by professional circus trainers. Develop skills in juggling and object manipulation, acrobatics, tightwire, hula hoop and much more, plus specialist sessions with international circus performers throughout the year.

Come along to our FREE introductory session on Tuesday 3rd April 2012 from 4.30pm – 6pm for 8 – 12 year olds, and 6.30pm – 8pm for 13 – 18 year olds.

The session will take place at The Drill Hall, York Road, Great Yarmouth, NR30 2LZ. Places are limited and on a first come first served basis so sign up today!

The regular school will run weekly starting on:
Tuesday 17th April, 4.30pm – 6pm for 8 – 12 year olds or 6.30pm – 8pm for 13 – 18 year olds

The school is FREE to attend but participants need to sign up for a term as the sessions are limited to 15 young people per group.

For more information or to book a place contact Laurie on 01493 745458 or 07585 809813, or email laurie@seachangearts.org.uk

The Top up Fund is IdeasTap’s first-ever member-run fund with winners being chosen by a panel of IdeasTap members. The scheme provides an opportunity for young people to win £500 to boost their creative projects.

Prizes will be awarded to members aged between 16 and 30. The money can be used to support any artistic discipline the applicant is working in. For example, individuals might require a vital cash injection for an existing project, or funding to get a brand new idea off the ground. The £500 can be part of the budget or make up the full budget of the project.

The panel is hoping to fund initiatives inspired in some way by a location. Projects from all over the UK which celebrate the diversity of the regions are especially welcome. IdeasTap members will be encouraged to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects.

Applications are accepted from groups or individuals. One person must take the lead and has the main responsibility for managing the application and any money awarded. By groups of people, the sponsor means a single group of people working towards a shared or common goal.

The next deadline for receipt of applications is Friday 2 March 2012.

 For further information and to download an application form please click here.

We are inviting young people who have a love for acting, music, magic, dance (the list is endless) to come along and showcase their skills to a panel of professionals from the sector.

As well as giving feedback and advice to each performer, our industry professionals will also be hosting master-classes; sharing their knowledge of the industry and giving you a chance to ask questions about their work and much more. We are excited to announce that Roger Lloyd Pack, (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,

Only Fools & Horses, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), Craig Hill (Tilting Sky Management), Sarah Lewis (Norfolk Dance) and Beverley Bishop (Creative Arts East) will be among the panel for this event and each hosting a 30 minute master-class.

The showcase sessions will take place at 2-3pm and 4:30-6pm with a selection of master-class sessions in the middle, plus refreshments.

Masterclasses will include:
Event Management with Beverley Bishop
The Iambic Pentameter with Roger Lloyd Pack
Music Management and Promotion with Craig Hill
Performers will be given a three minute lot to showcase a specific piece, so please make sure your performance is within this time frame.
If you are a performer or a promoter and would like more information, or to book a place at one of the Showcase or Master-class sessions, please email Elly Wilson at elly@somewhereto.org

www.creativeartseast.co.uk

*Use song and harmony to explore your voice
*Discover different styles of singing together
*Enjoy making music with others of similar age and voice

Friday 17th February 2012, 10.00 – 3.30  Cost: £15 Age range: 12 – 20
Saint Felix School, Southwold
With guests Alan Zipfel and Helen Pybus
Details and booking form:  01502 722906 or email to secretary@nsyc.org.uk

Supported by Suffolk County Council

Norfolk County Council is organising the London 2012 art competition, which will see winning works displayed at Norwich’s Castle Museum.

The competition is open to all children and young people in the county and those successful in each category will also win an artist for a day, who will visit their school. Selected pieces will also be displayed in the county’s mobile libraries.

There are three categories, broken down into each school key stage. They are:

* Works that represents one of the Olympic and Paralympic values (excellence, friendship, respect, courage, determination, quality and inspiration).

* Works that represent an Olympian or Paralympian, past or present.

* Works on the theme of the Olympic torch relay, which is scheduled to pass through Norfolk.

Children and young people can enter art in any media, as long as it is two-dimensional and in A4, A3 or A2.

The competition closes on Friday 22 March 2012 and judging will be done by staff from Norfolk County Council’s Children’s and Community Services departments and Joseph Ballard from the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games.

The winners in each category will have their work displayed at the Castle’s Art Gallery in the summer term, ahead of the opening of the London Olympics.

Alison Thomas, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services at Norfolk County Council, said: “This competition gives children and young people across the county the opportunity to have their work displayed in a public art gallery, meaning they will be seen by visitors from across the county, country and even overseas. It also gives schools and their pupils a chance to capture the spirit of the Games, think about its history, its purpose and the significance of having such a high profile event in their home nation.

“We are keen for schools to use the many educational opportunities the Olympic and Paralympic Games present across the curriculum, whether it is sport, art, maths, English or citizenship. The values of the Games are attributes we should all aspire to and qualities that we want to see in all of Norfolk’s children and young people. We hope that schools will embrace this competition and would urge as many young people as possible to take part.”

For further information, or to request an entry form, contact Anna McCarthy, Creative Projects Officer for Norfolk County Council, on 01603 638099 or anna.mccarthy@norfolk.gov.uk

Creative Arts East is offering young people the opportunity to perform at a Showcase Event during the Money, Employment & Learning Fair as part of the somewhereto_ project at The Forum, Norwich on Wed. 25 January 2012 from 10am – 4pm!

The Showcase offers 16-25 year olds somewhereto_ perform their comedy, music, magic, acting, performing, dancing, whatever their act, to a fresh audience in the centre of Norwich!

This is an AMAZING opportunity for young people to get their performance seen, and there will also be an opportunity to have 1:1 guidance sessions with an industry expert. Please share this information with young people and forward it to any relevant contacts, as we don’t want any young performers to miss the opportunity to perform!

Amplification is prohibited at this event.

If you would like more information about the Showcase, or to pre-book a slot please e-mail Elly Wilson at elly@somewhereto.org

somewhereto_ is a nationwide project, inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, to help young people find the space they need to do the things they love within sport, culture and the arts. somewhereto_ is run by Livity, a youth engagement agency, in media partnership with Channel 4 Education and funded by Legacy Trust UK. Creative Arts East is the Regional Coordinator for the East. ‘somewhereto_Showcase’ Events are supported by the Norfolk Community Foundation.

www.somewhereto.com

This one day course is essential training for anyone working within youth arts, but especially those using more physical art forms, such as dance and drama. The training will cover current child protection legislation in line with the requirements of the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), within the context of delivering a youth arts project and includes a “safe touch” section, exploring how child protection guidelines can be maintained within more physical art forms.

It will be of benefit to individuals and organisations looking to develop their own child protection policy and maintain standards of good practice, providing practical advice and guidelines to develop confidence and sensible structures around child protection issues within youth arts.

All participants will receive a certificate of attendance upon successful completion of the course and a wealth of practical resources. There is a special rate fee of £75 available on this course.

For more information, or to request a booking form, please visit the Artswork website: www.artswork.org.uk/open-courses or contact the Professional Development Manager, Rachel Hall: rachel@artswork.org.uk  or call 02380 332491.

Artswork Ltd is the national youth arts development agency