Banding together to make music

Peterborough schools Thomas Deacon Academy, Ormiston Bushfield Academy, St. John Fisher and Jack Hunt have been working on Banding Together 2019, a musical project coordinated by the Peterborough Music Hub.

The project involved each school composing a musical piece based on the theme of origins and journeys. TDA focused on the diversity of the Academy community and how everyone has been brought together in Peterborough.

The group of musicians took on different roles in the band to deliver a performance with a strong rhythmic drum beat, and the orchestral sound of violins and piano, supporting the vocalists. The composition delivered a tribal feel that celebrated the countries represented within the band.

In addition to the individual school performances, the four schools delivered a collaborative performance of A Word From A Friend, a song composed for this project by renowned musical directors, Greg Arrowsmith and Joe Bunker.

It proved to be a fun and challenging project that gave the students the opportunity to explore music as a means of telling a story. All four schools interpreted the brief in their own way, resulting in a thoroughly entertaining evening of music.

Peterborough Music Hub Manager Kirsten Goldthorp said: “It is fantastic to see the young musicians of Peterborough working in such a collaborative and creative way. They have really risen to the challenge of working with professionals, and have developed an immense wealth of skills and confidence in such a short time.”

Matthew Moore, Head of Music at TDA, added: “The project has been great. It’s brought students from different years and backgrounds together, and the outcome has been some really interesting music.”

The young musicians