Since 2016, Oi Musica has delivered the Routes to Hoots street band project for Primary 6 & 7 pupils in Inverclyde (Ardgowan, St.Patrick’s, Moorfoot, St.Andrew’s, Newark, St.Francis & St.Michael’s primaries), Edinburgh (Brunstane, Duddingston, Craigentinny, Castleview, Niddriemill & St.Francis Primaries) and Glenboig & Our Lady St.Joseph’s (North Lanarkshire)
The dream team of Oi Musica’s Marcus Britton with Mat Clements from Where’s the One keeps going from strength to strength!
In July 2018, we ran a great summer school in Portobello in collaboration with Edinburgh Youth Theatre. It was a fantastic opportunity for young musicians to work together with us for a week and experience creating and performing a live soundtrack for a theatre show. Here are some pictures, courtesy of John Davy Photography –
Hoots on the Streets ran from 2012-2015, offering specialist training and support to youth street bands throughout Scotland. The project was launched in Highland in April 2012, with funding support from Creative Scotland, enabling over 500 young people to take part in workshops, masterclasses, training, creative collaborations and performances across Scotland.
Hoots on the Streets worked with four bands – all of whom are open access, welcoming players with no musical experience into their ranks. Each group operates with a youth-led approach to rehearsals and running their bands.
The Penguin’s Tuxedo from Nairn was founded in 2012 by young people in the town who had taken part in street band activities, and wanted to set up something permanent. Based at Nairn Community Centre, they are entirely led by young people (with support from youth workers), and continue to attract a core of dedicated drummers, running workshops and performing in their local area.
Guarana Street Drummers has been running in Aberdeen since 2002. They draw their membership from a huge range of ages and backgrounds (from children to older adults), and they perform a staggering 70-odd gigs per year! Hoots on the Streets supported Guarana’s youth membership by providing new young leaders with training and mentoring, and by building a horn section for the group.
Pulse of the Place from Edinburgh is Scotland’s original and largest youth samba band. From humble beginnings as half a dozen young teens drumming at Duncan Place Resource Centre in Leith each week, the group grew and grew until in 2012 they took more than 70 youth drummers to perform at Olympic Park for the Paralympic festivities! Hoots on the Streets supported Pulse of the Place to bring on a wave of new leaders in 2014-15.
Pace in Grantown-on-Spey was set up by a Primary 7 class in 2009 who’d had a taste and wanted to continue playing in a street band through secondary school. They ran for 8 successful years, offering excellent opportunities for local youth musicians to develop their playing and performance skills, with members aged 11-15.
TNT Youth Street Band
Hoots on the Streets established Scotland’s first regional youth street band in autumn 2012, bringing together players from local groups in an exciting cross-region collaboration. They performed at Belladrum Festival, Insider Festival, Inverness Street Theatre Festival, Cawder Castle, Findhorn Bay Arts Festival and West End Festival in Glasgow amongst others.
The group supported local bands throughout the region by providing their members with the opportunity to take their skills to the next level. The membership was made up from players from The Penguin’s Tuxedo, Pace and Guarana Street Band. They met around 6 times per year, tutored by some of Scotland’s top street band musicians, including Roddy Dickson (SambaYaBamba), Tom Pickles (Orkestra del Sol / Horndog Brass Band), Rory Clark (Puff Uproar) and Marcus Britton.
In Autumn 2014, Oi Musica worked in partnership with award-winning youth music charity Tinderbox Project to support the establishing of their newest youth ensemble – Frontiers Orchestra, inviting players and non-players to join forces and build a band like the city has never seen before!
With funding from Creative Scotland, we delivered a short programme of taster and recruitment workshops across the city, followed by a 5-week course of rehearsals at North Edinburgh Arts Centre. During the course, the ensemble developed a core of young orchestral instrumentalists, a samba drumming section, guitarists & keyboardists, a ukelele section, singers, live electronics and an 8-strong balafon section.
Here is a clip of Frontiers Orchestra’s first public performance, at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre (in the foyer) on November 25th 2014.
Oi Musica worked with a handful of young people to support the launch of the project, creating digital music tracks and learning music making skills. More info here:
Marking the opening of Seven Lochs Wetland Park in East Glasgow, Sound Out brought together a whole range of musicians from the area to celebrate East Glasgow’s diversity, and the outdoor opportunities offered by the new park. With support from Platform Arts and The Bridge in Easterhouse, Marcus worked with over 80 musicians to create a series of collaborative performances.
To mark the end of the project, in November 2014, the groups involved recorded their set at The Bridge. The recording features East End Voices Community Choir; samba bands and brass & reed pupils from Lochend, Smithycroft and All Saints secondary schools, and local singers The Undecided from The Musical Workshop.
SoundOut@SevenLochs Big Band – ‘No Diggity’
SoundOut@SevenLochs Big Band – ‘No No No / Down In The River’
SoundOut@SevenLochs Big Band – ‘Follow The Heron’
We ran an open Massed Band workshop for all comers and all abilities, and after a 45-min rehearsal, we brought 70 players together for a rendition of ‘Hidden Dub’ – a specially-arranged medley for the event. Brass & wind, fiddles & strings and samba bateria. Here’s how it sounded…
In June 2013, Marcus & Oli spent two hours working with 40 drummers and 40 brass players from across Scotland to put together an arrangement of Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’. The young musicians were all taking place in the Music for Youth’s National Festival Scotland.
The birth of Puff Uproar…way back in 2008!
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