Play it again

Okay, okay this is the last one today!

I went to a BBC Play it again event in Cambridge today - it's the series of "roadshow" events taking place up and down the country to accompany the BBC1 series. It's an attempt to encourage people to become more involved with music - start up an instrument if they've always wanted to, dust off the instrument they learnt as a child and just get back into playing again. The events welcome all ages and abilities and if you can't play, you can sing or play percussion.

There were tons of people at the Cambridge event this morning. Started off by listening to the BBC Concert Orchestra playing the overture from West Side Story and they we got a chance to join in. The director of the day had adapted the theme of "Tonight" for orchestra and written some new words for the singers. Basically there were four different lines which could be played - all of which fitted together and moved from basic to quite tricky. The orchestra, singers, percussion, saxophones (because there were 24!) and guitars all practised as different sections, then came together for a final performance at the end of the morning. It really was great! I'm enthusiastic about music anyway but it was great to play with the BBC Orchestra. All the members of the public were seated next to a professional so we got help and encouragement from them and the chap leading it (Tim Steiner) was ace - really made everyone feel totally involved.

Had a surprisingly large range of instruments too - the guitar section was most varied, there was a mandolin, banjo, accordian and melodian as well as the guitars.

I really enjoy this kind of thing, but do tend to get a little carried away and start thinking about taking lessons again or doing other musical things like learning a new instrument, but realistically, it would be very expensive and I probably wouldn't be able to put in the time needed for practise. Maybe later in life?? Anyway, fully enthused for the concert at the end of June I've just downloaded to whole programme to my iPod so that I can at least get more familiar with how the pieces sound! And apparently the Pines of Rome are on Fantasia 2 - I think that might be coming out from the cupboard again....