Well – I’m sad to say that this is my very last post on this website. So good-bye to an old friend. 
But dont panic… my main website for Stringbabies [Cellobabies, Violababies & Violinbabies] has been running for over two years and is under very active development. All sorts of exciting things are happening in the background and will be revealed in due course! You can find out about training days, purchase teaching materials and inspect the teachers directory for a start. So don’t hesitate – head over to Stringbabies.
BTW – this website will be kept on-line, but not extended, for several years more to help those of you who have bookmarked pages on this site.
A wave of festivals is about to hit and sweep me off around the UK. It’s hard to believe that in a few short weeks since Christmas I have already been up & around the UK mostly giving presentations on Stringbabies. The most recent was in Scotland this week with a number of folk from music services in Ayrshire & Renfrewshire along with people from Sistema Scotland & RSAMD. I could not have been made more welcome and it was wonderful to experience the openness of these lovely people.
Since November, there has been signs of an increasing interest from music services and right at the start of January I gave a presentation to Surrey Arts, where I started my career many moons ago. It was great to see some familiar faces amongst the new ones. What was particularly good was that one staff member, Yvette, who had been working with cellobabies since its inception was able to throw in her testimony of the results she has achieved with her students.
So with the increasing interest, we have had to find a publisher to take the entire process of book production off our hands, who will be able to deal with larger book runs. We have found the guys – Verite Press in Worthing. I now have to just finish my updated cellobabies & violinbabies books. I have already started an older kids version and am putting the first few pages of ‘Pianobabies’ out to 2 teachers to try out with their little pianists….
It has been a really busy time since the last post. Workshops in Cumbria & Scotland – festivals – concerts & the teaching (most important!) Not to forget, the completion of ‘Violababies’, which was released last month. It’s amazing how much I learn from my little students and since first writing ‘Cellobabies’, I have discovered there is just so much more that they are capable of. So the additional pages in ‘Violababies’ reflects this and over the coming year I will be revising ‘Violinbabies’ and ‘Cellobabies’ to bring them into line. I now have a new generic title for the books and approach – ‘Stringbabies’. Still, managed some time away with the family in October; North Wales (give me mountains & lakes anytime!)
Will be in Exeter in January to do a teacher training day for the Young Strings teachers and any guests plus an inset day for a local LEA – keep me on my toes!!!
My season of dashing around the UK doing festivals is just about beginning to calm down (for a while at least!). The last couple of months kicked off with a cello day in Somerset for Audrey Gullick (wonderful cellobabies teaching colleague) which was just so inspiring and then festivals ranging from Inverness, in the Highlands of Scotland to Guernsey in the Channel Islands. Inbetween all of this, I have been spending time with the family and seeing my regular students. I even managed a couple of concerts with my String Quartet, playing Dvorak’s ‘American’ and Ravel’s stunning quartet (a personal favourite).
The Viola version of Cellobabies, ‘Violababies’ is well on its way and I intend having it out by September. Not one to let the grass grow underneath my feet, I have already started cracking on with the piano version…..watch this space!! Happy Easter to you all.
I know – haven’t written a post for ages. Last term was just so incredibly busy, keeping all the balls in the air. In September I had decided to hand over the reins at Arundale School and they are now secure in the hands of Allyxa Ruby, who is an absolute gem.
I have now more time to work on cello and violinbabies things and dare I say, viola things too. The book is under way – my graphic designer (AKA my husband) produced some pages today according to my directions. He had to slow me down as he was finding it hard to keep up with my rapid fire thinking style! I have written some new songs too and have been testing them out on the students. Their reaction tells me all I need to know if they are OK – it’s a dud if I get a glazed look and puzzled response and it’s a hit if I get a smile and enthusiastic nod!
I’m going to include them in the viola book and then work them into the revised violin and cello books – lots to do then……………………..
Autumn is well & truly here and I was reminded that I hadn’t posted a blog since June! Summer term ended very positively with the first teacher training day. It went extremely well and I am going to be announcing dates for another soon. As a result of the June event, we have new teachers starting cello and violinbabies in their areas. Do check out the violinbabies website for news of who they are.
We flew off to Orkney for the summer, to the place where my good husband was born. Saw lots of neolithic sites, beautiful sunsets and ate lashings of haggis! The island of Hoy was stunning – I really didn’t want to leave.
Two days after my return I went to Aberdeen to introduce cello & violinbabies to the ESTA centre there. I had a great time: my string teaching colleagues there were warm, welcoming and very open to my ideas – feedback was really encouraging.
Violinbabies has received a favourable review in the latest edition of ‘News & Views’ (ESTA’s journal) and there is a wonderful article in this month’s ‘Music Teacher’ magazine about Exeter Young Strings, who are using cello & violinbabies as the core material in their programme. I hope to have both articles on the web soon……………
A lot has happened since my last post. I didn’t get to Aberdeen in May. The week before I was due to fly, my husband was rushed into hospital and spent a week there. Thankfully, I have been able to reschedule for August.
I was able to get down to Exeter and the workshop there was great fun. Amongst other things, I set the participants the task of composing their own ‘Cellobabies’ songs and the results were hilarious and hugely imaginative!
There has been a delay in getting the 1/10th cellos but I understand from Kirsty that the Whipton and Beacon Heath projects are getting under way now. She has asked me for a version for Viola now – my next task awaits me.
The first teacher training day (organised by yours truly)Â will be getting under way at the end of June and I am pleased to say that it has received sponsorship from Ackermans, the largest music retail suppliers in the county, who have been great supporters of cellobabies right from the start.
I have just finished a long season of festival adjudicating which has taken me up to Scotland, into Norfolk, Suffolk and the home counties. Well, I say finished but I have another one next week in Yorkshire before taking a well earned rest in the Yorkshire moors.
Things are getting very exciting here! I’ll be giving a presentation to ESTA members in Aberdeen on May 1st on Cellobabies/ Violinbabies and then zooming down to Devon just over a week later to help train the teachers at Exeter Young Strings. I am setting up a training day here in Sussex on June 28th – more details to follow very soon!
If you are about to go on holiday – have a great time!
A lot of things have been happening down in Devon recently – and especially for Exeter Young Strings. As well as getting those grants I talked about in my last blog they now have a lovely new website at www.exeteryoungstrings.org.
Do go and have a look, and see what they do.
BTW If you are a young aspiring cello, viola, violin or bass player in the Exeter area, then you could do no better then join!
Exciting news from Exeter Young Strings in Devon! Kirsty Hugill, the project director has just informed me that the group’s application for funding from Youth Music and Exeter City Council has been successful. Over the next few months Kirsty and her team will be setting up 2 projects in the Whipton and Beacon Heath Areas of the city for 4 to 5 year olds using Cellobabies and it’s violin counterpart, Violinbabies, as the core teaching material. as you can imagine, I am enthralled by this development and now have got to get busy working on the training programme for the first Cellobabies and Violinbabies teachers in Devon!