Author Archives: rogerpinnock

Unknown's avatar

About rogerpinnock

Chairman of Ashford Sinfonia

That jolly first rehearsal

Next Monday is our first rehearsal of the new term (7.30 at Highworth School, Ashford if you want to join us). For teachers it is also the start of a new school year and I often find myself in reflective … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Bum Notes from the Brass Section

On this particular evening in front of a paying audience, I was playing in a youth orchestra in the Birmingham City Hall. The piece was the New World symphony by Dvorak, conducted by a flamboyant chap, tall and thin with … Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged | Leave a comment

My Musical Journey

Like my older sister, Susan Elkin, I started group violin lessons in our London County Council primary school because our father was a gifted folk fiddler. The English Folk Dance and Song Society produced an annual festival at the Albert Hall … Continue reading

Posted in News, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Summer Concert

It was the Summer concert afternoon And we all tried hard to play in tune. We plucked and bowed and banged and blew And received our very first review! Despite England’s failure at the ‘beautiful game’ We played ‘We are … Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What sort of music do you like?

As a music teacher I often get asked by students, “Sir, what music do you like best?” This is a surprisingly hard question and it took me a while to come up with an answer I am happy with. You … Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged | Leave a comment

A first encounter

I was 11 and in my first term at grammar school. It must have been very early in the term because I hadn’t yet made any friends. I’d been playing the violin for three years at primary school and was … Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged | Leave a comment

Translating, transcribing and trying to play the right notes

Reading music is like reading a second language. When you are reading a second language, your brain equates the words you are reading to the words you know from your mother tongue, whether consciously or not. When you are reading … Continue reading

Posted in News | 1 Comment

‘Tis the season to be jolly – even in August

Our next concert will be the Christmas Spectacular at the Tower Theatre, Shorncliffe. Last Christmas we took part in a Christmas Spectacular organised by the Salvation Army in Hythe, of which I am also a member. The event brought together … Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged , | Leave a comment

View from the podium: our summer 2014 concert

As has become our norm, the summer concert consisted of lighter, shorter pieces of music. The exception this time was the first movement of a Beethoven piano concerto, which owing to issues with the soloist, had been postponed from our … Continue reading

Posted in News | Leave a comment