Author Archives: rogerpinnock

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About rogerpinnock

Chairman of Ashford Sinfonia

Yes, music really does change lives

Steph Batchelor So, I’m sat in my kitchen on another Monday evening, desperately trying to keep myself awake after a day of school and a meeting after work, wondering just what it is that keeps me going to Ashford Sinfonia … Continue reading

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Winter Prom

Click to see the full poster Winter Prom Poster from Folkestone Choral Society

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Bum Notes from the Brass section: In 1960s France remembering the fallen

Music is often associated with ceremony. And few ceremonies, especially national ones, are without music. Brass bands are a useful portable musical accessory for memorials in fields, town centres – wherever. Eastbourne Silver Band (ESB) had its share of call-outs … Continue reading

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Music you dislike but can’t resist?

During one of the Proms this year I turned on the radio (well started it on an app on my phone, to be precise) and it was the early stages of Ravel’s Bolero. This was the piece that Torvill and … Continue reading

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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