Go Buskers! Boris and TfL call on young Londoners to join special busking event
Are you a musician or singer aged between 16 and 25? Are you interested in busking on the London Underground? If so, London Mayor Boris Johnson and Transport for London are giving young people across the capital the opportunity to take part in a very special event on Saturday 11 July - Rhythm of London's Busking Underground where 100 young musicians will win 20-minute slot on a prime performance pitch on the Tube network.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Are you a musician or singer aged between 16 and 25? Are you interested in busking on the London Underground? If so, London Mayor Boris Johnson and Transport for London are giving young people across the capital the opportunity to take part in a very special event on Saturday 11 July - Rhythm of London's Busking Underground where 100 young musicians will win 20-minute slot on a prime performance pitch on the Tube network.
That's not all, the top ten buskers, as voted for by the public and the Rhythm of London judging panel, will have an opportunity to busk for prizes, including: a highly prized year's licence to perform as part of London's Underground Busking Scheme, a brand new Epiphone acoustic guitar, courtesy of Gibson Guitars, plus a guitar signed and donated by Sting.
The busking scheme is one of the highlights of Rhythm of London, two days of music events and activities organised by the Mayor as part of his drive to increase musical opportunities and education for all young Londoners.
Mayor Boris Johnson says: 'Learning to play music at a young age can be the key to a lifetime of pleasure. But despite music being such an important part of London's cultural and social landscape, it isn't always easy for young Londoners to get access to music education, instrument tuition and venues. Rhythm of London is all about opening up opportunities and nurturing talent, which is why this busking scheme is such a brilliant opportunity for young Londoners. It means they get to perform live in front of a crowd – and who knows, they could be talent spotted.'
There's still time to sign up - the deadline for entries is NOON on Monday 6 June 2009.
Information on how to apply is on the website www.london.gov.uk/rhythmoflondon. You can also get updates if you are a member of the Blyk mobile network, which is a media partner for the music campaign.
OTHER RHYTHM OF LONDON HIGHLIGHTS
As well as Busking on the Underground, Rhythm of London features dozens of other events across the capital over two days ( Friday 10 and Saturday 11 July ).
Schools are being invited to take part in a Rhythm of London School's Day on Friday 10 July. All types of music are welcome in any location and the possibilities are endless. It doesn't matter whether music making is big or small, in school or out in the wider community. You can involve teachers, support staff, dinner ladies, family and friends in your musical celebration. Registration for schools events is by Friday 3 June. London's bandstands come alive to the sound of music on Saturday 11 July, with Music Matrix and Musicians Union teaming up to produce Bandstand, featuring emerging London bands and a variety of music. Performances are free and take place from midday until 4pm at Spires Shopping Centre, High Barnet; Valentines Park, Ilford; Coronation Gardens, Leyton; Dukes Meadow, Hounslow; Greenwich Park. Bring a picnic and friends for some great free live music. Over at Canary Wharf, there are children's workshops in ukulele and berimbau, demonstrations of the Russian balalaika and the Senegalese kora, and a big banjo jam session, as part of he City of London Festival' s PLUCK ! - a celebration of stringed instruments from around the world. Canada Square Park is hosting an array of strings musicians, including fiddle, harp, oud ( Arabic lute ), mandolin, balalaika, bass balalaika, banjo, finishing with a big hopkele – a klezmer styled Céilidh dance. Award-winning French aerial theatre company Les Colporteurs are also presenting a breathtaking and plucky performance on a set made of poles. In addition, the Street Pianos project, brought by Sing London and the City of London Festival, is being extended for one day, with young Londoners being encouraged to 'have a go' on one of 30 pianos around the capital marked 'Play me, I'm Yours'. There is an exclusive Masterclass, featuring highly regarded American bassist Christian McBride, has played with all the major jazz musicians on the scene today including Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, and is currently playing in quintet 'Christian McBride & Inside Straight'. Presented by Serious and Guildhall School of Music and Drama the free event includes a discussion with Time Out's Mike Flynn, McBride performing solo and answering audience questions. There is a Singer-Songwriter Masterclass at the Regal Room in Hammersmith. Rhythm of London has teamed up with singer-songwriter, producer and promoter Tony Moore for a special event featuring four of London’s brightest new singer-songwriting talents – 13 year old Ellie Rose, Kadesha, 16, Natasha Davies, 18 and Daniel K, 13. Whether you are an instrumentalist, composer, lyricist or singer, this afternoon of performance and conversation is a must for all young aspiring performers. The British Music Experience has partnered with StreetVibes Youth to present a Music Industry Taster Day on 10 July, to give students real hands-on experience of the British Music industry. There will be a chance to explore the exhibition's incredible archive, technology and resources in the morning, and to take part in interactive music-making workshops, from live instruments to music technology, vocal recording and DJ-ing. The British Music Experience is also offering an exclusive ticket deal to all schools that have registered as Rhythm of London partners. Full details about events, including a downloadable programme with additional activities can be found at: www.london.gov.uk/rhythmoflondon.
Notes to Editors
Rhythm of London takes place on Friday 10 and Saturday 11 July and is being organised by the Greater London Authority in partnership with a range of organisations, including: O2, British Music Experience, Barbican, Sing London, Music Matrix, Musicians Union, Transport for London, City of London Festival. Schools and organisations wishing to get involved in Rhythm of London should visit the website at www.london.gov.uk/rhythmoflondon. Rhythm of London's Busking Underground will include performances at Bank, Westminster, Liverpool Street, Embankment, Victoria, Waterloo, Hammersmith and the O2. The guitar donated by Sting is one of two the musician donated - the other went to the 'No Strings Attached' musical instrument amnesty and has been passed on to the In Harmony schools scheme operating in Lambeth. www.inharmonyengland.com OTHER EVENTS A range of other performances, workshops and masterclasses is taking place at locations across the city, as part of Rhythm of London, including: Serious and Guildhall School of Music & Drama present Masterclass with jazz bassist Christian McBride; Wigmore Hall; King Square, EC1; Rhythm of Gamelan at Royal Festival Hall; Staines Brass Band in St James's Park; Drum Down Saturday at Barbican Centre ClubStage; Royal College of Music; 30 Hand on Bach at Markson Pianos; Croydon Young Music Concert at Ashburton Learning Village; Southwark Stax Saturday Music Centre; Centre for Young Musicians at Royal Festival Hall; Morley College, Waterloo Millennium Park and St John's Waterloo; Enfield Arts Support Service at De Bohun School; Camden Music Service concert at Camden School for Girls; Greig City Academy School Theatre, Hornsey; Tower Hamlet Arts & Music Education Service at Phoenix School; Waltham Forest Fellowship Art Challenge; Havering Music School; Chingford Foundation School; Community Music at Morpeth School, E2; Newham Academy of Music; Hounslow Music Service concert at Chiswick House; Lyric Hammersmith; Groove Academy concert at Hampton Youth Project; Rhythm of London is part of the Mayor's longer-term aim to increase access opportunities for young Londoners to participate and develop skills in music and art. This includes launching the 'No Strings Attached' musical instrument amnesty with Julian Lloyd Webber and Time Out and a major music summit at City Hall that culminated with a live performance by young musicians and Lloyd Webber in February. Sting donated his guitar as part of the musical instrument amnesty. Mobile network Blyk are an official partner of Rhythm of London, helping to promote the campaign to young Londoners. Blyk is a different mobile network to any other. On Blyk, free is really free. You see, brands pay Blyk to help them reach their fans while you as a Blyk member get interesting messages, fab freebies and exclusive offers - as well as £15 free credit, every month. For more information about Blyk, go to www.blyk.co.uk. 'Play Me, I'm Yours' is an artwork by artist Luke Jerram being presented for Sing London and the City of London Festival 2009. 30 street pianos will appear on streets, in public squares and parks, train stations, and markets. The pianos are there for any member of the public to play. Feel free to decorate and personalise your piano. The pianos will be in place until July 13th, after which time they’ll be donated to local schools and community groups. For more information go to: www.streetpianos.com. Music Matrix is a cutting edge music consultancy based in London. They are supported by and work with several key government and music industry bodies in the UK such as Arts Council England, Island Universal, the London Mayor's Office & the Performing Rights Society. It aims to provide access to a range of opportunities for diverse UK artists and creative organisations. For more information: www.music-matrix.org. The British Music Experience ( BME ) is a permanent, high-tech, interactive music exhibition will open within the world’s most popular music venue, The O2. 22,000 square feet on the top floor of The O2 bubble, The O2's state of the art exhibition space, houses a combination of cutting edge audio-visual technology and the most coveted music memorabilia of all time will culminate in the creation of one of Britain’s most compelling attractions. It also has a full public and educational programme with workshops, lectures, master-classes and concerts aiming to help teachers raise standards in your school across the national curriculum for children aged 8 to 16 and for the qualifications aimed at young people aged 14 to 19. For more information: www.britishmusicexperience.com. For information about StreetVibes Youth go to: www.streetvibesyouth.co.uk. In order to promote the huge range of music education work that exists in London, the GLA will produce a publication featuring Rhythm of London partner organisations to reflect the work and services that take place on a regular basis throughout the year. It will be distributed from September 2009 onwards, through music education networks including schools, partner organisations, youth organisations, libraries, music services and learning and outreach departments. The deadline for submitting copy to feature in the handbook is Friday 17 July. Go to the website for more information: www.london.gov.uk/rhythmoflondon/handbook. The Mayor is backing Children's Art Day, which takes place from 6-12 July, amongst a number of initiatives to improve access to music, art and Classics education. Children's Art Day 2009 is backed by the Mayor of London and run by engage, the National Association for Gallery Education and supported by the Clore Duffield Foundation, the Mayor of London and Visit London. Website information: www.london.gov.uk/mayor/culture/childrens-art.jsp. Notes to Editors
MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Press information is available from Ben McKnight on 020 7983 4071, or email communitydesk@london.gov.uk ( PRESS ONLY ) PUBLIC/NON-MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Call the Public Liaison Unit at the Greater London Authority on 020 7983 4100 DUTY PRESS OFFICER: For out-of-hours media enquiries, please call 020 7983 4000
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