manx celtic music and dance

Another ‘tradtastic’ Bree weekend!

07 Nov 2011

Isla, Robin and Alex getting to grips with a new tune
Isla, Robin and Alex getting to grips with a new tune

Last month (22nd and 23rd October) Bree met for their sixth annual Manx youth music weekend at Douglas Youth Arts Centre. As usual, creativity and fun were at the heart of the workshops, but this year there was an emphasis on ‘new’ Manx music and this was applied through the performance of recently composed tunes from Kiaull yn Theay books 3 and 4, songwriting, improvising and the composition of new tunes and dances.

Music and dance tuition was led by expert tutors Matt Kelly, Caz Dougherty, Beki Collings, Nichola Hayes, Laura Rowles, Dave Rowles, Christa McCartney along with Bree organisers Chloë Woolley and Breesha Maddrell, and talented youngsters aged 9 to 18 brought a multitude of instruments with them ranging from Celtic harp to autoharp! The eagerly anticipated concert for family and friends on Sunday afternoon was a great success and demonstrated the hard work of the students and tutors during the weekend. To start the show, everyone took part in an arrangement of three recently composed tunes; ‘Mynor’ by Gilno Carswell and David Kilgallon, ‘Polka Drine’ by Sharon Christian and ‘Slippers’ by Laura Rowles, which fitted together to form a dazzling set.

The students had been divided into four groups over the weekend and given a new tune to arrange. Donning relevant (and not so relevant!) costumes borrowed from the Youth Service’s collection, Bob Volvic and the Skittle Merchants kicked off the groups with their set based on Annie Kissack’s song ‘Carval Chreneash’. They were followed by The Yessirs with ‘Tears for Ireland’ by Ian Allen; Gow Shen (Manx for Take That!) with ‘Cain’s Jig’ – an old tune reconstructed by David Speers; and Tenacious Bree with ‘Hidin’ in the Woods’ by Simone Heath. All groups introduced themselves in both Manx Gaelic and English. Interspersed with the group acts, the audience was treated to a brand new Manx dance, freshly composed just that afternoon under Nichola’s tutelage; the song-writing group performed their gritty new ballad losing your way in life to the tune of ‘Arrane gyn Fockleyn’ by Sharon Christian; and Matt Kelly’s composing class performed a wonderful new Hop tu naa melody. The grand finale was a spectacular group improvisation led by tutor Laura Rowles. Students and tutors were tasked with creating 8 bars of melody, accompaniment and percussion based around a Hungarian folk scale. When all of the groups and dancers met again to join the improvised sections together, the end of result was bree-lliant!

Bree is organised by the Manx Heritage Foundation music team, with the fantastic support of Fiona Helleur at the Douglas Youth Arts Centre. As well as coming together at large-scale workshops like this, Bree meets one Saturday afternoon each month for an informal music session, they perform at community events all over the Island and busk for local charities. New members are always welcome. Bree also has its own snazzy new website designed by talented young members Daniel Quayle and Isla Callister. Check it out at: http://www.breeiom.tk/ For more details on Bree, email Chloë  or telephone 695787.

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