Norfolk's Chamber Orchestra Anglia

coCOA

coCOA is Chamber Orchestra Anglia's programme for young musicians. The programme is geared towards developing talented young musicians from East Anglia into tomorrow's professional musicians. Opportunities for members are varied, and include:

• orchestral workshops: coCOA members can accelerate their development as orchestral players by performing works side by side with professional musicians under the direction of leading conductors. Jiri Belohlavek and Sir Colin Davis have led recent events.
• invitations to instrument discovery days and music appreciation days
• invitations to participate in chamber music workshops

If you are a keen musician between the ages of 11 and 25, and would like more information about how to become a member of coCOA, please contact us at chamberorchestraanglia@googlemail.com.

Junior Academy of Music (JAM)

As resident orchestra at UEA, Chamber Orchestra Anglia is committed to the development of the existing musical talent in the region. In partnership with UEA we are expanding our existing Young Musicians' Scheme to establish a COA/UEA School of Music Junior Academy of Music (JAM), through which we will develop the individual musical skills and advanced orchestral playing of our brightest and most promising young musicians.

Throughout Autumn 2008, COA and UEA School of Music ran a Pilot Scheme for the COA/UEA Junior Academy of Music programme, funded by the UEA Research, Enterprise & Engagement Office. Five chamber music coaching sessions were held over a three-month period for students who had already achieved an advanced standard on their principal instrument. The orchestral coaching, directed by COA principals, culminated in a final concert performance at St Andrew's Hall, Norwich, in December 2008.

The COA/UEA School of Music Junior Academy of Music will be a platform for chamber ensemble and orchestral coaching; it will challenge and encourage both current and future generations of musicians to embrace new musical experiences. Our aim is to give young musicians the experience of playing in a chamber orchestra environment and to provide them with the transitional skills to prepare them for a career as professional musicians or high-performing amateurs.

We hope that participating in the Academy will inspire those who might not have considered continuing Music into Higher Education. The coaches and artistic development officers involved with the JAM Pilot Scheme have already observed over the course of just 10 weeks the increased confidence of the students and their ability to progress to an advanced performance level in a relatively short space of time. Within a fully-structured Academy we believe that consistent training of such intensity will motivate our students to raise their levels of commitment to Music and, consequently, their aspirations as to what they can achieve in their futures.

Keep checking the COA website for more information about when the JAM initiative will take place.

In Harmony

In Harmony is England's answer to Venezuela's El Sistema, bringing instrumental learning to young people in deprived areas of the country. Three initial projects have been announced, in London, Liverpool and Norwich.

Children as young as four will have instrumental lessons and musicianship classes, leading to the formation of children's orchestras. More importantly, In Harmony aims to nurture children's aspirations, self-esteem, creativity, commitment and teamwork.

The involvement of Chamber Orchestra Anglia and UEA School of Music means that students can work with inspirational and experienced musicians and tutors.

"We are thrilled to be involved in this project. As an organisation we are keen to support the development of young musicians, especially where they do not have opportunity, and to give them the high-quality, structured training they need. Norwich really needs a project of this stature."
Sharon Choa, Conductor and Artistic Director of COA

For more information about the In Harmony initiative please contact Marcus Patteson at NORCA on 01603 400244 or email Marcus@noraarts.co.uk .

Marcus Patteson tells us why he's excited about bringing In Harmony to Norwich.

"The difference between us and the other projects is that we're a community music organisation, we're very much grass roots," says Marcus Patteson from Norwich and Norfolk Community Arts (NORCA). "We're looking to find the marriage between conventional classical music teaching and community music principles.

Norwich & Norfolk Community Arts are using the orchestral model to enhance young people's lives through involvement in learning and playing instruments. The Norwich In Harmony project targets three of the City's most deprived areas, the Earlham, Mile Cross, and Catton Grove areas (with a possible extension into the Bowthorpe area in the second year). It is being led by Norwich & Norfolk Community Arts, in partnership with Future Projects – organisations that have considerable experience of working with deprived communities. The partnership also includes key community organisations, Earlham Early Years Centre, Larkman Primary School, Mile Cross Primary School, Catton Grove Primary School and Catton, Fiddlewood and Milecross Sure Start, offering a strong grounding in early years development.
In addition, the involvement of UEA School of Music and the Chamber Orchestra Anglia offers inspirational and experienced musicians and tutors, and the opportunity to embed the learning through the UEA degree course and the involvement of the students.

Children, as young as four, in some of the most deprived parts of Norwich will be given the opportunity to learn a musical instrument and in time be part of an orchestra, in a bold new project designed to increase ambition and offer a sense of purpose to strengthen communities. The project is inspired by the hugely successful El Sistema project from Venezuela, which uses music, through the model of a Symphony Orchestra, to improve the lives of individuals and communities. In over 30 years, El Sistema has made classical musicians out of half-a-million young Venezuelans and transformed the lives of many underprivileged and at-risk young people.

Norwich, along with Lambeth and Liverpool, has been selected to be part of the In Harmony programme by the In Harmony steering group, chaired by world-renowned cellist Julian Lloyd-Webber. The whole programme is overseen by the DCSF (the government's department for schools, children and families) with £3 million of funding over the initial 2¼ years.

In Harmony will target Mile Cross, Catton Grove and Bowthorpe wards. Marcus Patteson at Norwich & Norfolk Community Arts (NORCA), lead partner in the project, said: "Using the unique power of music making, our aim is to really make a difference in the communities of focus. We want to enthuse and motivate children, families and communities so that children can improve their skills, attainment and 'life-chances', families can improve their well-being, and communities can improve their cohesion and mutual respect. Our approach will seek to combine the best aspects of conventional classical music tuition with those of community music, to generate a truly exciting, engaging and fun programme."

In Harmony will be run as a partnership with a range of established community based creative organisations*, including the Future, UEA School of Music, Chamber Orchestra Anglia, Larkman and Mile Cross Primary Schools. Project Director at Future, Dawn Jackson said: "We know that the arts and music works for hard-to-reach young people, our project is living proof. The classical twist is just another proven way to engage with young people and communities. We look forward to this challenge and helping to grow this new venture with our partners."

In addition, the involvement of UEA School of Music and the Chamber Orchestra Anglia offers inspirational and experienced musicians and tutors, and the opportunity to embed the learning through the UEA degree course and the involvement of the students. Sharon Choa from the Chamber Orchestra Anglia said: "We are thrilled to be involved in this project. As an organisation we are keen to support the development of young musicians, especially where they do not have opportunity, and to give them the high-quality, structured training they need. Norwich really needs a project of this stature."