Barefoot News

Let them sing- a Vocal Celebration for Plymouth

On Thursday 15th November a massed Youth choir drawn from schools and colleges from all across the city performed in the Roland Levinsky Building at the University of Plymouth. This event, a collaboration between Peninsula Arts and Plymouth Youth Music Service and supported by the Dorset Foundation, also included the Plymouth Youth Concert Band and musicians from Plymouth Music Zone.

The climax of the event was the first performance by around 500 young musicians of a commissioned composition by Simon Dobson, European Composer of the Year, 2005, who is now resident in Plymouth. The new composition "Setting Sail" is an anthemic piece song reflecting on the past and looking forward to a bright new future for Plymouth. The musicians were conducted by Simon Dobson and the event was re-screened the next day to enable the young people to view it.

Respect Festival 2007

The 10th Plymouth Respect Festival burst on to soggy streets at the end of October, with Barefoot coordinating the young people's parade and pre-parade workshops. Despite horrendous weather, over 60 children took part on the day, but over 200 from 8 city primary schools enjoyed preparatory arts workshops, ranging from Scottish Dance to carnival costume.

In Devonport, inspired by Plymouth Pipe band’s participation, Scottish-born dancer Colin Sangster worked with Yr 3s to 5s from Marlborough, Morice Town, Mount Wise and St Joseph’s Catholic Primary. Lipson Community College hosted parade puppet workshops for Highfield Primary and Hyde Park Junior and Stiltskin weaved their carnival costume magic with children from St Andrews C of E and Holy Cross Catholic primaries.

As the rain lashed down, Barefoot created an indoor parade in the main Respect marquee and viewers of Westcountry News will have seen the children march to a unique fusion of live Scottish, Indian Bhangra and Thai music! Our thanks go to DRC Partnerships and Plymouth REC for funding support. Despite the weather this year’s Respect was the most vibrant yet, linking communities and cultures in a great day out!

World Wide Wednesday 2007

Parkside School’s 4th global awareness arts day took place at the end of October. This year the students tried their hands at activities such as global graffiti, African music with Tamala (courtesy of 'Live Music Now' and PMZ), street dance with Street Factory, art with Xiao Bai Li and global issue-themed 'play in a day' with the Barbican Theatre.

Involving the whole school and devised in collaboration with the students, World Wide Wednesday culminated in an afternoon show at Devonport Playhouse, where front-of-house, backstage and lighting were run by Parkside pupils, with ‘sound’ support from Plymouth Music Zone.

Our thanks to Parkside students and staff, the artists and other providers, WWW funders DRC Partnerships, Devonport Playhouse and last but not least, Parkside’s Gill Borbon for her tireless organising.

Big Arts Market

The Big Arts Market brightened early October with a splash of colour in Plymouth Guildhall as over 40 artists, arts organisations and arts users displayed their wares for teachers and other educators

Born from a pilot event held as part of 2005's Art of Inclusion, BAM 2007 saw its attendance double compared to last year's figure and Mill Ford School broke all records by arriving en masse with 14 staff!

Visitors were able to meet and find out about a whole range of arts education providers from Plymouth and beyond, including Plymouth Music Zone, Bigfoot Theatre, Maggie Squire, Katie White, Attik Dance and Stiltskin.

We’ve already started to plan for 2008’s event and would like to hear your views on BAM, including venue location and anything we can change or add to make it more useful to exhibitors and visitors.

Saltram Project

At the end of the summer term the first year of the Schools’ Partnership Project initiated by Barefoot and the National Trust held its exhibition and celebration event at Saltram House. Lipson Community College created a fantastic display inspired by weekly art sessions at Saltram, including textiles, fashion and painting stretching through many rooms. Down in the cellars the school jazz band entertained 45 parents and guests as they arrived and later they were treated to singing on the main staircase and even a Lipson-baked Saltram cake. Hele’s School is now partnering Lipson in this exciting project which enables young people to explore the house and gardens’ potential for creative inspiration.