Priory Farm Music Camp: Eva aged 10

Thanks to Universal Edition I was able to go to Priory Farm Music Camp this summer. It was the first
time I was away from home on my own, not knowing anybody else, for a whole week! I soon met a lot of
friends because we were living in tents and had a lot of time in the evenings to talk. A typical day at
Priory Farm was quite busy.
We had breakfast at 8.45 followed by the percussion group. We were all, 42 children, practising rhythms
in few different groups at the same time. It was challenging at times to remember all different rhythms
because at the final concert we all played simultaneously.
After that we all went to our chamber groups ensembles. There were a few brass groups, a woodwind
group, a harp and a piano. I was in one of the string groups. There were four people including me
playing violin and our teacher Megan played the cello. I was the only one in our group working towards
grade 3 the others had already passed it so it was quite a high standard for me to work towards. We
were working on Vivaldi"s 'Spring' from 'Four Seasons'. We only had six days of practice together before
we played for our parents in the final concert. Even my Granny came!
During our day, after the break, we had choir practice where we practised harmonies. Our teacher used
a system called Sol-Fa where we used hand signs to help us. One of the pieces we practised was 'Going
Home'; from Dvorak's New World Symphony.
After the choir we all played together in an orchestra. It was a very exciting and interesting experience
because until then I only ever played in a string group and with my teacher playing piano. In the final
concert we managed to play 'Summer stomp'; and 'Sateenkaari' which is a traditional Finnish song (it
means rainbow). It was challenging as our group had children from 6 to 12 years of age.
Priory Farm Music Camp was absolutely amazing! It was a fantastic opportunity to expand my musical
abilities, there is so much more to music than just half an hour lesson in my Primary School every week. I
would like to thank Universal Edition so much for their generous help and making it possible for me to
take part.
Eva (10)