UK Musical Duo Continue to Pioneer Music for Children Despite the Current Trend in UK Schools to Push It Aside in Favour of More Trendy Subjects"

UK Musical Duo Continue To Pioneer Music For Children Despite The Current Trend In UK Schools To Push It Aside In Favour Of More Trendy Subjects". Submitted by: Pat Tynan Media Monday, 24 October 2005

Simon Mayor & Hilary James www.acousticsrecords.co.uk + www.mandolin.co.uk “UK Musical duo continue to pioneer music for children despite the current climate in UK schools to push it aside in favour of more trendy subjects”. Children’s Favourites Over seventy minutes of musical fun and sketches from the classics to original and traditional songs and tunes for all ages. A dazzling array of real instruments are featured including fiddles, mandolins, guitars, banjos, ukuleles, percussion and much more. Simon Mayor is one of the worlds leading mandolin virtuosos and composers for the instrument as well as a fine guitarist, fiddle player and wit. Hilary James elegant singing has graced radio playlists from Los Angeles to Latvia. She is also known for her unlikely taste in bass instruments especially the giant mandobass. Throughout their careers they have maintained a keen interest in providing music for children presenting and writing songs for BBC TV and schools radio for six years and visiting schools to present their shows for children. Tracks: 1. The Turkish Toetapper 2. The Snowman’s Song 3. A Magpie Sitting On A Broken Chair 4. The Spider In The Shed 5. Ostinato - St Pauls Suite 6. Sketch Simon’s Doorbell 7. My Bike 8. The Slippery Slimy Trout 9. The Road To Banbury 10. Sleepy Sheep 11. Sketch Pink Flying Elephants 12.A Flock Of Fat Flamingoes 13. Give Me Drum 14.Lavenders Blue 15. Sally Ann Johnson 16.The Farmyard Tango 17.Gobble Gobble Gobble 18. Mattachins From The Carol Suite 19. Clickety Clack 20. Fais Dodo 21. King Canute At Cleethorpes 22. Hornpike 23. Sketch of, A Nice Cup of Tea 24. Granny Had A Washboard 25 Sketch of, At The Market 26. Sketch of, Time To Go Home 28. Midsummer Market 29.Vivaldis Concerto For Mandolin 1st Movement. Children’s Music Hilary James and Simon Mayor are well known for their pioneering work in schools via their programmes for junior (5 to 11) and senior (12 to 18) school children. They are staunch defenders of music for children at a time when the subject is disappearing from the school curriculum. The Musical Mystery Tour show for five to eleven year olds is an hour of songs, music, fun, participation and information, introducing a variety of stringed instruments. Many of the songs were originally written for BBC TV and Radio schools music education programmes. The lyrics and musical content fulfil many

Page 1 National Curriculum requirements for language and literacy, music and creativity. For children in senior education Hilary & Simon present illustrated talks, concerts and workshops covering many aspects of the National Curriculum with musical styles ranging from classical to traditional folk, blues, ragtime and swing. A variety of instruments are introduced to pupils including the unusual family of mandolin instruments (mandolin, mandola, mandocello and mandobass), violin, guitar, banjo and double bass. Amongst the subjects that Hilary and Simon cover include songwriting, composing, arranging, recording, music in the media and music for dance. Hilary James & Simon Mayor Hilary James was one of the first musicians to set up her own label back in 1979, and has since released a total of twenty two albums, as well as a catalogue of best selling music books and videos with long-time partner, Britain's leading mandolin virtuoso Simon Mayor. Indeed their names are usually mentioned in the same breath: they have played on each other's albums and run bands together since the mid 70s. Bands like Slim Panatella and the Mellow Virginians, Mandolinquents and, going back to their first student band, Spredthick gained them early national acclaim with headlines in the Melody Maker, an appearance on the main stage at the Cambridge Festival and first place in a national music competition. They have gone on to appear at festivals and concerts across the globe from Seattle to Singapore. Quintessentially English, they easily cross the great musical divides from British ballads to blues and Berlioz. If they have a speciality, it's an ability to perform a truly diverse array of music with respect and affection held together by humourous introductions. There can’t be many performers who slide easily from a beautifully evocative Irish ballad into a mandolin and guitar version of Handel’s Arrival of the Queen of Sheba and then have the audience singing one of their own notorious comic songs, but it’s this wry humour and an easy informal stage manner that holds it all together. Possessed of "one of Britain's finest voices" Hilary is also a fine instrumentalist, self-taught on double bass and guitar, who rarely appears these days without her amazing mandobass. Whilst Hilary has the vision driving the business, Simon is the technical brains behind the Acoustics studio where they produce most of their output for the label. Back in 1976, with a degree in Fine Art and a post graduate teaching qualification, Hilary decided to pursue a career in music. Following their early success they went on to present and write for BBC music education programmes for six years and have since written over sixty songs for children producing five albums in their Musical Mystery Tour series.

Page 2 Although Hilary chose music first she is still a keen artist and illustrator her cartoons adorn the covers of the Musical Mystery Tour CDs. She is currently working on a series of illustrations for a Musical Mystery Tour children's picture book for publication in 2005 She and Simon are determined to maintain a keen involvement in music education for children, performing in schools whenever possible. In 1992, Faber Music published a book of their songs which Hilary illustrated. Catalogue (Current albums listed only see web-site for extensive twenty album discography) CDACS 047 Hilary James & Simon Mayor Laughing at the Moon CDACS 049 Simon Mayor and Hilary James Lullabies with Mandolins Research Hilary James http://www.folksong.co.uk Simon Mayor http://www.mandolin.co.uk Acoustic Records http://www.acousticsrecords.co.uk Children’s Music http://www.childrensmusic.co.uk Tour Dates: October 2005: Fri 28. Alderton Village Hall, Gloucestershire Sat 29. Westcote St Mary's Church, Gloucestershire November 2005: Tues 1. Huntingdon Hall, Crowngate, Worcester WR1 3LD. Box Office 01905 611427 Fri 4. Bibury Village Hall, Bibury, Gloucestershire GL7 5ND Box Office 01287 740021 Sat 12. Ilkley Playhouse, Weston Road, Ilkley, Yorks LS29 8DW Box office 01943 609539 Tickets £10 Doors Wed 16. New Theatre, Friars Gate, Exeter, Devon EX2 4AZ Box Office: 01392 277189 Tickets £12 Doors Sat 19. Sonning, Eye and Dunsden Village Hall, Dunsden Green, Reading, Berkshire RG4 9QG Box Office Tel: 0118 9478812 Tue 22. Reading, Hexagon Theatre, Queens Walk, Reading, Berks RG1 7UA Box Office: 0118 960 6060 SOLD OUT Guests of E Berkshire Schools Choir. The children will be singing a selection from the Musical Mystery Tour songbook by Hilary and Simon

Page 3 Sat 26. Buriton Village Hall, Briton, Hants GU31 5RX Box Office 01730 266822 Doors 7.30 p.m. More dates for Jan Feb March 2006 at http://www.acousticsrecords.co.uk/mandolin/tours.html

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