Following the successful launch of The Seven Hills Project earlier this year, we're delighted to be working with three secondary schools for the next stage of the project. Culloden Academy in Highland, Garnock Academy in North Ayrshire and Paisley Grammar School in Renfrewshire are taking part in a unique peer-to-peer, school-to-school musical project orchestrated by St Mary's Music School, in partnership with composer Jay Capperauld.
A two-year cultural endeavour, The Seven Hills Project brings together the literary genius of Alexander McCall Smith, who has written a collection of seven poems based on the character of the seven hills of Edinburgh, and seven composers, who have been commissioned to each write a musical response to one of the hills and the corresponding poem.
Yet, while originating in the topography of Edinburgh, the project is now expanding into secondary schools outside the capital through workshops and performance, where pupils can develop their musical ideas into compositions that take their inspiration from a more local landmark.
Once complete, the pupils’ work will be performed and recorded by the young musicians of St Mary’s Music School.
From this month through to the end of the year, pupils from all three schools will attend a series of online and live compositional workshops with Scots composer, Jay Capperauld, who created the inaugural work for The Seven Hills Project based on Arthur’s Seat, alongside Head of Strings and director of The Seven Hills Project, Valerie Pearson, and senior pupils.
In the first online workshop this month, through conversation with Jay and with several videos made by St Mary’s Music School pupils, the young composers will be taken through how to get started, what they need to know about the instruments they will be composing for and how to trust in their own creativity. St Mary’s Music School pupils will be ready to answer the young composers’ questions and offer demonstrations on their instruments, live, in the online meeting.
At the end of the first session, the young composers will be tasked to compose a 1–2-minute work for one or a combination of the piano, clarinet and cello, while the school can continue to access the videos and other teaching resources to support their progress.
Live, classroom sessions are planned for January 2022 during which three St Mary’s Music School pupils will perform the early drafts of new works created by their peers at Garnock, Paisley and Culloden and provide feedback, alongside Jay Capperauld.
In March 2022, pupils from all three schools will attend a day long workshop hosted by St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh, followed by the concert of everyone’s work.
Dr Valerie Pearson, Head of Strings at St Mary’s Music School said: “Jay’s passion for composition is contagious and we’re delighted that he will be leading this project. We have deliberately designed the project to provide leadership opportunities for the young musicians, and in having the regional composers working with St Mary’s Music School instrumentalists there are fantastic opportunities for peer group learning and collaboration as the new compositions develop throughout the year.”
And Gerard Hennan, Teacher of Music and Music Technology at Paisley Grammar School added: “As a department, we are always looking for new ways to engage our young people in composition. Many of the pupils come from different musical backgrounds which in itself provides a diverse array of ideas and stimuli. However, this will be the first time that many of them have had the opportunity to compose and hear their ideas performed live by like-minded peers.”
Pupils Amelia, Alexander and Alex take part in the peer-to-peer composition workshop.