Animateur

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An animateur is a musical professional whose role is to engage audiences with a new or unfamiliar form of music, [1] "bringing it to life" beyond what might be expected in a traditional performance.

Music form of art using sound

Music is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound organized in time. General definitions of music include common elements such as pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture. Different styles or types of music may emphasize, de-emphasize or omit some of these elements. Music is performed with a vast range of instruments and vocal techniques ranging from singing to rapping; there are solely instrumental pieces, solely vocal pieces and pieces that combine singing and instruments. The word derives from Greek μουσική . See glossary of musical terminology.

The role of animateur developed from the French concept of "animation socio-culturelle" and first became established in the 1980s as musical outreach activities were being formalised in the UK. [2] Because the role has roots in the United Kingdom, [3] they are most common in the English-speaking world.

While an animateur is likely to have some skill in performance (with voice or instrument), conducting, teaching and possibly composition or arrangement, their principal role is to assist the communication of the performers and the audience. If working with a symphony orchestra, for instance, they might accomplish this through running participatory workshops to introduce audience members to aspects of the music to be performed, or by facilitating dialogue between performers and audience members.

There are animateurs in a wide number of musical styles. While they are probably most common in classical music, they also work in jazz, gamelan and some forms of African traditional music. Often they are employed by an orchestra, concert hall or music education service, though some also work freelance accepting commissions from groups or organisations for a specific occasion. Animateurs also work with children (where the discipline can approach a form of musical youth work) as well as adults. Possibly the best known animateur in the United Kingdom is Gareth Malone, who for some years ran the youth and community choirs at the London Symphony Orchestra's music education center, LSO St Luke's prior to applying the same skills in a series of television programmes.

Classical music broad tradition of Western art music

Classical music is art music produced or rooted in the traditions of Western culture, including both liturgical (religious) and secular music. While a more precise term is also used to refer to the period from 1750 to 1820, this article is about the broad span of time from before the 6th century AD to the present day, which includes the Classical period and various other periods. The central norms of this tradition became codified between 1550 and 1900, which is known as the common-practice period. The major time divisions of Western art music are as follows:

Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, United States, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and developed from roots in blues and ragtime. Jazz is seen by many as "America's classical music". Since the 1920s Jazz Age, jazz has become recognized as a major form of musical expression. It then emerged in the form of independent traditional and popular musical styles, all linked by the common bonds of African-American and European-American musical parentage with a performance orientation. Jazz is characterized by swing and blue notes, call and response vocals, polyrhythms and improvisation. Jazz has roots in West African cultural and musical expression, and in African-American music traditions including blues and ragtime, as well as European military band music. Intellectuals around the world have hailed jazz as "one of America's original art forms".

Gamelan Indonesian traditional ensemble

Gamelan is the traditional ensemble music of Java and Bali in Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments. The most common instruments used are metallophones played by mallets and a set of hand-played drums called kendhang which register the beat. Other instruments include xylophones, bamboo flutes, a bowed instrument called a rebab, and even vocalists called sindhen.

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Orchestra large instrumental ensemble

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Conducting directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures

Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary duties of the conductor are to interpret the score in a way which reflects the specific indications in that score, set the tempo, ensure correct entries by ensemble members, and "shape" the phrasing where appropriate. Conductors communicate with their musicians primarily through hand gestures, usually with the aid of a baton, and may use other gestures or signals such as eye contact. A conductor usually supplements their direction with verbal instructions to their musicians in rehearsal.

Music of Cyprus

The music of Cyprus includes a variety of traditional, Western classical and Western popular genres. Cypriot traditional music is similar to the traditional music of Greece and includes dances like sousta, syrtos, ballos, tatsia, antikristos, Karotseris and zeimbekiko.

Rehearsal practice performance

A rehearsal is an activity in the performing arts that occurs as preparation for a performance in music, theatre, dance and related arts, such as opera, musical theatre and film production. It is undertaken as a form of practising, to ensure that all details of the subsequent performance are adequately prepared and coordinated. The term "rehearsal" typically refers to ensemble activities undertaken by a group of people. For example, when a musician is preparing a piano concerto in their music studio, this is called "practicing", but when they practice the concerto with an orchestra, this is called a "rehearsal". The music rehearsal takes place in a music rehearsal space.

The music of Baltimore, the largest city in Maryland, can be documented as far back as 1784, and the city has become a regional center for Western classical music and jazz. Early Baltimore was home to popular opera and musical theatre, and an important part of the music of Maryland, while the city also hosted several major music publishing firms until well into the 19th century, when Baltimore also saw the rise of native musical instrument manufacturing, specifically pianos and woodwind instruments. African American music existed in Baltimore during the colonial era, and the city was home to vibrant black musical life by the 1860s. Baltimore's African American heritage to the start of the 20th century included ragtime and gospel music. By the end of that century, Baltimore jazz had become a well-recognized scene among jazz fans, and produced a number of local performers to gain national reputations. The city was a major stop on the African American East Coast touring circuit, and it remains a popular regional draw for live performances. Baltimore has produced a wide range of modern rock, punk and metal bands and several indie labels catering to a variety of audiences.

The National Youth Orchestras of Scotland (NYOS) provides a complete orchestral experience for its students aged between 8 and 25, through its pathway of orchestras, jazz bands, training ensembles and outreach programmes.

The Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, commonly known as the ASYO, is an organization featuring Atlanta's young instrumentalists, created in 1974. Every September, about 650 middle to high school instrumentalists go through one or more auditions for places in the ASYO. Only about 120 will be selected to participate in the season.

Lynnette Seah Mei Tsing is an internationally acclaimed Singaporean violinist serving as co-leader of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) as the only musician to have performed full-time with the SSO since 1979 – a position she is holding on at the Symphony together with Alexander Souptel. She is also a recipient of the Cultural Medallion for Music in 2006 and has performed for Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan.

Boston Philharmonic Orchestra non-profit organisation in the USA

The Boston Philharmonic Orchestra is a semi-professional orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1979 by conductor Benjamin Zander.

Kshetram vadyam is the ritual music of South India. This is the main traditional music of Kerala state. It is a percussion dominated music.

String section section of a larger symphony orchestra composed of string musicians

The string section is composed of bowed instruments belonging to the violin family. It normally consists of first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. It is the most numerous group in the typical Classical orchestra. In discussions of the instrumentation of a musical work, the phrase "the strings" or "and strings" is used to indicate a string section as just defined. An orchestra consisting solely of a string section is called a string orchestra. Smaller string sections are sometimes used in jazz, pop and rock music and in the pit orchestras of musical theatre.

The West Michigan Symphony (WMS) is a widely recognized professional orchestra and leader in West Michigan's cultural community. The West Michigan Symphony is a professional orchestra made up of 60 core professional musicians, performing at the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts in Muskegon, Michigan. The current Music Director/Conductor is Scott Speck. The Orchestra performs 8 concerts annually many with guest artists, playing a variety of music.

Youth orchestra orchestra made of young musicians

A youth orchestra is an orchestra made of young musicians, typically ranging from pre-teens or teenagers to those in their mid-20s. Because young children do not usually start playing double bass until a later age than those playing the smaller instruments, double bass players in youth orchestras tend to be in the early to mid-20s. The typical youth orchestra involves members from across an entire city or town. In some cases, there are national youth orchestras, which consist of the best young musicians in a country, as determined by auditions. More rarely, there may even be international youth orchestras. Youth orchestras are led by an adult conductor who is often a music teacher or orchestral musician. In addition to leading the rehearsals and performances, the conductor teaches orchestral playing techniques, performance practice and music ensemble skills to the children and youth.

Quad City Symphony Orchestra

The Quad City Symphony Orchestra (QCSO) is a United States symphony orchestra based in Davenport, Iowa, and representing the Quad Cities area. The current music director and conductor is Mark Russell Smith. Established in 1916, the orchestra has a full season, performing six masterwork series concerts, three pops concerts, and five signature series chamber concerts. The 96-member orchestra principally performs at two venues: the Adler Theater, located in downtown Davenport, and Centennial Hall on the campus of Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. The Riverfront Pops Concert in early September is held at the W.D. Petersen Memorial Music Pavilion in LeClaire Park on the Davenport riverfront. Its Holiday Pops Concert is performed at the Adler Theater. The signature series concerts are held in a more intimate setting, often in Augustana's Wallenberg Hall. It also maintains five ensembles for local youth and conducts extensive outreach in area schools.

Since 1994 the finest pre-professional youth orchestras of Europe have been working closely together and have formed an association known as the European Federation of National Youth Orchestras (EFNYO). With its 38 member organisations to date, EFNYO provides a platform for the exchange of expertise in music training and performance between the leading national and international youth orchestras of Europe and takes over responsibility for skilling future generations of musicians. In this regard, the Federation truly benefits from its unique position at the interface of higher music education and the music profession.

Ensemble librarianship is an area of music librarianship which specializes in serving the needs of musical ensembles, including symphony and chamber orchestras, opera houses, ballet companies, wind ensembles and educational institutions. Ensemble librarians acquire printed music and prepare it for performance.

Maureen May is an American cellist and conductor. She resides in the Orlando, Florida area and is a noted cellist in the region and co-founder and artistic director of the Metropolitan Area Youth Symphony.

Tar (Azerbaijani instrument)

The Azerbaijani tar and the skills related to this tradition play a significant role in shaping the cultural identity of Azerbaijanis. The Tar is a long-necked plucked lute, traditionally crafted and performed in communities throughout the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Iranian Azerbaijan region. The tar features alone or with other instruments in numerous traditional musical styles. It also considered by many to be the country’s leading musical instrument.

References

  1. ↑ "Animateur". Media Match. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  2. ↑ Higgins, Lee (2012-07-09). Community Music: In Theory and In Practice. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN   9780199777839.
  3. ↑ "An Animateur's Journey: A report from the field". Polyphonic. 17 September 2007.
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