Competition: meet Jacqueline Wilson

To celebrate Scottish Book Trust’s next Meet Our Authors broadcast on 27 January 2011, they are offering one lucky child the chance to meet Jacqueline Wilson, be part of the live audience at the BBC studios, have their very own short story published in the Sunday Herald, and win £100 worth of contemporary children’s books for their school!

Here’s how to enter <http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/childrens-authors-live/meet-jacqueline-wilson-competition>

LensHead: Pupils sink their teeth into film-making

North Lanarkshire Council’s LensHeads project, an intensive introduction to film-making which started in 2003 as a fun class mainly for pupils of Bellshill Academy. It has since grown to a point where 50 to 60 pupils aged 15 to 18 make four short films over a year, with help from professional film-makers.

The course now offers Scottish Qualifications Authority certification, and there are animation, sound and make-up offshoots. See the TESS article here.

Hertie Querty at GOMA, 3 November – 1 May

Hertie = jovial, cheerful and merry; querty = brimming with fun and mischief. If you are a teacher and that sounds like your class this year, bring them along to the Gallery of Modern Art, whose show for autumn highlights the most fun elements of the permanent collection.

Among others, there’s a huge chairs-and-handbags sculpture by Jim Lambie, and pictures of a child pulling funny expressions by Roni Horn. “The show is ideally suited to school groups, and we can provide programmes aimed at under-fives, primary and secondary groups,” says learning assistant Jen Sinclair. “A lot of the pieces in the show explore portraiture, and we work with the children to look at how artists convey expression. We try to unpack portraits too – what is an artist trying to tell us with a portrait?”

Workshops are free for Glasgow schools, and no more than £35 for school parties from other areas.

Special Announcement from Drake Music Scotland…

Drake Music Scotland is one of only twenty organisations in the UK to be chosen to commission a piece of music for New Music 20×12 which will feature centre stage at the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Included in the list announced on Friday by PRS for Music Foundation (see below), Drake Music Scotland has commissioned composer Oliver Searle to write ‘Technophonia’ which will be scored for a new kind of ensemble that brings together cutting edge music interfaces.  Oliver Searle’s music will inspire the young musicians to combine their individual talents to achieve a unique team performance, which will challenge how the audience defines musical instruments and performing musicians.

Read full story http://drakemusicscotland.org/new-music-20-x-12/

Figurenotes Conference

Last week, Glasgow City Hall’s Old Fruitmarket venue was packed with teachers, educators, musicians and policy makers wanting to find out more about Figurenotes, a simple music notation system that uses colours and symbols instead of notes.

The Figurenotes conference was organized by Drake Music Scotland, the Scottish partner in an international network of music educators using Figurenotes to make music making accessible to a range of user groups including SEN music, Early Years and those with Autistic Spectrum disorder.

‘Making music should be a basic human right – Figurenotes is helping to place the joy and delight of making music in reach of all.’

Markku Kaikkonen and Kaarlo Uusitalo, Figurenotes creators

Presentations from inspiring teachers like Annona Thornton from Lilybank school, made evident the powerful impact the system has for children and young people – they find it easy to use and can quickly achieve and make progress, which in turn helps build confidence, motivation and communication skills. Figurenotes not only supports one to one teaching, it also allows differentiation within shared group activity.

Drake has been trialling Figurenotes Software with 40 people, and is using their feedback to develop the software before rolling it out nationally to Scotland’s music educators in 2011. Information on the software and a Figurenotes Resource pack will be available early next term.

In the iCompose session, Conference delegates had an opportunity to try out Figurenotes, creating short compositions which were played back to them by professional musicians from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Drake Music Scotland is working in partnership with Scottish Chamber Orchestra on the iCompose competition, which this year includes a Special Needs Category. For more information on the competition and how to enter visit www.icompose.org

Drake Music Scotland is one of ten Scottish arts organisations awarded funding to deliver a Co-Create project for Glow.

Creative Learning ideas for use in the Classroom

The Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art has created a series of free downloadable resources for teachers, in response to four of the commissions at the 2010 Festival including that of Susan Philipsz the 2010 Turner Prize winner.

Investigating the work of Claire Barclay, Alice Channer, Jim Lambie and Susan Philipsz, each resource includes suggested activities, discussion questions, images and art term glossary as well as background info on the artist’s practice.  These resources have been aimed at S2 students, though much of the content could be adapted to apply to P7, S1, S3, S4 and S5.  These resources will be available on the “LEARN” section of  The GI Festival website http://www.glasgowinternational.org/index.php/events/learn

Glasgow-born artist wins The Turner Prize 2010

Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art (GI) extends warmest congratulations to Susan Philipsz on winning The Turner Prize 2010. Glasgow-born and Berlin-based, Susan was nominated for the prize for the presentation of her work Lowlands at Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art 2010.

Katrina Brown, Director of the Festival said:
“We are completely thrilled to see Susan awarded the Turner Prize and delighted to hear so many people talking about the amazing work – made here in and for Glasgow – for which she was nominated. She is a truly significant artist who has had a tremendous year: we are very proud and pleased to have worked with her at this moment in her career. The recognition this work has achieved is testament to its reach far beyond the city.”

View Lowlands presentation in Glasgow by clicking here.

Inspired? Get writing! Creative writing competition

Enjoy creative writing?  Not sure where to start? A look at some of the thousands of amazing works of art from the national collection is a great place to begin.

Inspired? Get writing! creative writing competition is now in its sixth year. It is a joint venture between the National Galleries of Scotland, the Scottish Poetry Library and The English-Speaking Union, supported by the Scotsman. There are five categories for school pupils and adults: under 12; 12-14; 15-18. Entries can be in the form of prose or poetry but should be no longer than 1,000 words.

The closing date is Friday 21 January 2011. An award ceremony with public readings of the winning works will take place on 21 April 2011.

For full details of how to enter please download the rules and entry form from the National Galleries of Scotland website (link to http://www.nationalgalleries.org/education/competition/6:3740/19851/)