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Site re-designed July 2008
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Activities & Notices
Saturday, 26th September - The National Youth Folklore Troupe of England

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NYFTE come to Devon.
The National Youth Folklore Troupe of England, at the invitation of Devon Folk, came to perform in Newton Abbot on Saturday, 26th September. NYFTE is made up of multi-talented young people from 10-18 years, who can lead workshops, dance, sing & play instruments & perform to an exceptionally high standard.Their hour & a half concert kept the audience enthralled. A dedicated team of adults, led by Director, Dave Leverton, work tirelessly behind the scenes to enable these young people to perform with such energy & enthusiasm & hopefully, maintain our folk traditions for the future. Performers in the afternoon Showcase of Devon Folk Teams included, Thomas & Danny from The Devon Squeezebox Foundation, Dartington Junior Morris, Florence Head, Broom Dancer, The Stick Youth Band, Firestone Youth Appalachian Team. All performed to a high standard & proved we have some very talented young people within Devon & also dedicated adults prepared to give their time to train them. Two Devon boys were successful in auditioning for The National Youth Folklore Troupe of England, Nathanael & Matthew, both members of Dartington Junior Morris & we look forward to hearing more from them once their training starts. Rhodri Davies, with musicians Russell & Ollie, called the dances during the afternoon & in the evening was supported by NYFTE musicians.
The Playford Music Workshop

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The second Playford Music Workshop was held on 29th November, 2008, at St. Michael’s Hall, Kingsteignton. The event was organised by Mary Marker on behalf of Devon Folk, & was a most successful & enjoyable day with about 25 musicians attending.

Dave Brown, from Wiltshire, led the workshop again, building on the foundations set during the first workshop back in January. Dave is a fine fiddle player & takes the lead in the bands ConTradition, & Skylark. He has made several CDs & has a real understanding of folk music in its various forms. He is as happy playing for a Playford Ball as he is for an American Contra Dance or a traditional ceilidh.

Dave, a teacher by profession, used all his professional skills to bring out the best in the musicians so that all felt a great sense of achievement at the end of the day. For this workshop, dancers had been invited to attend the last session of the day so that the musicians could experience the pleasure (& pressure!) of playing for a dance. Dave had researched the dances thoroughly & knew just how to rehearse the music to compliment the dance sequences, so that during the afternoon, both musicians & dancers got the maximum satisfaction from each dance. The dances were well taught & led by Jean Foster.

Devon Folk hopes that as a result of the two Playford Music Workshops so far held, many more musicians will come to know & enjoy the wealth of beautiful tunes dating back to the early 17th century & to also enjoy the new tunes that are being composed for specific dances today.

Anne Gill, Chairman of Devon Folk, thanked Dave for again giving up part of his weekend to lead the workshop & for all the preparation that led up to the event. She thanked everyone who had supported the event & contributed to its success.

Patricia Reid

Stick Youth Band, (StickY-B)
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The beginning of 2009, saw the start of an exciting new project in the Tiverton/Willand area of Devon. Under the guidance of Sue Rivett, a peripatetic music teacher & fiddle player in the band “Stick the Fiddle”, a new youth folk band was formed.

On Friday, 15th May, Stick Youth Band, (StickY-B) together with some parents & Stick the Fiddle, played for a Family Folk Dance Party in Ash Thomas Village Hall. Approaching almost Ceilidh band proportions, ten fiddlers, mandolin, guitar, cello, two double basses & euphonium took to the stage.

Aileen Wills, with all her knowledge & experience, was able to guide the families & friends through the dances & even taught a Devon Broom Dance to some enthusiastic dancers. Brooms will never be quite the same for many families in future!

Throughout the evening, StickY-B played confidently & their music was great to dance to. Sue is continuing to build up their repertoire by producing books of tunes & CDs for them.

Why not follow the example of Willand & Gittisham Folk Dance Clubs & invite these young people to play for your club? They are well worth the encouragement & you will thoroughly enjoy their music. Ring Bruce on 01884 243295 or eMail eMail

At a time when we are all complaining of the lack of young people in our clubs, Sue, with the backing of her band members, Bruce & Greta & some very supportive parents, is working hard to do something about that. From what I observed, these young people have found something very worthwhile in our traditional folk dancing & music & are interested in finding out more.

Three girls from Stick-YB, Charlotte, Maggie & Grace, are auditioning on 26th September at Newton Abbot, to become members of The National Youth Folklore Troupe of England. We wish them luck. I personally think NYFTE will be very fortunate to have them in the troupe!

Patricia Reid
Wren Trust - Devon Roots Project

After Easter 2010, Devon’s folk and community arts development charity Wren Music is set to launch three new weekly folk music workshops for young people aged from 8 to 13 during term time. The Devon Roots project offers a great way for young ones to take their first steps in playing - and to make new friends through music. No experience of folk music is needed, and no music reading is required. Acoustic instruments will be provided for those who don't have their own.£25 for 10 weeks, £12.50 for 5 weeks, or £3.50 per week.

Dartmoor Youth Roots Band will meet at Church House, South Tawton, near Okehampton, EX20 2LQ on Mondays from 6.00 to 7.30pm from 19th April. See poster>

South Molton Youth Roots Band will meet at South Molton Community College, Old Alswear Road, South Molton, EX36 4LA on Mondays from 4.00 to 5.30pm Mondays from 17th May.

Torrington Youth Roots Band will meet at Great Torrington Community School, Calvesford Road, Great Torrington, EX38 7DJ on Tuesdays from 4.00 to 5.30pm Tuesdays from 18th May.

In Autumn Term 2010 a further regular music making workshop group, Roots Acoustic, will be established for thirteen to 18 year olds. It is intended that this group, which will meet at the Beaford Centre, will become skilled as instrumentalists and as peer mentor facilitators for their home locality Youth Roots groups.

The Devon Roots project, which will run over the next eighteen months, has been made possible by support from Youth Music, Arts Council England South West and Devon County Council, following the success of a pilot developed by Wren Music as part of the Mix4Six Music Partnership with Devon Education Services and Devon Music Service. Project partners include, South Molton Community College, Great Torrington Community School, Great Torrington Junior School, Beaford Arts, Devon Folk, Dartmoor Folk Festival and Bideford Folk Festival.
For more information, Visit website > or call 01837 53754.