Whistle Up! is a musical initiative for primary schools by The Sage Gateshead and www.tuned-in.org . It supports the Wider Opportunities initiative at KS2, and aims to develop children's confidence, competence and enthusiasm through performing together as members of a folk ensemble.
Get involved with a free introduction to the Penny Whistle, followed by the opportunity to take part in a Video- conferencing whistle workshop with Kat Davidson and friends, provided by Northern Grid for Learning on the 15th June 2009.
Start learning how to play the whistle with your class: Units 1 and 2 are available now on www.tuned-in.org
Whistle Up! is a musical initiative for primary schools by The Sage Gateshead and www.tuned-in.org . It supports the Wider Opportunities initiative at KS2, and aims to develop children's confidence, competence and enthusiasm through performing together as members of a folk ensemble.
Get involved with a free introduction to the Penny Whistle, followed by the opportunity to take part in a Video- conferencing whistle workshop with Kat Davidson and friends, provided by Northern Grid for Learning on the 15th June 2009.
Start learning how to play the whistle with your class: Units 1 and 2 are available now on www.tuned-in.org
Click below to meet Kat
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Kat’s biography:
Kat grew up in rural Northumberland and had planned on doing a chemistry degree but fell in love with folk music at 16 and decided that the Folk and Traditional Music degree at Newcastle University was the right choice for her. During her degree she had whistle teachers including Brian Finnegan, Joey Oliver, Desi Wilkinson and Anxo Lorenzo as well as being lectured by Kathryn Tickell, Sandra Kerr and Alistair Anderson. She was a finalist in the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award, and was filmed for Howard Goodall's 'How Music Works' show on Channel 4.
During university she was a member in an international band, SNAP, which took young people from the North Pennines, Brittany and Halsingland in Sweden and created a band from them. Kat was involved with the project for 4 years, firstly as a participant, a youth mentor and then as a tutor.
Her whistle playing style is firmly grounded in her Northumbrian roots, taking inspiration from pipe players and whistle players such as Billy Ballantyne and Joe Hutton.
Kat teaches school groups, classes and private tin whistle lessons on top of gigging in a duo and as part of an a capella folk quartet. She regularly performs at folk festivals around the UK and has been lucky enough to perform at the largest folk festival in Sweden.
To register your school for a video conferencing workshop June 15th, please contact:
Mick Young, E Learning Officer, Northern Grid For Learning