Thankfully nobody walked passed my window yesterday. I’m sure they’d have promptly scarpered as they glimpsed the wild dancing ginger man exclaiming again and again the rhythmic mantra: ‘I want more chocolate cake for lunch! I want more chocolate cake for lunch!’. Some might deem this concerning behaviour from an isolated, unemployed musician unsure of what the future holds - not to mention someone that really doesn’t need any more chocolate cake for lunch. They’d be wrong however as I wasn’t alone in my forceful dietary demands. I was joined, on Zoom, by 50 hungry kids from Harris Primary Academy in Peckham.

This was my final Multi-Story ‘digital schools tour’ presentation (for the time being). Over the last month or so Fra, Jenny, Linton and I have been doing these little interactive presentations over Zoom for schools in Peckham and Gloucester as an alternative to the schools-tour that had originally been planned. Pretty much all my work - concerts/education projects/music courses - were simply cancelled over this lockdown period so I was very happy that Multi-Story were able to pivot and still deliver something to these kids over this time. 

Each of our presentations centred around a video of the Multi-Story Orchestra playing a different piece. Mine was based on Steve Reich’s ‘Music for a Large Ensemble’ – really bright and uplifting music that I think the kids enjoyed and which proved to be fertile ground for inspiring our own rhythmic sentences, doing lots of rumbling on our knees and generally having a groovy time.

Jude Delivers His digital schools presentation via zoom

I can’t really speak for the kids involved but I certainly got a lot out of just having 20 minutes or so of interaction and a bit of creativity – even over Zoom. We used the one-word-each-story-game (you know the one I mean?!) to collectively come up with our own little rhythmic sentences and it was really great seeing the kids coming up with something together despite the tricky technology and being on their own at home or in little class ‘bubbles’ in school. I think my favourite of these was ‘My five cats have lovely smelly paws!’ – a real head-banger.

I really hope we’ll be able to do some more of these. It started off a bit scary as we had no idea really what would work and which direction to go in but I think we’ve realised that, though limited by the lack of immediacy, there’s still a lot of scope for collective, creative music making. When we go around the schools in person I think the kids get to know us a bit and are hopefully engaged by our enthusiasm for the music we’re playing them. After doing these presentations over Zoom I don’t think too much of that is lost.

You can see Multi-Story’s performance of ‘Music for a Large Ensemble’ here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY09QP6CqdM. I encourage you to dance and sing along: ‘I want more chocolate cake for lunch!’ – preferably next to a window like me. It’s interesting to note that this chocolate cake rhythm pops up in a lot of Steve Reich’s music, from ‘Clapping Music’ to ‘Music for 18 Musicians’. He’s been asking again and again and again for years… would someone please just give him a slice?!

Jude Carlton