Hello!

This is my first attempt at a blog, so please bear with me!

My name's Kat and I'm a musician for The Sage Gateshead...you've hopefully noticed that it's out 5th Birthday this December...The publicity's been lovely. I especially like the cupcakes that greet you when you look at the Journal's website. There'll be three of us blogging from The Sage Gateshead in the run up to the birthday; Tom Besford, Fiona Gill and I.

My job at The Sage Gateshead is Project Leader for Open Studio, Vocal tutor for Weekend School, Vocal Union leader and from January I'm also going to be Folk Strand Leader. Obviously none of these are full time but it still takes some juggling!

I'm pretty lucky in my job that I get to work with a huge amount of people and in lots of different places...I do some miles but I quite like that! I was asked to write a blog because my week can be so varied and fun. I'll give you a very brief run down!

Monday 'Song Reivers' up at Tarset. The group is nearly a year old, about 20 members and so much fun. Then off to Haydon Bridge High School, my old school(!), to lead an a capella singing group and then teach two male pupils (getting them ready for university entries and a level exams). Monday evening is a family choir in Long Benton. This has only been running a few weeks and numbers are still low but I love it! It's at a primary school and the aim is to get the children and the parents singing. We've got one Dad who has no faith in his singing ability...He has no idea that he's a really good singer!! I also think it's really encouraging when Dads sing with their children, again especially boys. I think it changes boys perceptions of singing.

Tuesday Tuesdays alternate between an a capella singing group, for my old music teacher, in Hexham and Vocal Union sessions at a school in County Durham.Vocal Union is a Sage Gaeshead project that takes vocal leaders into schools over a long period of time (a year and more). In the time in school the vocal leaders teach songs, musical games and technique to the teachers hrough teaching the children. Everything is about passing it onto the teacher so that they feel able to lead the songs inbetween sessions, and also when the project ends and we leave the school. It's a good project, sometimes quite hard...teachers often don't believe they can lead song but it's important that they remember that when you're in primary school, infant school, first school the children adore their teacher and if you sing confidently then they'll sing with you, never doubting you. I still whole heartedly believe that my first school teacher knows everything!

I'll do the rest of the week another day...I'd better do some work today!

I think I'll get used to this blogging...it's hard to know what to write though...I don't know what's interesting to read!

I'm listening to Einaudi at the moment; Ludovico Einaudi has been described as minimalist, classical, ambient and contemporary....He just clams me down! When I was at uni, in first year, one of my flatmates, Sarah, played one track - Nefeli - to me on the piano and I fell in. Have a listen and let me know what you think.

Thanks for stopping by,
Kat