I am Hannah, I am 11 years old. I am learning the Piano, Viola, Guitar and I also sing in two choirs. This is what I think of the music at Elderflower Fields Festival.
I like the way that you can have short instrument lessons, taught by proper musicians, because it inspires you to start learning at home or school. Listening to all the bands is really good because you can hear and learn how different instruments fit together.
The bands are very interactive with the audience and involve them in some of their songs, for example they might ask them to clap along to the rhythm. There is a band for everyone and different bands for different ages.
For the first time I saw the electric harp played was by one of the members of a band called The Moulettes. I was so inspired by their great music that I went to see them again when they played near my home. When I went to buy the Moulettes album at the festival, they were really friendly and they all signed my album and they asked me about any instruments I played and the violin player told me that she also plays the viola and the cello player told me that her name was Hannah too and her triangular cello was made for her by her dad! It inspired me to practice harder and eventually reach my goals (like passing my grade 5 piano with distinction and getting a music scholarship to my high school).
Last year a musician called Richard Navarro did a workshop at the festival. He got me up to play a few chords on the piano and then sampled them for the song he was writing in the workshop. He explained about sampling and loops and how he uses them on stage and when composing. He demonstrated it in the workshop. I was inspired to have a go at home and make my own loops on an App called GarageBand and try making music using the built in samples and also by recording myself on the piano and then recording singing with my sister.
If you or your kids have a story you’d like to share about what has inspired you at Elderflower Fields in the past, please get in touch here.