Philharmonia iOrchestra Re-Rite

Pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6 enjoyed their opportunity to take part in a wonderful music education project, run by the London Philharmonia Orchestra, called RE-RITE. RE-RITE is a large, walk-through, virtual orchestra experience that is housed in a state-of-the-art temporary structure in Armada Way, Plymouth. It allowed the pupils to 'step inside' an orchestra and feel the sensation of being among more than 100 expert musicians, via giant projections, surround sound and interactive stations dotted throughout the installation. The virtual orchestra - the I Orchestra - gave a performance of Stravinsky's 'Rite Of Spring' but, instead of just sitting down to watch and listen, children were able to move from area to area exploring the orchestra as it played, play along with the percussion section, follow a particular instrumental part, hear the musicians talk about the piece and conduct the orchestra along with Esa Pekka Salonen! The majority of children enjoyed the conducting activity best along with the percussion activity and what we nicknamed the 'ghost' room [with the images projected on fabric]. Children, learning an orchestral instrument were particularly keen on those relevant areas of the installation - especially our violinists. A frequent comment at the end of the visit was 'But we've only been here for about 10 minutes!'In fact our visits were just over an hour long. How time flies when you're having fun! Here are some pictures taken during our visit on Wednesday afternoon.