Music Sharing
Group Name: Music Sharing
Group size: 8
Subject areas: Music, Creative arts,
Frequency: Monthly
Group type: Bring and share
Resources: Spotify, Youtube Premium or other software for organising and playing a wide range of music.
Purpose of the Group
The purpose of the group is for members to come together to listen to each other’s music choices on a different theme each month. Members choose one piece of music each, of any genre and all listen closely to the music and then chat informally about it. This is a fun way to discover new music and hear old favourites in a relaxed atmosphere.
How this group operates
This group operates well via Zoom but could also work as an in-person group. The group could be run by one Group Leader or responsibilities could be shared which would work well to cover temporary absences.
Each month, the Group Leader decides on a theme for the music (members could be included in the choice of theme if they have their own ideas) and this is communicated to members well in advance of each meeting. Members then research different pieces of music which reflect the theme and submit these in advance to the leader. The leader then finds the precise recording and puts this into an online playlist – Spotify works well for this although other platforms could be used.
During the meeting each member introduces their own piece and speaks about the reasons for their choice and all members listen to the piece. The other group members then discuss. This approach works well to ensure enough content if members are absent, since everyone has submitted pieces in advance and they can still be listened to.
Sessions
Session 1
Theme: Colour
Music selection
- Fields of Gold – Sting
- Blue Suede Shoes – Elvis Presley
- The Bluebells of Scotland – The Corries
- Pink Magic – Yesun
- Why Worry? – Dire Straits
- Black & White Rag – Winifred Atwell
Session 2
Theme: Water
Music selection
- Have You Ever Seen the Rain? – Creedence Clearwater Revival
- A Rainy Night in Soho – The Pogues
- My Father – Judy Collins
- Ode to Billie Joe – Bobbie Gentry
- Ol’ Man River – William Warfield
- Sea Dances: The Puffer Fish – composed by Oliver Davis
- Splish Splash – Bobby Darin
Session 3
Theme: Transport
Music selection
- Fast Car - Tracy Chapman
- Amelia - Joni Mitchell
- Gondola Song - Mendelssohn - played by Leon McCawley (youtube video)
- Fireball (I wish I was a spaceman) - Don Spencer
- Night Train - Wynton Marsalis
Session 4
Theme: Food
Music selection
- American Pie - Don McLean
- Roast Beef from Grand Concerto Gastronomique – composed by Malcolm Arnold
- Coffee-infused Chocolate from Symphonic Chocolates – composed by Maxime Goulet
- Strawberry Fields Forever - The Beatles
- My Boy Lollipop - Millie Small
- Peel me a grape - Diana Krall
Session 5
Theme: Animals
Music Selection
- Pigeon Song by Patrick Wolf
- Farewell to Tarwathie by Judy Collins
- Peter and the Wolf composed by Sergei Prokofiev, performed by Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, narrated by Thomas Hudnut (video)
- Walking the Dog composed by George Gershwin, performed by Luis Fernandez-Castello on clarinet and Carlos Apellaniz on piano (video)
- The Gnu Song by Flanders & Swann
Session 6
Theme: Duos and Duets
Music selection
- Kids by MGMT
- Duelling Banjos from the film Deliverance (video)
- Cheek to Cheek by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
- The Pearl Fishers Duet composed by Bizet sung by Jerry Hadley & Jacob Gade (video)
- Jealousy Tango composed by Jacob Gade played by Yehudi Menuhin & Stephane Grappelli
Session 7
Theme: Dance
Music selection
- Private Dancer - Tina Turner
- Blue Danube Waltz composed by Johann Strauss II, performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra
- Let's Dance - David Bowie
- Shall We Dance? From The King and I
- I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Whitney Houston
- Waltz No 2 from Jazz Suite No 2 composed by Dmitri Shostakovich, performed by the Russian State Symphony Orchestra
- Stompin' At The Savoy - Karin Allyson
Session 8
Theme: Trees
Music selection
- Cherry Blossoms - Sakura
- Trees - Paul Robeson
- Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell
- I Talk to the Trees - Chet Baker
- The Hanging Tree - Uriah Heep
- In the Woodlands - composed by Albert Ketelby, played by Rosemary Tuck on piano
- A Walk in the Black Forest - Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass
Session 9
Theme: Clothes
Music selection
- Vicar in a tutu - The Smiths
- Forever in blue jeans - Neil Diamond
- Blue jean blues - ZZ Top
- Sharp dressed man - ZZ Top
- Diamonds on the soles of her shoes - Paul Simon
- These boots were made for walkin' - Nancy Sinatra
- Top hat, white tie and tails - Louis Armstrong
Session 10
Theme: Names
Music selection
- Valerie - Amy Winehouse
- Angie - Rolling Stones
- Nelson Mandela - The Specials
- Anitra's Dance from Peer Gynt Suite composed by Edvard Grieg, performed by The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Herbert von Karajan
- Glory - The Acorn
- Hit that Jive Jack - Cadence