January 2024

46
Wanstead Village Directory
Listen and learn
In the 35th of a series of articles, David Bird discusses the work
of Redbridge Music Society and introduces Redbridge Music Service,
whose students will be performing in Wanstead this month
During its current 75th anniversary
season, Redbridge Music Society is
focusing especially on two of its longstanding
aims – promoting and supporting
young musicians, especially those residing
within the borough, and bringing a diverse
range of musical styles and genres to
the people of Redbridge. These aims will
certainly be realised when the students of
Redbridge Music Service put on a recital
in the Churchill Room of Wanstead Library
this January.
Redbridge Music Service, based at the John
Savage Centre in Hainault, is the jewel in
Redbridge’s musical crown, and throughout
the many years of its existence, it has nurtured
numerous talented young musicians, a large
number of whom have gone on to become
professional musicians.
Redbridge Music Service is the lead
organisation of the Redbridge Music
Education Hub and has a reputation for
exceptionally high-quality music education.
All music hubs establish local plans involving
opportunities for students to progress and
create music together, especially through live
performances. To this end, Redbridge Music
Service provides a wide range of instrumental
and vocal tuition in schools throughout the
borough – even at nursery and reception
level – with instruments being available for
hire from the service’s instrument centre.
Redbridge Music Service also provides
opportunities for its students to perform
music together, and every year presents over
50 local concerts, ranging from concerts at the
John Savage Centre to public recitals, such as
this Wanstead performance, and other events
at Redbridge Town Hall. Every two years, there
is also the well-renowned Redbridge Schools’
Choral Festival at the Royal Albert Hall.
Redbridge Music Service students
Being involved in musical activities and
gaining performance skills is very beneficial
for a young person’s development and
learning to play a musical instrument
can significantly improve cross-subject
developmental qualities, such as selfconfidence,
imagination and creativity,
memory and co-ordination skills and
communication, team and social skills.
Redbridge Music Service encourages its
students to explore music from a wide range
of historical periods, genres and traditions
and this will be very evident at the recital at
Wanstead Library, when the students will
perform an eclectic mix of music and musical
styles. Their recital is now a standard annual
feature in Redbridge Music Society’s calendar
and is always a popular and well-attended
event. Please come along and support our
borough’s exceptional young musical talent!
Students of Redbridge Music Service will
perform at Wanstead Library on 23 January
from 8pm (tickets on the door: £8). For
more information, call 07380 606 767.
Redbridge Music Society is supported by
Vision RCL and affiliated to Making Music.
To advertise, call 020 8819 6645 or visit wnstd.com