Proudly presenting the Sprog Rock 2017 Tour film!
‘We want to push the boundaries in people’s perceptions of what children are capable of creating’ – Sprog Rock
We are delighted to present a new film documenting the creative journey of the children, musicians and visual artists involved in our Autumn Sprog Rock tour.
Sprog Rock played gigs in some of Scotland’s leading arts venues during October and November 2017, delighting audiences with a unique musical set created in collaboration with children aged 3-5.
Shot over the course of the whole project by Jassy Earl, a Glasgow-based photographer who has worked on many Starcatchers events and projects, the film follows the eight Sprog Rock band members who visited nurseries in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverclyde and Stirling, engaging children directly in the creative process of writing original music.
“This project is designed to push the boundaries in people’s perceptions of what music is of interest to young children and what they are capable of creating”, said Katy Wilson, lead artist and creator of Sprog Rock.
“We engaged with the children in lots of different ways to explore what kind of music they enjoyed and also what songs should be about. We explored emotions, what they think about, what they’re interested in and created lyrics together.
“We brought in a huge range of instruments – saxophone, sousaphone, cello, autoharp, keyboards, guitars, drums, trumpets and many more – and let them decide which sounds they liked. We observed what the children were drawn towards, what they enjoyed playing, and what sort of rhythms they made. This informed the instruments we used in their track and the way that we used them.
“When we came to perform the songs at the gigs, the adults in our audiences were really surprised by the quality of the music. The voices of the children come through clearly in every song. And the children loved dancing, singing along to their music and clapping with their adults!”
Band member Pete Lannon added: “This project has been one of the most fun and creatively satisfying processes I’ve been a part of.
“Performing the new songs we made with the nursery groups has been amazing. Parents’ reactions to the lyrics that the children had written with us were lovely as they sometimes mean different things and are incredibly touched by them. I love how there can be lots of layers to the songs with different feelings for different people.”
Sprog Rock toured the following venues in Autumn 2017
Beacon Arts Centre
Macrobert Arts Centre
Platform, Glasgow
LYRA
Sprog Rock 2017 Tour Creative Team
Katy Wilson | Band Manager & Designer
Geraldine Heaney | Vocals / Guitar
Liam Chapman | Drums
Kim Donohoe | Vocals
Greg Sinclair | Cello & Keyboard
Pete Lannon | Guitar
Sus Appelbe | Bass
Rory Clark | Trumpet
Ronan McMahon | Saxophone, Vocals & Trainee Artist
Did you attend the Sprog Rock Tour? Can you spot your wee one in our film? Let us know!
Film by Jassy Earl. Visit her site to see more of her portfolio: http://www.jassyearl.co.uk/
Visit the Sprog Rock project page for more on the Autumn Tour!