News from around the sector from ISM corporate members
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Royal College of Organists announces four RCO Medal honorands
The Royal College of Organists is to recognise the achievements of four distinguished musicians by awarding them its highest honour, the RCO Medal, at a ceremony in March.
The Medal of the Royal College of Organists (‘The RCO Medal’) recognises distinguished achievement in one or more of the following areas relating to organ and choral music: performance, teaching, scholarship, composition, organ-building, conducting, administration, and philanthropy; it is also available to recognise specific service to the College.
At the College’s conferment ceremony in Southwark Cathedral on 4 March 2023, the RCO Medal will be awarded to:
Mr David Briggs, in recognition of distinguished achievement in organ performance and composition;
Mr Andrew McCrea, in recognition of distinguished service to the College;
Mr James Parsons, in recognition of distinguished achievement in organ pedagogy; and
Prof. Patrick Russill, in recognition of distinguished achievement in choral direction and pedagogy, and in church music.
RCO President David Hill said: “The 2023 honorands are rightly respected and celebrated in their respective fields and it is an honour for the College to acknowledge their many achievements by awarding them the RCO Medal.
“We are very much looking forward to welcoming them to our conferment ceremony in March, to present these RCO Medals along with the diplomas and certificates of the many College members who have been successful in their studies over the last 12 months.”
Naxos upgrades MusicBox, the interactive music education resource
Naxos has announced a major upgrade of NaxosMusicBox.com, its burgeoning education resource for schools, private teachers, and families.
Since its launch in the summer of 2020, MusicBox has provided invaluable music curriculum support and has opened up the world of music to many thousands of schoolchildren. It continues to be highly thought of as both a classroom and home-based learning resource, especially for children at Key Stage 2 and 3.
Both the ‘Education’ and ‘Family’ versions of Naxos MusicBox now come with a comprehensive new ‘Ingredients’ section covering the major elements of music theory.
These include notation, pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and much more, all in a fun ‘mixing’-themed context, where pupils explore the ‘recipes’ for the creation of music.
Naxos Head of Global Sales, Julian Edwards, says: “Naxos has long been a passionate advocate of music education, and MusicBox is a cornerstone of our suite of resources to enrich all stages of the music education journey. We’re very excited about the new possibilities that these enhancements provide in supporting the delivery of the music curriculum in both a school and home setting”
MusicBox is a web-based resource which can be accessed on desktop computers, tablets, or other mobile devices. It is available via a flexible range of very competitively priced annual and monthly subscriptions, both for schools and for individuals, and generous free trials can be arranged prior to any paid subscription.