News from 2007
Education News in 2007
On Tuesday 16th January 2007 at the Music Manifesto’s State of Play conference at the Roundhouse in Camden Town, Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP, the then Secretary of State for Education & Skills announced Howard’s appointment as ‘ambassador’ for singing in England, with a £10m budget to fund a national singing campaign aimed at primary schools over four years. On November 21st the public aspect of the singing campaign, Sing Up was launched, along with announcements by Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Families and Schools, and Lord Adonis, Schools Minister, of the Government’s 3-year commitment to music education: a total of £332 million specifically ear-marked for music in schools, including an additional £30m for the National Singing Programme. This is the highest such settlement in British history. More on the National Singing Programme can be found here and here.
Choral and Musical News in 2007
Howard’s songs for William Shakespeare’s As you like it were featured in Samuel West’s 2007 production of the play for the Sheffield Crucible, which transferred in March to Stratford-on-Avon as part of the RSC’s complete works project. The Hired Man was performed across the UK in a touring production directed by Daniel Buckroyd with the New Perspectives Theatre Company from September 07 to March 08
TV & Film News in 2007
Howard completed the score for MR BEAN’S HOLIDAY
Howard’s BBC Radio 2 seasonal special, Howard Goodall’s Christmas Stocking, was transmitted on Sunday 23rd December. He also made a brief guest appearance in Griff Rhys Jones’ BBC ONE programme Charles Dickens & the Invention of Christmas on the same day.
Awards News in 2007
At a ceremony at the Savoyhotel celebrating Educational Achievement in television on June 11th, Howard was accorded the great honour of the Royal Televison Society’s Judges’ Award (the final award of the evening) in recognition of a decade of exceptional TV series on music. All 6 series, from Howard Goodall’s Organworks to How Music Works, were made by Tiger Aspect Productions for Channel 4. Also present to mark the award were the series’ producer-directors David Jeffcock and Frank Hanly, C4 commissioning editor Jan Younghusband, C4 Head of Learning Janey Walker, and Executive producer Paul Sommers.
Howard was the recipient of the 2007 Making Music/Sir Charles Groves Prize for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. This prestigious prize is now in its 17th year. Previous recipients include The BBC Proms, Classic FM, the Royal Northern College of Music, the Edinburgh International Festival, Birmingham City Council, Joanna McGregor, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Philip Langridge, The Lindsays, and, last year, Glastonbury Festival. Making Music, formerly the National Federation of Music Societies, is theUK’s largest organisation supporting and promoting voluntary music-making, with over 2,400 member groups.