Family and Schools Concert: Folk up North

Join the Donald Grant Quartet and presenter Lucy Drever for this concert for schools and families exploring Scottish folk music. Featuring a specially commissioned film projected live onstage, created by Emmy-award winning cinematographer, Oliver Wilkins.

Recommended Age: 5 – 11 / Key Stage 1 and 2

In this concert, the Donald Grant Quartet, presenter Lucy Drever and film maker Oliver Wilkins, delve into the exciting and notorious stories behind Scottish folk music, and explore how it is influenced by the unique Scottish landscape. This concert was originally designed for Key Stage 1 children but is also suitable for Key Stage 2 children. We hope you enjoy exploring the vivid world of Scottish folk music.

Activity Suggestion:

Songs are a huge part of Scottish folk music. They can be funny, sad, regretful, or happy and can often tell a story about a well-known myth. Folk songs are often passed down by ear, so can become slightly different every time they get passed on to someone new.

Write your own folk song!

  • Can you make up a new story that could be used as an inspiration for a song?
  • Once you have decided on your story, can you write it out over a series of lines, like song lyrics?
  • What does your new song sound like? Can you sing each line?

For more activities and information about this concert:

Repertoire:

Da Day Dawn – traditional arr. Donald Grant
Calum’s Road – Donald Shaw arr. Donald Grant
We’ll Sail Away – Lucy Drever
The Master’s March – Donald Grant
Old Reel – traditional arr. Donald Grant
The Way Home – Donald Grant
The Witch of Leanachan – Donald Grant
Puirt à beul – traditional arr. Donald Grant
Eilidh and Guust’s Waltz – Donald Grant

Credits:

Donald Grant Quartet

Donald Grant – violin
Hanna Dawson – violin
Triona Milne – viola
Eilidh Martin – cello

Lucy Drever presenter
Oliver Wilkins cinematography

Resource pack:

Written by Lucy Drever with Wigmore Hall Learning
Designed by Susannah Swift Design