Teenage musicians from eight north London schools could scarcely believe their luck when they got the chance to perform with one of the UK’s best-known rock bands.
Foals, whose third album went straight into the Official Albums Chart at number two last month, gave a masterclass to 50 students at the Royal Albert Hall in South Kensington, London.
The workshop gave the youngsters, all aged 14 to 16 and from schools in Islington and Haringey, the opportunity to ask questions, gain advice and take part in a live jamming session. The band also taught them how to play a song from their new album.
The initiative was part of a programme run by the Royal Albert Hall to enable children to learn from and be inspired by today’s music artists.
Lucy Noble, head of education at the Royal Albert Hall, said: “The workshop builds on our education programme from last year which reached more than 100,000 people. It’s great to be able to work with such popular acts to host exclusive sessions with local children as part of the our charitable mission to offer education and champion youth music.
“We’re delighted to be able to give local students a special opportunity to both learn from the hottest music acts on the scene and to perform in one of the world’s most famous venues.”
Foals’ lead singer Yannis Philippakis said he was hugely inspired by the teenagers’ enthusiasm.
“I would have loved a similar opportunity when I was younger,” he added. “I had a pretty weird taste in music but always looked to my favourite bands for inspiration.”
The schools taking part were Northumberland Park Community School, Park View School, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School, Highbury Fields School, Islington Arts and Media School, Mount Carmel Catholic College for Girls, St Aloysius’ College, and St Mary Magdalene Academy.
This year the Royal Albert Hall’s education programme is also working with classical violinist Nicola Benedetti and MOBO award winner Soweto Kinch.
For further details on the programme, email education@royalalberthall.com
CAPTION: Music meet: North London students meet with rock band Foals at the Royal Albert Hall