· with doreen springer, rob waller, linda williams, christine mellor, ian mcgarr, thelma crook and...

www.thehiveworcester.org/lending-an-ear

Welcome to Lending An Ear – Sounds of Worcestershire Libraries!

Funded by the Arts Council of England, the ElmleyFoundation and Worcestershire County Council,Lending An Ear has brought together libraries, artistsand local people to produce mini projects representinglocal communities in sound. Each library has its ownunique project captured on a sound map to be foundon the Lending an Ear website. We hope you willexplore all 22 of them and enjoy the variety that makesup Worcestershire's diverse and inspiring libraries. Allour libraries are different and special and the aim of thisproject was to capture their individual spirit, role andwhat each one means to the people that use them. Youcan find all the projects on line or better still, visit yourlocal library and discover for yourself what each onehas to offer.

Kathy KirkStrategic Libraries, Learning & Arts Manager, WorcestershireCounty Council

With Doreen Springer,Rob Waller, LindaWilliams, ChristineMellor, Ian McGarr,Thelma Crook andChristine Lucas [email protected] Library

occupies the same campus as the Middle School,and plays host to a number of community groupsincluding a very active writers’ group led bypublished author Irene Yates. Children’s author IanBillings led a workshop in which the writers cameup with ideas for a radio story for children. Ian thenmoulded those ideas into a complete story andchallenged Year 7 at the school to come up with thesound effects using only objects they could find inthe building.

Alvechurch LibraryHarry and Grace and the Great Piperland Wood Festival and What Happened There…


Listen to Alvechurch Library here

Ian Billings

Bewdley Library is aboutto relocate into a newpurpose-built buildingshared with BewdleyMedical Centre. PlaywrightNicola Jones, whose workincludes commissions forBBC Radio 4, was asked to

write a play inspired by this move, and theconcept of “Books on Prescription”. This serviceis offered in Worcestershire and is aimed athelping people manage their own wellbeing.Nicola’s play is written with a light touch,imagining a conversation between twocontrasting library books speculating about theirpotential borrowers.

Bewdley LibraryLibrary Blues


Nicola Jones

Listen to Bewdley Library here

Broadway LibraryBroadway Describes Itself Like This…


Broadway is in one of themost rural areas ofWorcestershire, in the heartof the Cotswolds. Famousfor its chocolate boxcottages and tower, thevillage attracts thousandsof tourists every year.

Deborah Alma (aka The Emergency Poet) spent aSaturday morning meeting visitors to the library andlistened to what they had to say about their localenvironment. What does Broadway mean to them?How would they describe the place they live? Theresult is two “found poems”, made up entirely fromthe words they spoke to Deborah. Poems made fromthe words of Erin (age 5), Terry, Leslie, Teresa, Ray,Pat, Michaela, Sharon, Barbara, Rowena and others.The music is provided by Worcester band Granny’sAttic, who were finalists in the BBC Young FolkAwards two years ago.

Deborah Alma

Listen to Broadway Library here

The Early Hurly Burlygroup (a music sessionfor pre-school childrenand their carers) werevisited by Ethan fromEastnor Pottery (akathe Flying Potter) whohelped the children to

create “musical” pots. Once the pots had beenfired, they were returned to the group who werethen joined by music facilitator Anna Martin whohelped them shake and bang their pots into musicallife! The sound piece traces the journey of the potsfrom their creation to performance in the newlyopened library at Bromsgrove.

Bromsgrove LibraryMusical Pots


Anna Martin and Eastnor Pottery

Listen to Bromsgrove Library here

Performance poet andprofessional boxer MattWindle spent a day atCatshill Middle Schoolwith a group of twelvestudents developing theirideas about how Catshillcould be represented in

poetry. They divided into three groups, each givingtheir unique version of what Catshill sounded liketo them – and anticipating how it might change inthe future. Catshill Library is located within theschool buildings.

Catshill LibraryThis is the Sound of Catshill!


Matt Windle

Listen to Catshill Library here

Droitwich Library ishoused in a buildingwhich stands on the siteof Salters Hall, whichwas demolished in the1930s and replaced bySalters Super Cinemawhich finally closed in

the 1960s. After years of lying derelict the buildingwas re-opened as a library and retains theproscenium arch and the gallery. With the help ofBBC Radio Hereford and Worcester, local peoplewere invited to share their memories of the cinema,recordings of which were passed to Mark andCarolyn Evans of the band Red Shoes. Theresulting song, Salter’s Screen, draws on some ofthose recollections.

Droitwich LibrarySalter’s Screen


Red Shoes

Listen to Droitwich Library here

Every week, theEvesham Walking forHealth group meet atEvesham Library andset off on a walk out oftown. It’s a social groupwhich draws togetherpeople from diverse

backgrounds many of whom have been advised bytheir GPs to take up walking as an aid to theirhealth and well-being. They were joined for a dayby Deborah Alma (aka The Emergency Poet) whointerviewed them as they made their way from thelibrary up to the Leicester Tower, a landmark on thesite of the Battle of Evesham. Deborah’s poems usethe words of the Evesham Walking for Healthgroup.

Evesham LibraryThis Passion for Walking


Deborah Alma

Listen to Evesham Library here

At Hagley Hall the EighteenthCentury landscape garden isbeing slowly rediscoveredlargely thanks to the passionatework of Joe Hawkins. Joetalked extensively about hisrole at Hagley Hall, his views onthe history of landscape

gardens and the importance of recovering the pastthrough the landscape itself. Cellist Corinne Frostlistened to the conversation and picked up on his passionfor the garden and its recently discovered treasures forher improvised piece “Landscape Garden”.

Hagley LibraryLandscape Garden


Corinne Frost

Listen to Hagley Library here

Kidderminster Library is atthe heart of a town built onthe carpet industry. Not solong ago Kidderminsterexported carpets to allcorners of the world, and thetown rang to the sound of thepower looms weaving thehighest quality carpets. Folk

musician and singer Mel Biggs was asked to create ashort piece in the style of the “Radio Ballads” famouslycreated by Ewan MacColl in the 1960s. She broughttogether Mark Thomas, who operates the power looms inthe Museum of Carpet in Kidderminster, Heather Wastie,poet and songwriter who performs her song "The Tuner'sEye (for Geoff Perks)" as part of the piece. Mel herselfperforms a ballad called "The Weavers Appeal to thePublic" written by W.S. Roberts, Printer Dudley Street,Kidderminster circa 1853. She found it in The CarpetWeaver's Lament and the melody is her own. The piece istopped and tailed with a melodeon improvisation inspiredby the cross-rhythms and timbres of the Jacquard WiltonLoom.

Kidderminster LibraryKidderminster Carpet: A Vignette


Mel Biggs with Heather Wastie

Listen to Kidderminster Library here

The foyer of Malvern Library isdominated by an artwork by localartist Lee Morris depicting thetown’s most famous son, SirEdward Elgar, wearing an MP3player. The library enjoys aspectacular view of the MalvernHills, the inspiration for so muchof Elgar’s music. With the help of

library manager Delphine Telfer, Lending an Earconvened a discussion with library users abouttheir own relationship to Elgar, Malvern and theHills. Malvern-based playwright Alex Jones (whowrote the play The Worcester Pilgrim, seen inWorcester Cathedral in 2006) listened to thediscussion and imagined what Elgar might see ifhe were to walk the hills today. In Elgar’searphones is the music of contemporary Malvern-based composer, Alec Roth, another man deeplyinspired by the landscape around him.

Malvern LibraryElgar’s MP3


Alex Jones and Alec Roth

Listen to Malvern Library here

© L

ee M

orris

The Mobile Librarytravels out to the farflung corners ofWorcestershire bringingits cargo of books topeople who wouldotherwise have noaccess to libraries. For

Lending an Ear, Deborah Alma (aka The EmergencyPoet) joined the driver on the van for a day, visitingthe villages of Inkberrow, Radford, Abbots Morton,Kington, Flyford Flavell, Drakes Broughton,Stoulton, Pirton and Norton. She listened to thestories of the library users and created threepoems using the material she gathered from them.

Mobile LibraryThis Lemon Cake is Still Warm


Deborah Alma

Listen to Mobile Library here

Volunteers play a vitalrole in the Libraries andLearning Service andnowhere more so thanin Pershore. PhilWilkins’ piece is acelebration of theirwork. The piece started

life with recorded interviews with some of thevolunteers. Throughout the song the percussivenoises you can hear were created from the voicesof the volunteers. As the song enters phase two,the sounds are created from young people findingnoises in the library itself: slamming books shut,flicking pages, tapping computer keys, scrapingradiators. The vocal line “I like People and I loveBooks” is sampled from an interview and sums upthe role of the volunteers. The brass band elementrefers to the brass band competitions which havebeen running in the town since 1990. The build atthe end is a celebration intended to give thefeeling of dancing in the library.

Pershore LibraryPeople and Books


Phil Wilkins

Listen to Pershore Library here

Forty years ago RedditchLibrary moved from itsold Victorian home to abrand new building nextto the new KingfisherShopping Centre. Thisyear, the librarycelebrated with a tea

party for friends old and new – and many peoplewho had been present at the move came along toshare their memories. Lending an Ear was on handto interview people about that move and about theirimpressions of the town. The subject of ghostscame up more than once, not least from celebratedlocal author Anne Bradford, who has writtenseveral books on the subject. Another local author,Andy Higgitt of Jestaminute Community TheatreCompany, listened to the interviews and came upwith a story about the move from the point of viewof one of the ghosts said to live among the shelves.Those interviewed included Glenys Hall, GrahamSmith, Jane Duffill, Margaret Green, Brian Hart,Anne Bradford and Kishwar Ahmed.

Redditch LibraryFrom Here to There


Andy Higgitt

Listen to Redditch Library here

Rubery Library sits atthe heart of acommunity on the veryedge of Birmingham; aplace cut in two by theA38 which almost fliesover the town. JennyHope was asked to visit

Rubery and talk to residents about its identity andgeography, particularly as it tries to realign itself inthe wake of the decline of Longbridge as amanufacturing hub. As she walked and talked shemet characters including the best-dressed man inthe area (having 300 shirts), and a woman whowants to declare Rubery an independent state.

Rubery LibraryShow Us Our Words


Jenny Hope

Listen to Rubery Library here

St John’s Library inWorcester is housed ina Victorian schoolbuilding which wasactive as a primaryschool up to thirty yearsago. Library workerSheila Chance brought

together a group of people who attended theschool in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s and invitedthem to share their memories with the Lending anEar team. School dinners, punishments,playground games, swimming lessons and thestrange quirks of individual teachers were alldiscussed and recorded. These recordings werepassed on to poet Jenny Hope and The Hive YoungWriters who responded to them with a set of poemsabout life in the building when it was still a school.Very different from the school life of the childrentoday!

St John’s LibraryA Day in the Life of St John’s School


Jenny Hope

Listen to St John’s Library here

The Tontine Hotel wasbuilt in 1772 to providelodgings and premisesfor the Staffordshire andWorcestershire CanalCompany at their newlyestablished depot atStourport. Lending an

Ear interviewed two ladies who grew up in housesattached to the Tontine in the 1950s, Linda Clarkand Rita Phillips, both of whom still live in the town.Mark and Carolyn Evans of Red Shoes – who havestrong ties to Stourport themselves – listened to theinterviews and crafted this song as a response.

Stourport LibraryHeart of Stourport Town


Red Shoes

Listen to Stourport Library here

Tenbury Wells is well-known for its connectionsto Mistletoe. In the weeksleading up to Christmas itholds its famous MistletoeMarket as well as themistletoe Festival, a uniquearts and community event

which includes the crowning of the MistletoeQueen and her Holly Prince. As part of the Festival,storyteller Chloe toured local schools telling a mixof traditional and original folktales. For Lending anEar, she created her own version of the mostfamous of these tales, The Mistletoe Bride, andperformed it in front of an audience at TenburyLibrary.

Tenbury LibraryThe Mistletoe Bride (Revised Version)


Chloe of the Midnight Storytellers

Listen to Tenbury Library here

This audio response toThe Hive comes from anexploration into thesite’s past as well as thecontemporary soundsof the library. The workis in two parts. Firstly aperformance of a new

composition combining oral history recordingsmade by Justin Hughes with sounds sourced fromthe library as it is today. The musicians will bereinterpreting and responding to the recordings tocreate a sonic picture of The Hive’s past andpresent. Secondly an installation piece inviteslibrary users to interact with a collection of soundscaptured across a two day sound collecting eventat The Hive.

The HiveWe just want people to make noise


Chris Mapp

Listen to The Hive here

The River Severn and itsaccompanying floods lie atthe heart of Upton. Weinterviewed volunteers andstaff at the library, askingthem for their impressionsof this picturesque butprecariously located

Worcestershire town. The recurring themes werefloods, festivals, wildlife, shops and theattractiveness of the place. Cellist Corinne Frostlistened to these interviews and responded byimprovising a piece of music, recorded in the libraryitself. In her music she reflects the stories andreminiscences of the interviewees.

Upton LibraryUpton Water Music


Corinne Frost

Listen to Upton Library here

Warndon Library has aclose connection withFairfield CommunitySchool on the WarndonEstate, so for Lendingan Ear pupils spent amorning in the libraryexploring life in their

home city 100 years ago, during the First WorldWar. Paul Harding and Helen Lee of DiscoverHistory led a workshop on life 100 years ago, andthe pupils developed a picture of life on the HomeFront. A few weeks later poet Jenny Hope workedwith the same pupils to turn their ideas into poems.The poems were in turn read and recorded bymembers of The Hive Young Writers.

Warndon LibraryWorcester 1916 (All I Heard)


Jenny Hope

Listen to Warndon Library here

A lot of young people ofall ages drop intoWoodrow Library, whichis in the heart of a smallshopping centre inRedditch, after school,at weekends and duringschool holidays. Writer

and storyteller Ian Billings spent a couple of dayshanging out at the library with them, encouragingthem to create characters and stories from theobjects they saw around them in the library. Hereturned a week later to tell his own tale based ontheir ideas and characters.

Woodrow LibraryI Need Magic


Ian Billings

Listen to Woodrow Library here

Wythall Library has moved tosparkling new accommodationin Woodrush Community Hub,which shares premises withWoodrush Community HighSchool in Wythall. Poet LauraDedicoat, who was a student atthe school herself, returned to

her roots to run a workshop with current students, workingwith them to develop creative responses to life in Wythalltoday. Laura – who was Worcestershire’s first young poetlaureate – went away to write a poem of her own whichdraws on sentiment, Wythall facts, the stories from theworkshop and a bit of Wythall specific humour thrown in.

Wythall LibraryLittle Ol' Wythall


Laura Dedicoat

Listen to Wythall Library here

www.thehive-

Artistic Producer - Peter Leslie WildProject Managers - Charlotte Brennan & SarahMitton, Spark Arts LtdSound Engineer - Andy Partington, SwiftProfessional Audio

Project Team:

With thanks to: Everyone who has worked on the Lending an Earproject.

Funders:

· with doreen springer, rob waller, linda williams, christine mellor, ian mcgarr, thelma crook and...

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