Column: Caroline Green, Wetherby u3a - An all day celebration of music

​The festival was the brainchild of Trevor Barrowcliffe, a member of Whitby u3a. His aim was for all participants to have a fun day and an opportunity for everyone to enjoy music making, as well as listening to others.

In January, all Yorkshire & Humberside Region (YAHR) u3a Groups were contacted and invited to join the all day celebration of music, which gave us, as a new Guitar Group, plenty of time to put in some practice with songs we all liked and could play and sing.

A week before the event, we managed, with help from Liz Vickerstaff at St Joseph’s Church where we rehearse, to rustle up a passing and willing audience to come along to a dress rehearsal and having had a good reception there, we were keen to get on with the real thing!

The day dawned warm and sunny, and we made our way to the beautiful University Campus of York St John. Registration complete we set up our instruments and then gathered in the foyer for the start of the day. The new Creative Centre and The Chapel were the venues for the day.

The audience in both venues was made up of a combination of performers and supporters, all eager to enjoy themselves and make music for others to enjoy. The introduction summed it up nicely ‘What would the world be without music?’

Our guitar group followed the choir from Whitby and as we took our places on stage there was a slight nervousness in the air. We had made available words to the songs we were singing, for the audience and immediately everyone who could join in with the familiar songs, joined in with gusto!

It was such fun and so great to hear the audience singing back to us, the songs we were playing and singing to them. A real buzz!

One thing that was obvious to me was that the difference between professionals and us. It was the realisation that for us as older people, we need words and chords to follow as our memories are not all they might be!

A break for lunch and time to meet others and chat together in the dining room. We followed this with a walk around the University enjoying the beautiful gardens. It was an opportunity to meet up with other musicians and talk about our collective hobby.

We ventured into the chapel after lunch to listen to the Whitby u3a Singers, their choice of music suited their ensemble perfectly – such a delightful collection of songs from The Rose to songs from the shows.

We finally parted company with the other members of our group, having enjoyed a thoroughly musical experience. What fun it all was and how it made us want to do it all again, very soon!

If this appeals to you, and you want to ‘Learn, Laugh and Live,’ come along and join the u3a in Wetherby. www.wetherbyu3a.org.uk