Pupils tuning up to overcome barriers

Feb 27 2006 By Tony Collins, Birmingham Mail

MUSIC-mad city pupils are helping to "fill the void" in a musical showcase in Birmingham.

City school band The Void is tuning up for SoundCity 5 which takes place at the CBSO Centre, off Broad Street, tomorrow.

The 15-piece band is from Hamstead Hall School, in Craythorne Avenue, Handsworth Wood. The pupils have been rehearsing after school since September.

It's part of a project called Elements, which runs at Hamstead Hall in partnership with Birmingham Jazz and community group Sound It Out, and supported financially by Youth Music and Birmingham City Council.

The Void - including saxophone, bass guitar, tabla and sitar - will be giving a performance entitled Walkers at SoundCity. They will be one of 24 acts on display.

Richard Rogers, head of music at Hamstead Hall School, said: "The Void are a musical representation of the ethos of Hamstead Hall, where pupils of different backgrounds come together to share ideas and influences in an atmosphere of harmony and acceptance."

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