Welcome to BeatSwap!

The BeatSwap project is an exciting inter-school music project designed by Andy Fowler of RhythmZone and Claire Hurst (Deputy Head) of Oxford Road Community School. Follow us throughout the year to see children from four Reading schools develop and perform their own piece of world percussion music.

Monday 21 May 2012

Exciting times ahead! - BeatSwap 2012/13

We've planned the next BeatSwap project and have space for four schools to participate. Two have already said yes!

Here's the promo pack. Click the images for full size/downloadable.


Lovely pics from BeatSwap 2011/12 on our promo poster :



Details about the project, to understand what it's all about :



Schools select date option A, B, C, or D to fit in with their diaries :


Enquire about taking part!

Saturday 5 May 2012

We Did It!

A massive WELL DONE to everyone involved. The performance was great! We had children from all four schools performing the interlocking parts that they had developed over the past year. Here's a couple of pictures from our practice session - I've already seen some of the pictures from the final performance and they're AMAZING! I'll post some up soon.


Djembes, Djun Djuns, Frame Drums, Drum Kit and Dancing! Well done guys!


Our tunnel of applause! It was great working together, we came up with some really cool ideas!


In the groove! More pics coming soon. I'll send a CD to each of the schools with the best ones. Hopefully we'll get to do some porformances in Reading over the summer!

Tuesday 21 February 2012

Performance time is fast approaching!

Before Christmas, we completed the first part of the project. Everyone learned to write down new rhythms and exchanged them with children in partner schools.

Over the Christmas holidays I took everyone's ideas, mixed them up with the great rhythms and compositions that had been created, and developed performance pieces to teach schools A+B (Churchend and Oxford Road) and C+D (Micklands and Newtown).

We've just finished learning our performance at Churchend and Oxford Road (it's very exciting! - WELL DONE everyone and thanks for all your input!), and after a nice walking holiday in Dorset for half term, I'm back to Micklands and Newtown. Get ready to work hard and learn your performance piece for our final show in mid-April.

The venue has been confirmed - Reading College - on Kings Road. They have offered us an amazing building with black walls, floor and ceiling for us to show off our drumming skills in. I have a few ideas for some audience participation, so chat to your friends and family and let them know something exciting is coming up soon...