Coldingham and Eyemouth Primary

St Abbs Head, TD14 5NS

School Year:2008-2009
Date:26 May 2011

The National Trust for Scotland, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) and the Scottish Borders Council’s Arts Development Team worked with Sound and Music in May 2011 to deliver a Sonic Postcards project with P6 children from Coldingham and Eyemouth Primary Schools in the Scottish Borders as part of the St Abbs Music Project. The St Abbs Music Project will see the creation of a new music composition by composer Howard Moody that celebrates the significance of the St Abbs Head coastal and marine nature reserves on the stunning coastline of the Scottish Borders. P6 classes from Eyemouth and Coldinham Primary Schools worked with audio artist and composer Pippa Murphy to record the sounds of nesting birds at St Abbs Head, under the guidance of NTS Property Manager Liza Cole. The bird calls they recorded included kittiwakes, guillimots, herringulls and fulmars. Back in the classroom, the group recorded more sounds using vocal exercises and objects from around the room, before composing their own Sonic Postcards using Audacity. Some of the recordings made during the project will be used by Howard Moody in his new composition, to be performed by the SCO in Spring / Summer 2012.