Brandon Learning Centre: British Education - process, preparation and practicalities

Parades... green rivers... flashing shamrocks... Saint Patrick's day is unrecognisable today!   New Orleans becomes Irish! I am in New Orleans which is packed with people wearing green. It is wonderful to see people celebrating Ireland and the diaspora. Rather than buying the Made in China Leprechaun's hat, how about reviving the Irish custom of entertaining family and friends with a dance, a song or a poem? The following is the first stanza of The Exile's Return , by John Locke which tells the story of an exile returning from Texas after longing for his homeland for so long. The entire poem is eight stanzas long and does teeter on the Plastic Paddy territory but St Pat's is a day to be as sentimental as you like! Read proudly and remember the generations who gave up so much for us. The Exile's Return Glory to God, but there it is- The dawn on the hills of Ireland! God's angels lifting the night's black veil From the fair, sweet face of my s

I spent a wonderful morning in the British Museum. The Benin bronzes, crisp, powerful figures glowing in their cabinets, the glories of the Greek collection and the confident dominance of the Assyrian carvings overwhelmed and inspired me. Any poem you ever encounter can be triggered by a future experience. Today, Ozymandius was at the front of my mind as I wandered through the remains of great civilisations as was Byron's powerful Destruction of Sennacherib . You will have your own internal soundtrack which will excite, exhilarate or console when required. Reading poetry is laying down knowledge and you never know when it might be useful. For images: http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/cultures/middle_east/assyrians.aspx And for inspiration: THE DESTRUCTION OF SENNACHERIB,   The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold, And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold; And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea, When the blue wave rolls nightly on

Spring is a time for new life, a message paralleled in the glory of the Resurrection. Even in Hong Kong, I can see signs of spring through the pollution! A.E. Housman's work A Shropshire Lad contains the following poem which is ideal for this time of the year. The beauty and simplicity of the images attracts the listener to the poem's key message of seizing opportunities to enjoy nature's beauty now. I particularly like to think of cherry trees wearing white for Easter. Read this and then go for a walk... from A Shropshire Lad II Loveliest of trees, the cherry now Is hung with bloom along the bough, And stands about the woodland ride Wearing white for Eastertide. Now, of my threescore years and ten, Twenty will not come again, And take from seventy springs a score, It only leaves me fifty more. And since to look at things in bloom Fifty springs are little room, About the woodlands I will go To see the cherry hung with snow. Ad Gloriam Dei.

So now you are word-perfect and can whisk you way through the first part of this Christmas classic, shall we move on? (Steady with this line, make each word crisp so your audience can share in the excitement) More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, And he whistled, and shouted, and call'd them by name: "Now! Dasher, now! Dancer, now! Prancer, and Vixen,( indicate with the voice, you are encouraging the reindeer so try to be upbeat) "On! Comet, on! Cupid, on! Dunder and Blixem; "To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! "Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!" ( faster ) As dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly,( don't stop here! You need to say these two lines together to make sense of them ) When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky; So up to the house-top the coursers they flew, With the sleigh full of Toys - and St. Nicholas too: And then in a twinkling, I heard on the roof The prancing and pawing of each litt

As you post your Christmas cards, think about the journey they are about to embark on to reach their destination. The rather splendid 1936 documentary "The Night Mail" incorporated a poem by WH Auden set to the wondefully discordant music of Benjamin Britten celebrates the passage of the Night Train delivering letters. The poem has a strong rhythm and, if you listen to the recording of the original documentary, you will hear that it is a perfect echo of the sound of wheels on a track. If you are reading in public, pay attention to the speed of the third stanza and see if you can increase the speeed as the train zooms down the tracks. Your listeners will never look at the postal service in the same light again! Night Mail - W. H. Auden (1907 - 1973) This is the Night Mail crossing the border, Bringing the cheque and the postal order, Letters for the rich, letters for the poor, The shop at the corner and the girl next door. Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb: The

The nights are drawing in, Christmas decorations have been up in Hong Kong for a month now, families are gearing up for the trilogy of Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year. This year, why now kill the television and entertain your family with good old fashioned poetry recitals? What makes a poem suitable for a performance? Use the following criteria and you won't go far wrong! 1: Does the poem have a strong story or message? 2: Is there scope for your dramatic range? 3: Do you like it? Is it suitable for your audience? 4: Does it end on a strong note? Casabianca by Felicia Hemans is a stirring ballad which has been enthralling audiences since it was published in the 1820's. The poem is instantly recognisable from the first stanza: The boy stood on the burning deck Whence all but he had fled; The flame that lit the battle's wreck Shone round him o'er the dead. The poem continues for for another ten stirring verses and inspired generations. Less st