Hello, I’m Finnbar. I’m aged 12 and I play the trombone. The thing I like best about my music is the fact you are free to do whatever you want with your instrument. For example, buzzing the mouthpiece (where you blow to create the sound) is one of my favorites. You can also make silly glissandos (slides).
One of my hobbies is playing in the Fusion Orchestra- a LSO created band for all types of music, all types of musicians and all with no written music! Rock, pop, classical, you name it, we do it! We even have special guests come in, like Nitin Sawhney, with their ideas to create an explosion of sound when a concert turns up. The Fusion Orchestra meets at half-terms, the odd weekend and holidays. I feel that it’s a real privilege to be in it, and if you’re reading this and thinking- “That sounds good…how do I join?” then you should grab a leaflet, contact LSO St Luke’s and come on the day. I’d recommend it to all music lovers.
Another LSO event I’ve been on is the Pitch Perfect workshop at the Lord Mayors Show. It was a useful experience of what it was like to play in the biggest brass band ever. We had to walk on, play our tunes and then take our balloons on the parade. It was different, and it gave you an experience of playing outside in a festival. Apart from the fact it was a bit chilly (I was playing the tenor horn at that point- my fingers felt like they were going to freeze off!), it was a seriously good experience.
Now that I’m older, I also enjoy the Into The LSO scheme. I get to go to great LSO concerts and the special talks for teenagers help me understand the composer’s life, and why they composed the pieces too.
My experiences with the LSO are definitely worth it!
Finnbar Keating
LSO Discovery at 20 
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