What We All Need – Assembly AKA SWMS SWMS (South West Music School) is a Centre of Advanced Musical Training and musical charity for the whole of the South West region, covering the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and the major urban areas of Plymouth, Bristol, Swindon and Bournemouth & Poole. SWMS was formed in 2006 and due to the geographical nature of the South West is not building based but are a 'virtual' school working with young people on an individual basis in their local area. SWMS students can live within their families and remain as part of their local communities. SWMS encourages and develops those young people across the South West region who show exceptional musical talent and potential, regardless of their social, cultural or musical backgrounds. SWMS champions a new learning experience for the students, individually tailored to their specific musical needs. This is accomplished through a programme of mentoring, personalised and residential learning and instrumental tuition, specialist masterclasses, performance opportunities and advanced level ensemble music making. This model enables students to receive specialist music training, relevant to their specific needs whilst they remain at their local school and within their community environment. There is no conservatoire in the South West and access to specialist musical education is very limited. From Cornwall it can be a six hour train journey to the London music colleges. The geographical nature of the region is also such that many young people are socially excluded from activities outside of school due to poor transport links. Hugh Nankivell and Ben McCabe - two quarters of the band Natural Causes - write songs together by email and internet. They live 300 miles apart - in Torquay and Lancaster - but find that even with this distance it is possible to make meaningful music together. Sometimes these pieces are written like a game of consequences with Ben recording a sound, a riff, a melody and sending it to Hugh who then adds another part and sends it back. Sometimes one of us sends lyrics to the other who then makes most of the musical ideas and sends it back for changes/alterations/edits. Hugh and Ben have made music together for the last decade including commissions for the puppet company Faulty Optic, a song-cycle for Opera North, work with poets Jackie Kay and Peter Oswald and at festivals playing live music to accompany films. In the autumn of 2011 Natural Causes were commissioned to be the resident band for the Interrogate Festival of Social Justice at Dartington. They made music responding to different debates and talks and ideas that emerged from this hybrid festival/conference. The final debate they participated in included Naomi Eisenstadt talking about early years. Two months after the festival Ben wrote Hugh an email beginning with: 'Listened to Naomi Eisenstadt (from Interrogate!) and spewed forth this Not good for much I know but it exists at least Naomi Eisenstadt and Universal Declaration of Human Rights 'What we all need is love and money, What we all need is fruit and veg...' and then the next 14 lines of the song verses. Hugh immediately responded by adding an extra two verses at the end - by looking at Maslow's pyramidal hierarchy of human needs (and getting 'Homeostasis' from there!) - also ideas inspired by the conference - and started on the chorus idea. This came from the fact that in the press at the time there was a lot about the setting up of the Music Hubs and the aspiration that more children should have more access to music and instruments even though the amount of money the government was going to be putting in was going to be reducing. So Ben writes what we all need is and and then a whole list of essential things and Hugh adds that also we all need to play a musical instrument. The music then came very quickly - and the changes of 7/4 for the verses and 6/4 for the chorus - from Hugh just putting the words up on the piano and singing and seeing what comes out. By the end of the day (that began with Ben's email of the first 16 lines) we had the basis of the song. 'That evening I was singing it to myself when my 13 year old daughter, Ellen, came into the room and asked me what the song was. I told her and she asked if she could sing it. Ellen had never sung in front of me before. She sang it and had a wonderful voice. As if by magic this sound came out of her mouth that I had never heard before.' (Hugh) A couple of weeks later Natural Causes had a gig in Torquay at the Blue Walnut. Because they all live so far apart they never have much time to rehearse. I asked Ellen if she would sing the song with us and - on no rehearsal at all with the band - she did her first ever public solo singing gig. It was at that gig that it also seemed that the song had some popularity and folks went away from the gig singing it. In the intervening year Hugh has sung this song both with and without the band and each time people here it they like it. It was sung at the February SWMS residency with everyone joining in and so when I suggested to Lisa Tregale (SWMS CEO & Artistic Director) that we record it as SWMS for the Xmas single she didn't just say yes, she jumped at the mad idea. Ben and Hugh had talked about an arrangement with a brass band and a choir and the individual instruments from the outset, but it has taken the wonderful skills of Dean Brodrick to fashion it into a piece for every member of SWMS who wanted to take part. Ellen has now become a member of SWMS (probably propelled a little bit by this song) and is one of the solo voices on it. WE have re-jigged words and added names of instruments. We then asked Richard Evans if he would like to record it and he also said yes. Amazing the amount of time and effort that has gone into it. So we recorded the backing tracks in Bath at the end of October and then added over 40 additional musicians on Nov 11th in only 8 hours at Dartington and what you are hearing are the results.   Credits Hugh Nankivell and Ben McCabe - songwriters Ellen Nankivell - many of the vocal melodies Dean Brodrick – arrangement Richard Evans - engineering Lisa Tregale - project producer Hugh/Dean/Richard/Lisa - Music Co-producers Kevin Clifford - film-maker Assembly AKA SWMS Vocal Soloists Kerenza Hurr, Jamie Webster, Jack Newman, Katey Rylands, Ellen Nankivell, Martin Skews Chorus James Aldridge, Alexander Baker, Dean Brodrick, Ben Cipolla, Will Downes-Hall, Lynn Henderson, Jonah Hitchens, Kerenza Hurr, Matthew Jackson, David Knight, Annabel Lainchbury, Libby Morison, Jade Mortimor, Jesse Musson, Ellen Nankivell, Hugh Nankivell, Laura Nelson, Jack Newman, Helena Paish, Sam Perry, Shannon Richards, Talia Robens, Katey Rylands, Martin Skews, Katherine Stonham, Rachel Stonham, Faelan Sydenham, Lisa Tregale, Kate Wannell, Ben Watton, Jamie Webster, Alfie Weedon, Ben Weedon, Trevor Wiggins. The Band Flute – Julia Joliffe, Helen Stonham Atenteben – Trevor Wiggins Recorder – Faelan Sydenham Oboe – Matthew Jackson Clarinet – Jade Mortimor Saxophone – David Knight, Andrew Stonham, Lisa Tregale Bassoon – Dean Brodrick Trumpet – Lawrence Cooper, Jesse Musson French Horn – Lynn Henderson Trombone – Jonathan Hopes Violin – Anahita Falaki, Holly Harbron, Kerenza Hurr, Annabel Lainchbury, Katherine Stonham, Rachel Stonham Viola – Ben Weedon Cello – Alexander Baker Double Bass – Alfie Weedon Harp – Esther Beyer Drum Kit – Ben Watton Percussion (including Mibira) – William Downes-Hall, Jules Skinner, Ben Watton Xylophone – Jerome Blackburn Piano – Hugh Nankivell Pianet – Dean Brodrick Acoustic Guitar – Ben Cipolla, Sam Perry, Martin Skews Electric Guitar – James Aldridge, Jonah Hitchens All other wondrous noises – Richard Evans & Dean Brodrick Big thanks to everyone who has taken part for giving time and space and energy for no money whatsoever these include: The Arts at Dartington and Jude Wright; Aune Head Arts and Richard Povall; Beni and Alfie Weedon Design Credits Design by Dean Brodrick, Ben McCabe, Ellen Nankivell and David White including photos by Ben Weedon, Lisa Tregale and Kevin Clifford