Watch the full body percussion performance of Anna Meredith's Connect It:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02b5cqg
Listen out for: The repeated rhythmic patterns and sounds made by people using their bodies as instruments.

Anna Meredith

Born: 1978
Nationality: British

Key facts about Anna Meredith:

• * Anna Meredith is a British composer and performer. She was born in London then grew up in Scotland.
• * Anna writes for instruments and orchestras and also creates and performs electronic music.
• * Anna's music is unusual because it mixes many different musical worlds together including classical, pop and experimental rock.

Anna Meredith is a British composer and performer. She was born in London and then moved to Scotland when she was 2. She studied music at York University and the Royal College of Music. During her career she has so far won many awards and has written several pieces for the BBC Proms. Anna writes for instruments and orchestras and also creates and performs electronic music.

Anna's sound is often called 'uncategorisable' because she mixes many different musical worlds together including classical, pop and experimental rock. Her music has been performed across the world and now her voice is heard across the world as she becomes more and more in demand as a broadcaster. She regularly presents for BBC Radio 3 and 6 Music and even crops up on TV from time to time!

Connect It

Find out more about Connect It by watching this Ten Pieces video:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02flm24

Anna Meredith likes to work with orchestras, bands and choreographers to create music that uses clapping, stamping, shouting and beatboxing instead of instruments.
Anna Meredith’s ‘Connect It’ is quite an unusual piece because the instrumentation is for body percussion only. In 'Connect It' a variety of rhythmic sounds and movements are passed between the performers. This musical effect is known as a canon. A canon is where two or more instruments, voices or sounds play the same music, but starting at different times.
 

Anna Meredith is a contemporary Musician and composer. This means she is or has been making music in recent times.  You can see that on our Charanga Music History timeline:

Further listening:

Hands free

Anna Meredith wrote another Body Percussion piece that was performed at the Proms:

Radio 1’s Dev Griffin describes his love of 'HandsFree', explaining why it is his favourite piece of classical music, how it captured his imagination and why he loves music of this genre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep3yeJoWO2g

YEAH – a Cbeebies story

You might like to listen to this Cbeebies story inspired by listener's ideas about the Connect It.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/radio/ten-pieces-yeah?collection=radio-ten-pieces-story-time

Paramour