As part of ‘Tune In’, the Government’s National Year of Music, Trinity College London, The Open University and Radiowaves ran a year-long programme to celebrate children’s achievements through Wider Opportunities programmes.
Celebration event
On June 30 2010 over 800 children from all over England took part in an event in Nottingham Arena which formed the high point of Perform!
More than a concert
Perform! is much more than just a concert – it is what happens when the principles and pedagogy that underpin the KS2 Music CPD Programme are put into practice. At the heart of Perform! is an understanding that children’s experience of music is at its richest when they are immersed in real musical experiences - acting as musicians and engaging in all aspects of what it is to be musical – performing, composing, listening and appraising.
New resources and repertoire were written for the project, workshops were run for participating teachers, the KS2 CPD team worked alongside teachers in schools, schools worked together in clusters and children’s work was shared on the web. The centrepiece of the event, watched by an audience of just over 1,000, was a 45 minute long piece involving all the children which incorporated elements of plainchant, reggae, African township songs, samba, 80s disco and Rachmaninoff.
This is what participants and audience members said about Perform!:
“Today has been the best day of my life”
– one of the children performing“Our parents were dancing in their seats”
– head of one of the schools taking part“The children who took part will remember it for the rest of their lives”
– another head teacher“Enormously exciting, enjoyable, effective, energetic and encouraging”
– Dick Hallam – DoE Music Participation Director“Really inspirational”
– head of a music service