Schools' Project

Our annual school’s project has been successfully running since 2006 and has seen children from Oxfordshire primary schools participating in a series of creative and singing workshops working with an inspirational workshop leader and professional musicians. Workshops are supplemented by inspiration visits to places such as the Ashmolean and Natural History Museusm and feature final performances at venues in Oxford.

Our project has recently been expanded so that we partner with a whole school over a longer period of time. This academic year and next, we will be working with St Frideswide Primary School in Oxford. Activities so far have included:

Children from Key Stage Two took part in workshops to compose a song cycle based on visits to the Museum of Natural History and a school trip to the Brecon Beacons. Creativity is at the heart of the project and children were encouraged to explore the relationship between words and music. The results are absolutely wonderful and were presented by the children in a final performance at the Sheldonian Theatre in December.

Since January our workshop leader and musicians have been working with classes from Key Stage One to compose a school song whilst children in the Early Years classes have enjoyed music-making activities and teachers are participating in training workshops in order to support their class music activities.

Plans for our second year at St Frideswide include another composition project and performance and further training and support for staff to lead music activities at the school.

If you are a primary school in Oxford and would like to register your interest in participating in future projects or would like more information about our work, please email [email protected]