Music in the Round (Secondary)
Find out how your secondary school can get involved
WeCompose project summary
This innovative project run by Music in the Round introduces young people from all backgrounds to composition. Students from all over South Yorkshire will be supported by emerging and professional composers to create their own music which will be performed by and alongside professional musicians at the end of the year. Young composers will become critical, reflective and collaborative members of creative communities and develop a relationship with Music in the Round that can continue into GCSE study. We aim to inspire young people to not only consider studying the arts in the future, but to see it as a possible career, so the next generation of artists is more reflective of our diverse society.
Music in the Round
Music in the Round (MitR) is the leading national promoter of chamber music. Based in Sheffield and working across the country, our events are characterised by passion, excellence and proximity, connecting people to each other through being close to the music. We work with world class musicians to deliver high quality music in a variety of settings to people of all ages and levels of ability
MitR has delivered composition projects for over 15 years in partnership with Sheffield Music Education Hub, equipping students and teachers with advanced skills at GCSE level through workshops and recording the young people’s music for their GCSE submissions. Our recent ground-breaking initiative, Schubert in Schools (generously supported by the Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation), in collaboration with baritone Roderick Williams OBE and pianist Christopher Glynn, immersed dozens of Key Stage 3 students in the music of Schubert. Bespoke resources by leading educators enabled music staff to teach singing and composition with confidence, supporting the students with singing together and devising their own creative responses to Schubert.
About WeCompose KS3
This project empowers secondary schools to approach composition with confidence, flair and creativity, benefitting students and teachers long after the project finishes.
For students:
by providing enhanced educational and progression opportunities for students, this project offers young people an accessible way into making their own music that can continue into GCSE and beyond. By supporting young people to take ownership of music as a language, explore their creativity and share their music, this project aims to introduce young people to possibilities they wouldn’t otherwise discover. By working alongside professional composers and musicians, we hope that students will feel that their creative contributions are important and valued.
For teachers:
by offering comprehensive resources, long-term support and training led by professional composers and educators, this project builds a legacy for teachers to continue delivering high-quality composition lessons and to create a culture of self-expression in schools that will inspire music-makers far beyond this project.
At KS3
students will create group compositions in response to key repertoire that they will hear live at the start of the project (performed by our Bridge Quintet). Students will be supported to include members of the Bridge Quintet in their compositions. The new compositions will be performed by the students and Bridge Quintet at a culmination event in Summer.
At KS4
students will be supported to write their own compositions for our professional musicians in response to key repertoire. The compositions will be performed and recorded at the end of the project by the musicians and opportunities will be sought for further dissemination of the pieces. By supporting young composers throughout their process and forging links to the music industry with exciting real-world outcomes, we will create and support a new generation of diverse, confident and creative music-makers
Please contact Paul at paul.davies@doncaster.gov.uk to find out more.