MUSIC IN THE COMMUNITY 2015-18 Learning & Participation

2nd February 2015

Music in the Round puts Music in the Community (MitC), its Learning & Participation programme, at the heart of its commitment to inspire, enthuse, educate and engage people of all ages through high quality music experiences specifically to develop both the artists and audiences of the future.

During 2015-18 we will build on the success of the previous three years, learning from the evidence and evaluation of previous projects, to extend our offer to more people of all ages.

Between 2011 and 2014, MitC led 326 specific activities with around 37,098 attenders* across its programme. By 2018, we aim to increase the number of participants by 1,500, increasing the number and range of concerts in the programme, engaging with new audiences, forging new links between MitC activity and the MitR concert series, and working on audience development.

* Attenders includes both audience members and participants

Our programmes are driven by these overall principles:

Excellence: We are informed by a wealth of knowledge and experience gained over the last 30 years. We work in consultation with audiences, participants, teachers and other leading providers to ensure that there is a proven need and demand. We pride ourselves in delivering events that have integrity and meet the expectations of attenders. We engage highly trained educationalists, professional musicians and composers and we regularly evaluate projects and lead research projects in order to fully understand, advocate and share the impact of our work.

Diversity: All strands of our activity aim to explore many musical styles and genres (e.g. Latin American, Goan Indian, Jazz, Early Music, Choral) to engage children, young people (CYP) and adults from diverse backgrounds. Conscious that there is no one ‘audience’ for music, but rather that individuals negotiate their own journey through ‘musics’, we want to give everybody the opportunity to meet quality music in the environment that is right for them. We are sensitive to, and have made strides in understanding and catering to, the particular nature and needs of specific community groups, especially in Sheffield, a very diverse city. Continuing this drive to listen to community needs and engage in meaningful, sympathetic ways to share a love of music will inform our programming and practice.

Accessibility: Low prices are a feature of all our work with CYP and adults. In South Yorkshire (SY), schools’ concerts are free to teachers and £3 per child; they usually sell out. Music Box workshops in Early Years settings are free to children, with schools making a small contribution. We make 35 tickets free to schools for every lunchtime concert in Sheffield, and under 18s tickets for all concerts are £5. We encourage partner venues on tour to offer concerts and INSET sessions at low prices to ensure that cost is not a barrier to participation. We often work with partners to enable hard-to-reach families to attend events for free and we regularly take projects into communities, especially where there are physical or other barriers to attending performance venues.

Commissioning new music: Our work supports the seven principles identified by Arts Council England (ACE). Our ‘commissions model’ creates credible and authentic experiences for children, teachers, parents and carers through enjoyable, high-quality chamber music. The British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) commended our work as a model of best practice for its inclusion of Sheffield children in the composition process, its longevity through touring, and its sheer fun. We were also awarded the David Bedford Award in 2013 for ‘exceptional education projects’ . Arts Industry and Arts Professional magazines have recently profiled our model of good practice to a national audience.

2 Digital engagement: An increasing digital offer makes our activity highly relevant and accessible to CYP, and we continue to expand our thinking in this area. Our commissions model uses video and audio, as part of participation packs and on YouTube, to support learning before concerts, deepening children’s engagement with the new works and for training Early Years practitioners and teachers. We design and deliver digital media projects in schools, often with specialist partners. For older CYP and adults, the MitR YouTube channel offers inspiring video interviews with composers, musicians and other artists, plus rehearsal footage and documentaries. We make use of social media to disseminate clips from these films. We will research and work with a publishing partner to produce advanced digital content for Paul Rissmann’s commissions, creating a new interactive way to explore and experience the music and its instrumentation.

Partnerships: Our partnership with Sheffield Music Hub (SMH) in delivering and promoting The String Project, Powerplus and Soundplay has increased our engagement with CYP from 170 to 480 per year. The partnership with ESCAL (Every Sheffield Child Articulate and Literate) would not have developed without SMH. We have strong partnerships with all SY Music Hubs and with other Hubs around the country, engaged through the national touring programme.

We collaborate with several partners in Higher Education. The impact of our work in EYFS and KS1 settings was the subject of a recent research project by the University of Sheffield, funded by their Arts Enterprise Fund; this report supports planning and fundraising for 2015-18. The University values our activities, encouraging students to volunteer with us to gain work experience. University Campus Barnsley music technology students record our concerts annually and we plan to involve them in the live recording of mini-festivals there. We work in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University including their Tourism and Leisure faculty and their marketing/ film/ digital departments.

Strategic partners include Cape UK and the South Yorkshire Family Arts Network. We are members of ACE’s Arts and Learning Forum and SNAP (Sheffield’s Children and Young People’s arts providers network), which brings together NPOs and other providers to join up the cultural offer for CYP in the city.

MitR works closely in partnership with Wigmore Hall Learning department and regularly shares methods of good practice. Ensemble 360 and narrator Polly Ives have given children’s concerts there for seven consecutive years. MitR has also led highly successful partnership projects with Royal Opera House, Sing Up and Live Music Now.

MitR is a registered supporter of the Arts Award (AA) scheme. Our website carries the logo and highlights ways in which our concerts and activities can help CYP achieve their Arts Award at all levels. We will continue to develop this offer and to work alongside AA centres in Sheffield to provide additional opportunities that support and complement the work of partner organisations. MitR already works with a number of Artsmark schools in SY and offers high-quality music experiences for primary, secondary and special school pupils which enrich their understanding and experience of a range of genres of music. Together with our partners, we will support Artsmark schools wishing to develop imaginative multimedia projects that take their inspiration from music and/or contain musical elements. Our offer to Artsmark schools runs from EYFS to KS 4 and supports progression in music. Via Cape UK we make special offers to Artsmark schools, and via the SNAP network, we share evidence of impact and examples of good practice.

3 The work we produce for Children and Young People (CYP) supports and goes beyond the aims of Goal 5 of Arts Council England’s Strategic Framework. It comprises two strands of activity, from Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) & Key Stage 1 to 4 (KS1-4), and comprises: • Access and Opportunity : introducing and engaging children, their families and teachers, through a variety of activity, including the commissioning of new classical chamber pieces for school and family concerts • Nurturing Talent: supporting the development of young musicians from the region

MitR reached a total of 22,834 children and young people between 2011 and 2014 through these two strands of activity.

We produce Family events at venues across the UK every year

MitR reached 10,697 people in our family programme between 2011 and 2014.

We produce Learning & Participation activities and initiatives for adults for both new and regular concert-goers, comprises of two emerging strands of activity: • Concert Plus: a wealth of complementary activities and initiatives to broaden adults’ knowledge of, passion for, and confidence in attending and engaging in live music. • Participate: a varied and innovative programme of participatory events for adults to play, sing, and perform.

MitR reached 3,297 adults in this activity between 2011 and 2014.

Informing our thinking for the next three years (2015-2018) are the following priorities: • Increase the diversity of people who engage with our work • Establish a more strategic basis for programming and planning • Research and develop our KS2 and KS3 provision , in particular linking more closely to the National Curriculum • Research and develop the work we lead for families • Explore further opportunities to engage adults • Explore the possibilities offered by digital technology and increase our know-how of it • Focus on increasing the skills, knowledge, confidence and sense of progression of our wider workforce • Establish more rigorous evaluation mechanisms that better inform programming and planning

Target Outputs (2015 – 2018): • Approximately 450 sessions • With approximately 50,000 people of all ages 1 • 100 schools across South Yorkshire and 90 more across the UK as part of the touring programme (nursery, infant, junior, secondary and special-needs schools) • Develop demonstrably sustainable and creative partnerships with other organisations committed to extending access to music provision including local music services, Children and Young People’s Services, amateur orchestras, choirs and bands • Develop a defined team of regular musicians and workshop leaders with excellent musical, communication, improvisation and planning skills.

1 Based on additional touring activity and further audience development work 4

Project summaries, specific activity, and development opportunities

ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY (AGES 0-18)

Early Years / KS1 (ages 0-8)

Our Early Years/ Key Stage 1 provision focuses on providing high-quality engagement activities for children aged up to 8, EY practitioners, KS1 teachers, parents and carers, disseminating methods of good practice to raise the standards of provision in nurseries and schools around the country and promoting the importance of music from an early age.

One of the few organisations to appoint a Children’s Composer in Residence, Paul Rissmann, we commission and deliver unique, award-winning music for young children and their grown-ups every year. In 2012 Paul Rissmann won the BASCA Community Award for our commission, The Chimpanzees of Happytown and in 2013, MitR won a David Bedford Music Education Award for Stan and Mabel . These unique ground-breaking concerts form the central plinth of our offer to EYFS & KS1 and are toured around the UK (particularly to areas of least engagement). Based on illustrated children’s books, they have a strong narrative element and include short chamber pieces, songs and projected illustrations.

INSET days and pre-concert, in-school workshops provide teachers with a range of resources and training to enhance the impact of the concert and an opportunity to improve music teaching to embed it within the Early Years Foundation Stage and National Curriculum. Our annual Music Box programme provides opportunities for children aged 2-6 to participate in music workshops. Our Early Years work continues to engage children from diverse backgrounds and also focusses on providing performance and showcasing opportunities for young children, their families and teachers to share music-making opportunities.

This strand also aims to improve the standard of music delivery for young children through workforce development. We are committed to extending relationships and collaborative work with new partners to join up strategic thinking of EY provision in South Yorkshire and nationally, and to raise awareness of the benefits of early years engagement for young people. With funding from Youth Music, we have a strong relationship with Every Sheffield Child Articulate and Literate (ESCAL) in helping children at Elevated Risk participate in music workshops, contributing to their language acquisition and development. We continue to lead the Early Years Music Education Strategy for Sheffield, supported by Sheffield Music Hub (SMH) as an extension activity. Building capacity, resources, confidence and sustainability, this model is designed to enable teachers to involve more children and to improve the depth and quality of interaction for all involved.

Projects 2015 -2018 Activity and outputs Milestones • Commissioning New commission; one piece each year from Children’s Composer in Residence, Paul Rissmann for model (UK- performance by Ensemble 360 and Polly Ives and tour to concert venues. wide) Touring and delivery model includes: • Increase the number of performances nationally to take this to more venues and schools around the • 18 performances in 2015, 20 country in 2016, 24 in 2017 • Work with each venue and Music Hubs to deliver bespoke packages to achieve more efficiency and • 8 Hubs in 2015, 10 in 2016, greater impact including: 12 in 2017 • Increase the number of INSET sessions for teachers and music leaders • 5 sessions in 2016, 6 in 2017, 7 in 2018 • Promote lead-up workshops in settings • 10 in 2015, 13 in 2016, 17 in 2017) • Provide in-school performances of smaller versions of the piece to provide access to schools less likely • 15 in 2015, 18 in 2016 to access cultural venues, particularly special-needs schools

5 • Lead a pilot project for Yr2/3 First Access leaders to teach new arrangements of participation sections • Spring 2016, 2017 and 2018 for instrumental groups to learn in partnership with Music Hubs • Lead digital film-making projects relating to the commissions (see KS2 projects below) • 1 in 2015, 1 in 2016, 1 in 2017 Use of previous commissioned pieces Responding to demand where possible, we will programme additional concerts of previous MitR • 1 in Sheffield 2015 commissions (Stan and Mabel, The Lion Who Wanted to Love, The Chimpanzees of Happytown, Sir • Following years: subject to Scallywag and the Golden Underpants ) in venues where demand for family and schools events is demand established, enabling us to reach new audiences with pieces that have proved their value and have ready- made resources and planned INSETs and pre-concert workshops. Development of resources • Record audio tracks and learn-the-songs YouTube videos for all future commissioned pieces • 1 per commission • Develop new participation packs through better consultation with EY specialists and teachers • 1 per commission • Commission resources for First Access leaders to extend engagement as part of instrumental group • 1 per commission lessons and to incorporate into an all-year round music education (building on experience of Rotherham pilot in spring 2015) • Continue to hone the presentation and production of the promotional YouTube videos that promote and • 1 per commission showcase the value and scope of what we do across the country • Record CDs of all the pieces, possibly in partnership with a recording label • 1 per commission • Develop/ produce apps or e-books of previous and new commissions to engage a far wider audience • 1 per commission than can be reached by performance alone, building on work with David Ashworth leading up to this period • Open Music • In Autumn 2015 / Spring 2016, evaluate Open Music Box with an ambition to improve creative planning • Autumn 2015 / Spring 2016 Box workshops and audience consultation, drawing on the experience of the Soundplay project evaluation for children and • Lead three open sessions per year (for 2-3 years, 4-5 years, 2-5 years, on one day) in Autumn Series, • Aut 15 – Spr 18: Workshops: their families Spring Series, and May Festival each year to meet demand from these slightly younger age groups 3 sessions x 3 days (Sheffield) Sessions will link classical repertoire by established composers including Latin American music with guitarist Morgan Szymanski and Goan music with tabla player Kuljit Bhamra MBE; also include musical storytelling using stories such as Giraffes Can’t Dance, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Lullabyhulaballoo, Smartest Giant in Town and Where the Wild Things Are • Early Years Following the Youth Music-funded “Soundplay; Early Years at Elevated Risk” project in 2014-15, and led by • Research and develop April Music Network its conclusions and impact, we will raise funding to appoint a freelance co-ordinator to continue our work in 2015 (Sheffield/ partnership with the Sheffield Music Hub Early Years Strategy Group, ESCAL and other key EY music • Which will inform when to South partners to develop a city-wide music network that aims to: begin delivering Yorkshire) • Develop and extend resources (audio, video, Top Tips) and make them widely available and used; • Lead training, networking and signposting events and forums including an Early Years Music Conference, within this 3-year period with our partners, for showcasing and sharing methods of good practice; • Create and seize opportunities for showcasing and joining up musical activity; • Take successful models to other venues (eg in hard-to-reach areas of Sheffield in partnership with ESCAL) in order to increase diversity and widen access.

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Key Stage 2 (ages 8-11)

Our Key Stage 2 provision has focused on schools’ concerts and in-school performances with 8-11 year olds, given by professional musicians with links to the concert series. It provides opportunities for children to hear live music and to attend cultural venues and meet professional musicians. It has developed the reputation of Ensemble 360 and built positive relationships with schools.

We will research and develop this provision to identify gaps and make our offer stronger and more relevant to pupils and their teachers in line with our core objectives and in partnership with existing providers, aiming not only to provide inspiring opportunities for young people but also to develop the confidence and skills of teachers. Through this we aim to provide a distinctive path for musical progression from KS1 through the primary curriculum.

Projects (2015 – Activity and outputs 18) KS2 concerts We will research, pilot and deliver a new packaged project that builds on the successful of the EY/KS1 model, • Research/ develop May-Dec (Sheffield, BDR particularly focusing on the gap in provision for 8-11 year olds, their teachers and families. It will primarily aim 2015 and nationally) to support KS2 children who learn instruments through Music Hubs’ First Access programmes and to address • Pilot in Sheffield Spring 2016 low levels of transition. Through making positive and long-term regular links with schools, we hope that this • Develop with a view to project will follow directly on from the EY/ KS1 activity and therefore provide a continuous programme extending it to SY in 16-17 throughout the whole of children’s primary education. Working in partnership will lead to higher levels of impact and on Tour in 17-18. in musical and all-round attainment and raise awareness of the importance of music in children’s education. We will engage a new freelance animateur to shape and deliver/lead this strand of activity to ensure its excellence and relevance.

Elements of this new provision could include: - INSET sessions that develop KS2 teachers’ confidence and skills, - new digital resources and participation packs that make direct cross-curricular links to the national curriculum, - packs for sharing activities with parents/ carers at home, - pre-concert workshops in partnership with Music Hubs, - one concert per year given by the Animateur and professional musicians (a programme of established repertoire, interspersed with devised participatory extracts and in a professional venue) Core concerts We will provide up to 35 free tickets to Y6 pupils and teachers at Sheffield junior schools to attend lunchtime/ • May Festival and Autumn and (Sheffield) weekday concerts as part of the concert series, particularly choosing concerts with varied repertoire and Spring Series each year engaging & diverse instrumentation, where possible targeting children who learn featured instruments. We will support and encourage tour venues to provide the same opportunities.

Additional initiatives including specially written programme notes, ‘Meet the Musicians’ and Backstage tours before or after concerts will enhance the experience for CYP and deepen our relationships with schools Creative Where possible, we will lead other creative music workshop projects in response to particular needs or to link • Pilot in Autumn 2015 response to elements of the core project e.g. a film-making project inspired by the theme of the Festival in partnership projects with Cuckoo Films . Schools’ As part of our national touring programme, we will work with other venues to provide schools’ concerts for this • Each touring year concerts (tour) targeted age group presented by touring professional musicians

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Key Stages 3 and 4 (ages 11-18)

Our Key Stage 3 and 4 programme focuses on supporting secondary-school music teachers to inspire students to listen to and engage in live music by linking with repertoire that complements and extends the National Curriculum. We understand and advocate the potential for involvement in music as a way of enhancing academic achievement and attainment across subjects, as well as being a valuable element of students’ personal and social health and fulfilment. We will research and develop this programme to forge better links with schools, and always to provide activity that is relevant and realistic .

Projects (2015 – Activity and output 2018) Secondary We will research, develop and pilot a series of horizon-broadening concerts (one per year) that aim to • Research and develop in Schools’ encourage musical engagement by KS3 and KS4 students, devised and presented by a new highly skilled 2015 – 2016 concerts animateur alongside Ensemble 360 and/or visiting musicians specifically addressed at enriching elements of • Lead pilot in 2016 - 2017 (Sheffield) the national curriculum and (where feasible) making links with MitR’s programming. Possible projects include • Develop in 2017 - 2018 working with Morgan Szymanski and Machaca ‘Latin America’ in 2016-17 and The ‘Middle East’ with Kuljit Bhamra MBE in 2017 – 18. Each concert will target either KS3 or KS4 and will be presented accordingly. We will provide pre-concert resources that can be incorporated into teachers’ lesson plans. We will plan these projects in consultation with a Head of Music and Sheffield Music Hub and packages may be re-performed in South Yorkshire and on tour if there is demand. Concert Club Launch, pilot, and develop the new Concert Club scheme: • Launch and pilot in May - core concerts • We will provide up to 35 free tickets to Sheffield secondary schools to attend lunchtime/ weekday concerts 2015 (Sheffield) as part of the standard concert series. We will research the curriculum (particularly GCSE and A-Level) and • Develop each series hold discussions with secondary teachers to find links between concert series and the curriculum. • We will undertake research with young attenders and their teachers to find out about their experience of the concerts, and use this feedback to inform how we target other groups. • We will provide further incentives (backstage tours, socials and meet the musicians, amongst other opportunities) that augment the concert-going experience Other • We will work in partnership with other organisations (including (Artsmark schools, Arts Award, & the Duke of • Ongoing Edinburgh Award) to support other opportunities and musical development for young people and to provide work experience and volunteering opportunities

8 FAMILY PROGRAMME

Our family programme focuses on providing engaging and inspirational events for all the family, led by professional musicians and trained educationalists in professional and exciting performance spaces. Concerts aim to introduce people of all ages to a range of repertoire in an informal and informative way, making use of welcoming introductions, meaningful audience participation, and image projections where relevant. We provide resources to encourage families to explore music and activities at home before and after concerts. These concerts also aim to give non-regular-concert-going adults a ‘way in’ to live classical music.

We will work with our partners, including the Family Arts Campaign, to ensure that we are presenting a coherent and inspiring programme to an audience.

Earlier and more integrated planning will help us to view and design the annual offer with more strategic clarity. A more coherent approach to marketing and branding our Family offer will enable us to better highlight this integral part of our programme and to retain audiences. Direct marketing initiatives will help to encourage crossover to core concerts and to adult engagement activities.

Projects Activity and outputs Family concerts We will present an annual programme of family concerts: (Sheffield, BDR and UK tour) • The Paul Rissmann Commission (see EY/ KS1 section) will be performed as a Family concert • Continue the commission in Sheffield with Ensemble 360 and Polly Ives every Spring. It will also tour as a family family concerts in Sheffield, concert to increasing numbers of venues around the UK due to increased demand including Rotherham and Doncaster, Wigmore Hall in London, the National Centre for Early Music in York, Bury St Edmunds tour venues and associate Festival, Cast in Doncaster, The Old Fire Station in Carlisle and the Magna Centre in venues each year in 2015 – Rotherham, amongst many others. We will work with each venue to support their individual 2018. Develop relationships needs for audience development and extending the model further. with new venues in 2016. Explore possibility of a • In Sheffield, we will present a family concert as part of the annual May Festival either of a family concert in Barnsley previous Paul Rissmann Commission or a programme of music linked to the repertoire and for 1516 onwards. themes of the festival. The concerts will be devised and performed by Ensemble 360 and a highly experienced presenter/ narrator. This takes into account the value of this programming • Sheffield Autumn family as an accessible exploration of classical repertoire not only for CYP but also for adults. These concert – develop by concerts will also be available to other tour venues depending on demand and capacity. working with a new animateur – research Spring • In Sheffield, we will present a family concert in the Autumn concert series, presented by a 2015. presenter/ animateur alongside Ensemble 360/ visiting artists. This will be part of the national Family Arts Festival and will work in partnership with a number of our local partners. • Bespoke projects, when required if capacity. • We will provide other bespoke performances at tour venues where interest and need is evident. Family pre -concert events We will regularly present supporting activities for families to engage (alongside concerts) including: • Pilot May 2015 • Pre-concert creative workshops • Develop Spring 2016. • Pre-concert family-friendly backstage tours • Meet the Musicians sessions • Digital media initiatives such as an online version of ‘Meet the Musicians’. This follows the useful pilot work undertaken as part of the Youth Music project Soundplay in 2014-15.

9 NURTURING TALENT (AGES 7-18)

This strand aims to provide performance and coaching opportunities to young people who learn an instrument, sing or have particular interests in music technology, production or music management, providing access to professional musicians and professional performance spaces and equipment. It also aims to support instrumental/ vocal and classroom teachers.

A range of high-quality musicians, including Ensemble 360 and visiting artists, coach and support young musicians through: • Powerplus, supporting GCSE composition students and teachers to improve the quality of composition • The Strings Project, developing young players’ performance skills • Instrumental, performance, and other masterclasses

We offer performance platforms for young musicians to perform to concert audiences in exciting and inspirational venues. Partner organisations such as Sheffield Music Academy and Sheffield Music School take advantage of these pre-concert sessions to develop students’ confidence and skills in public performance and to provide excellent opportunities for their performance portfolios at GCSE and A Level.

Working with the South Yorkshire (SY) Music Hubs to continue to extend our Nurturing Talent programmes will help us reach more CYP from diverse backgrounds. Two of our most successful recent participants have been young Muslim students. One composed a winning piece for the Royal Opera House’s Fanfare project, which we co-delivered in 2012. Ensemble 360 performed Women of the Arab Spring by the other, a Powerplus student, at the Sheffield Music Hub Gala concert in 2013.

Projects (2015 – 2018) Activity and outputs Power plus (Sheffield) • Continue to develop this groundbreaking GCSE composition project in 15 very diverse Sheffield • In school workshops Aut – secondary schools from across the city led by Robin McEwan and Ensemble 360. Musicians work Spring with the young composers during the autumn and spring terms; four performance days each year at • 4 project days each year in the Crucible Studio showcase over 120 world premieres annually, interspersed with music by Spring and Summer terms th st established 20 / 21 century composers including Ligeti, Webern, Bartok, Piazzolla, Bryars and • Performance at the City hall Hermann. The compositions are recorded and provided to all participants for their coursework, each March making it a hugely valuable programme supporting the large gap in support for composition in the • Revisit Ensemble 360 in- music curriculum. school visits in Autumn • Public showcase at the Sheffield Music Hub annual event at City Hall 2015. • Developmental plans include teachers’ INSET sessions and including in-school workshops again led by Ensemble 360 to respond to need from schools. This ongoing process is overseen by the L&P Manager in consultation with Robin McEwan Masterclasses • Revisit the masterclass model by consulting with teachers and music schools and Music Hubs to • Research and develop (Sheffield, BDR, tour) inform future events, responding to demand as appropriate Autumn 2015 (Sheffield, • Potentially broaden the masterclass model each year to incorporate a wider variety of subjects e.g. BDR) Melvyn Tan’s masterclasses in 2014-15. Wherever possible run these in partnership so that we • Ongoing (tour) provide the expertise and partners provide participants. • During 2015-18 we will explore the possibility of running bespoke masterclasses in Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham. • Continue to provide masterclasses by visiting artists on tour (e.g. Cropper/Welsh/ Roscoe Trio)

10 String Projects (South • Work in partnership with Sheffield Music Hub in presenting 3 holiday courses per year for around • 3 per year (Sheffield) Yorkshire) 400 young instrumentalists from South Yorkshire. Provide professional musicians including • 1 per year (Barnsley) if need Ensemble 360, the Marmen Quartet and visiting musicians, and programme challenging and engaging well-loved classical repertoire as well as other music from a range of backgrounds including folk, dance and jazz improvisation. • Programme and plan bespoke projects responding to need (e.g. Barnsley June 2015) Performance • Continue to provide performance opportunities for local young groups (e.g. Sheffield Music Hub, • 1 per concert series opportunities Sheffield Music Academy, Sheffield Young Singers, Sheffield Music School) at a professional (Sheffield) venue. This scheme supports our aim of showcasing the musical community and co-promoting and joining up provision. Recording/ music tech • Each year Barnsley College music technology students annually attend and record two concerts by • 1 per year opportunities Ensemble 360 as part of their coursework. Concert Club at core • As part of the Concert Club we will provide groups of tickets to young instrumentalists to concerts • Launch and pilot in May concerts (Sheffield) as part of the standard concert series, particularly targeting groups such as Sheffield Music 2015 Academy and Sheffield Music School. We will also provide added incentives (backstage tours, • Develop each series socials and meet the musicians).

ADULT ENGAGEMENT

Concert Plus (adults): Our presentation of concerts and extended initiatives and products to support adults (both new and regular concert-goers) deepens their knowledge of and passion for music. All concerts feature musicians introducing the music in an informal, informative way, providing an extra layer of engagement. Festivals and mini-festivals are programmed to take audiences on a journey with a composer, or around a theme, thereby deepening the overall audience experience. Our concert series also include talks, open rehearsals, Q&As, seminars, symposiums and lecture-recitals led by experienced and inspiring professional musicians and experts.

We commission programme notes for all our South Yorkshire concerts, making them available for touring partner venues. When necessary or when adding value, as with Transformations , these also provide contextual information (for example about Benjamin Britten, for members of the audience unfamiliar with this composer in his centenary year). Our website includes links to Spotify playlists so that people can listen in advance of a concert. Recent updates allow for more video interviews, rehearsal footage and other enriching content to be communicated clearly and accessibly.

Proje cts (2015 – 2018) Activity and outputs Concert Plus As part of the concert series, we will programme • Pre-concert talks in Sheffield, BDR and tour • At least 9 per year • Post-concert Q&As in Sheffield, BDR and tour • At least 9 per year • Open Rehearsals, focusing on the rehearsal and presentation processes of Ensemble 360 and • 1 per year visiting artists • 1 per year • Seminars that enable people to engage with and explore subjects of particular interest • 1 per year • Symposiums as part of May Festivals and mini-festivals that bring together expert views from a variety of perspectives

We will

11 • Extend the use of blogs, online programme notes and more frequent audio and video content to • Develop throughout complement the live experience, introduce the work of lesser-known composers, and engage new audiences through the opportunity to sample music in advance online • Develop the use of social media to bring people together around common interests and encourage participant-generated ideas • Continue to work in partnership with The University of Sheffield to encourage students to attend concerts by linking with specific modules and seminar groups.

Participate! (adults): We programme high-quality participation events for adults of various abilities and experience to engage directly including: • 'Bring and Sing' and ‘Bring and Play’ workshops and concerts where amateur musicians perform alongside professional musicians • A volunteering scheme

Projects (2015 – 2018) Activity and outputs Participate! We will programme highly engaging participation events for adults including: • Bring & Sing and Bring & Play events exploring diverse repertoire alongside professional musicians • 2 events per year (e.g. John Rutter, Firefly Burning, Ensemble 360 and Kuljit Bhamra) each year to engage amateur musicians. • 2 per year • INSET sessions for teachers linked to EY/ KS1 and KS2 projects above. These events will also link to other core concerts and other adult participation events. • Volunteering opportunities in office administration, front of house and event management. • Ongoing Approximately 20 people per year • We will respond to and co-deliver bespoke projects in partnership with other organisations e.g. U3A, • Ongoing Museums Sheffield and Sheffield Theatres People’s Theatre • We will continue to lead projects devised in partnership with the University of Sheffield including • Ongoing Music in the City volunteering scheme, the Music in the Community module and performance classes • Bespoke projects devised in partnership with other universities and colleges e.g. Sheffield Hallam • Ongoing University and Barnsley College • Develop Classical Sheffield, a city-wide initiative led by MitR that aims to join up music-making for • Ongoing both audiences and providers, offering a one-stop place in which to find out about classical music in Sheffield and developing partnerships and networks that benefit promoters and performers. Our leadership of this reflects the close fit between our aims & values and Classical Sheffield’s: bringing music to existing and new audiences, cultural leadership, breaking down borders, removing barriers to access, reaching out across boundaries, and providing music education in the broadest sense to the whole community

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