Bringing music to the people

Jun 13 2008 by Michael Green, Chester Chronicle

AN unprecedented new partnership is putting live music-making on the menu in Chester.

The Chester Festivals Education Programme project brings together new cultural body Chester Festivals Partnership, leading chamber orchestra Manchester Camerata and Bank of America in an initiative which will see a range of innovative education schemes, family music days, and performances being given in the city over the course of 2008.

In addition, the education programme comes with a project manager dedicated full time to ensuring that this work benefits communities across Chester.

The programme has been funded by a grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation and represents one of the biggest ever investments in a North West arts organisation to deliver work of this kind.

A range of activities will take place in schools, communities and in some of Chester’s landmark buildings and are expected to reach more than 5,000 people.

Rosa Corbishley from Chester Festivals said: “Education and artistic quality are at the heart of Chester Festivals’ agenda for the city – this partnership has enabled us to enhance our current education offering and bring these two elements to Chester.”

Among the work to be funded are special projects to work with parents with young children and special needs students.

A project in the Blacon area will work with parents and children under five to build early musical, listening and interaction skills.

In partnership with Drake Music Project – a North West disabled arts charity – pupils from a mainstream and a special school will come together to create new music.

This project will also combine elements of dance and design and the children taking part will create the Chester Elements.

The project is also funding Learning Bank, a new website for teachers using technology from the corporate training sector to make online interactive resources accessible for teachers.

Transformations, a family music day, is taking place at St Mary’s Centre in Chester on July 5 and will be an action-packed day of music-making for all the family.

And Bank of America has teamed up with Manchester Camerata and Chester Festivals to launch a Kids’ Club for children aged 7-11 to help young music lovers learn more about the orchestra and classical music.