Play ON
Play ON
PlayON is the Orchestra of Opera North ‘in residence’ at schools in Kirklees and Leeds.
Play ON Leeds
Our first year working at a school in Leeds has been a great success. Working with composer, Eve Harrison and a team of orchestral players, pupils from Corpus Christi Catholic College have been introduced to orchestral music, had their imagination and creativity stimulated and taken part in unique visits, concerts and orchestral rehearsals throughout the year.
The project culminated in an exciting performance at the Howard Assembly Room at Opera North, of compositions created over the last year. Instrumental players from the school performed alongside professional players at the concert in April 2010, which was attended by a wide range of parents and friends, including Opera North’s General Director Richard Mantle and Mike Woods Head Teacher at Corpus Christi.
Building on its success, this Leeds residency now moves to Bruntcliffe High School in Morley. The team will be aiming to help the music department create links throughout the school and raise the profile of instrumental playing both within the school and throughout the wider community.
Play ON Kirklees
Following several years of successful work in Kirklees secondary schools, this year has seen the birth of a brand new kind of project. Led by Luke Crookes across 5 schools (1 secondary and 4 primaries), the project is working with pupils aged 8-13 to help build a strong instrumental tradition in each school by delivering fun and creative workshops in school time. As the project develops, pupils from all of the schools will have the opportunity to come together in their own time to make, play and perform classical music.
Pupils in each of the primary schools are currently learning instruments as part of the government funded 'Wider Opportunities' scheme and it is hoped that by providing varied and creative opportunities for enjoying music, more pupils will continue to study their musical instruments into secondary education and beyond.
Last term, introductory workshops were held in each of the schools and we are now planning opportunities for the groups to attend rehearsals, concerts and operas over the next academic year, as well as continuing the work in schools.
For more information about either of these projects please contact Opera North Education on 0113 2233557 or email education@operanorth.co.uk.
