West Sussex Music is fortunate to work with some very well-known organisations, and lately we’ve had the pleasure of many incredible opportunities provided by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO).
Last week the RPO ran a very popular fully inclusive music workshop especially designed for children and young people with additional needs. Taking place at our Crawley Music Centre, based at The Mill Primary Academy in Ifield, twelve young people came together to create compositions, play instruments and enjoy making music together, along with their parents/carers.
The workshop was led by John Webb and three professional players from the RPO with the aim to create compositions inspired by the theme of animals.
The participants created new music that was inspired by The Carnival of the Animals, by Camille Saint-Saens, and film music from Jaws by John Williams.
Alison Sutton, Assistant Head of Music, who leads West Sussex Music’s Orchestras Inc., a fully inclusive music programme for young people with additional needs, was at the event.
She said: “A huge thank you to the RPO who funded this event and The Mill Primary Academy for providing the venue. The young musicians really valued the opportunity to play alongside members of the RPO and having the opportunity to conduct the professional music to create their interpretations of the music.”
The young people enjoyed being creative, one parent said, “It was my son’s first experience playing with other musicians in a group and we had the lovely RPO guiding us. Amazing. It was a beautiful inclusive experience. Just wonderful.”
As well as the workshop, the RPO is staging a Relaxed Performance on Saturday 21 March, at the Charis Centre in Crawley, in conjunction with Creative Crawley.
This sold-out event will feature orchestral musicians and a presenter performing a range of music in ways you’ve never imagined. This event is specially designed for people who may find traditional concerts challenging to attend, including adults and children with learning disabilities, movement disorders, sensory impairments, autistic spectrum disorder, dementia and other neurological conditions, or those with young children or babies.
James Underwood, Chief Executive of West Sussex Music, said: “West Sussex Music’s mission is to ensure all young people can benefit from the transformational power of music. We’re so grateful to the RPO for providing these opportunities and delighted that our organisations can continue to work together, to benefit the children and young people.”
For information on upcoming events and workshops, go here.
