Our schools’ projects use creativity to promote personal and social development within young people’s lives, by creating new music on each project and making sure everyone’s ideas are heard – and valued.
Hidden Histories
Working with RPS composer James B Wilson, students from The Whitby High School & St Nicholas Catholic High School have been writing music inspired by composers who have previously been overlooked due to skin colour, ethnicity or gender
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George’s Marvellous Medicine
Working with fifteen schools across Staffordshire, Camerata musicians teamed up with young people to write entirely new music inspired by Roald Dahl’s classic book ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’.
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Community team takeover at Homeground
Our Community Team took over the Bruntwood & Exchange Square city stage showcasing some of the best talent from young people in our local Gorton Community!
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Mini Music Makers
As Covid-19 struck the nation and we were plunged into lockdown Manchester Camerata set about making an online Music Making resource for kids (and parents) stuck at home!
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Encountering Wordsworth
Encountering Wordsworth aims to bring world-class orchestral music to rural and coastal communities and inspire the next generation of young composers.
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Unstoppable (Webster Primary)
We have a fantastic long standing relationship with Manchester’s Webster Primary. Watch this film we made together about the students move from primary to secondary school.
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We work with pupils from Key Stage 2 up to Key Stage 4 and projects are specially designed to fit with the school curriculum. Pupils immerse themselves in a particular theme (ranging from the environment to the Second World War) and learn how to create lyrics, melodies and harmonies to form their own songs, guided by a resident composer and Manchester Camerata musician.
These new pieces are then performed alongside the orchestra at events or concerts, and even turned into animations or short films.
Some schools take part in intergenerational projects, working in conjunction with care homes in their area to help strengthen community connections.
We also provide CPD training resources for teachers on many of our projects, and look to leave a legacy of our work with the teachers, to ensure that music-making remains embedded throughout everyday school life.
Music Education Hubs
Manchester Camerata collaborates with Music Education Hubs across the North of England, working with groups of schools to create pieces which are performed alongside the orchestra.
Arts Award and Artsmark
We offer young people the opportunity to complete an Arts Award as part of a Camerata in the Community project and are also Artsmark Partners, supporting schools to achieve Artsmark status and show their commitment to the arts.
Facilitated by a resident team of Manchester Camerata musicians plus specially-trained composers, music therapists, theatre makers and visual artists, we encourage expression, communication and development of new skills through music making.
Young people can work towards a performance or a film to showcase their creations.
Our evaluation-learnt research shows that the work we do with schools raises both self-confidence and self-esteem, which impacts upon wider engagement and achievement in the school curriculum. Our creative involvement with young people is not simply an enrichment activity: it’s a core part of learning.
More of our community work
Music and dementia
Our award-winning specialist music therapy programme is already making impact to thousands of individuals living with dementia across the North-West, and we have plans to upscale this globally.
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