During half-term last month, a series of 'Lullaby Concerts' took place across Suffolk. These were given by City of London Sinfonia (CLS), one of the country's most famous chamber orchestras, and presented by specialist musician Claire Bloor. The project was made possible thanks to a county-wide partnership led by Orchestras Live, the national development agency for orchestral music in England.
At venues in Sudbury, Debenham, Halesworth and Bury St Edmunds, the Lullaby Concerts introduced children aged five and under to live orchestral music in a fun, enchanting and accessible way. Each concert included a mixture of short orchestral pieces, such as 'Fantasia on Greensleeves' and 'Flight of the Bumblebee', as well as nursery rhymes, and contained lots of singing and other participation for the audiences.
The orchestral pieces and presentation were based on the theme of animals, and many children dressed up accordingly to attend their first concert. One piece featured local young instrumentalists taking the stage to perform alongside the CLS, acting as role models for the younger audiences.
WORKSHOPS
In the weeks leading up to the concerts, a series of workshops took place at nursery settings in each area, led by Claire Bloor and CLS musicians. These sessions enabled children and parents to meet some of the orchestral musicians, familiarise themselves with the music and instruments from the concerts and take part in some practical music-making themselves.
A separate training day was also held for childminders and nursery practitioners, helping them to gain ideas and techniques for using music as a means of learning and communication with children, linked to the 'Every Child a Talker' programme.
The Lullaby Concerts were developed in response to a successful pilot at Easton Farm Park in Suffolk last year. With the positive response from the participants, and demand outstripping availability for places, Orchestras Live established a county-wide consortium of partners to achieve the greatest impact and economies of scale.
EARLY YEARS WORK
Orchestras Live's vision is to enable the widest range of people to have experiences of high-quality live orchestral music. The organisation regularly leads projects for young people, and has a particular track record of working in early years settings. It targets its activities in areas of traditional under-provision, and brings together partners for bespoke projects that are most appropriate for local needs.
In all, 1,400 children and adults attended the eight Lullaby Concerts across the county. A further 200 children, parents and staff took part in the workshops at 13 nursery settings.
Comments at the concerts included: 'How wonderful that this has been made accessible to young children. Thank you.' 'What an excellent production. Lovely to have a "hands-on" experience for the under fives!' 'Fantastic - please don't subject to cuts - it's important!' 'I liked the violins, and bouncing up and down' (Naomi, aged four). 'Elephant bit was best' (Freya, aged three). 'Me and Imogen loved the harp lots' (anonymous).
The project partners for the Lullaby Concerts were Babergh District Council, Forest Heath District Council, Mid Suffolk District Council, St Edmundsbury Borough Council, Suffolk Coastal District Council, Suffolk Early Years and Childcare Service, Suffolk County Music Service and Orchestras Live. The project also received some commercial sponsorship by Philips AVENT. City of London Sinfonia and Orchestras Live hope to be able to hold Lullaby Concerts elsewhere if suitable opportunities arise and partnerships can be created.
MORE INFORMATION
More information and photos at www.orchestraslive.org.uk/lullaby2010