£120,000 grant for new music project

WARRINGTON has won a £120,000 grant for a new music project working with 80 children from five primary schools across the borough.
The money comes from the National Foundation for Youth Music and has been made to Accent Music Education Hub in partnership with Score Creative Education and the University Academy, Warrington.
Aim of the project is to enhance the life-chances of the youngsters by helping to unlock their potential and meet the musical needs of a wider range of children and young people.
Individual learning plans will cover use of music technology, instruments, voice, production skills, song-writing and performance opportunities across various music genres.
A creative family-learning element is planned to encourage parents to get involved with support, such as “learn together family music days” where parents and carers learn to play music with their children and other sharing events, including performances, will also take place for family and friends.
The “Exchanging Notes” initiative aims to establish if this collaborative approach brings additional benefits for young people at risk.
Along with nine other similar projects around the country, Birmingham City University will be undertaking a rigorous study of the project to evaluate the educational, musical and other outcomes of these new models of partnerships for the pupils involved. It will also examine how the distinctive educational approaches used in schools and out-of-school settings might be combined.
Janice Pounds, strategic lead, Accent Music Education Hub said: “We’re thrilled to have been awarded this grant by the National Foundation for Youth Music. It will allow us to build upon the great music development projects currently taking place across Warrington and enable us to see and document the real difference that a high quality music offer can make to these young people’s lives.”
Steve Oates, director, Score Creative Education said: “Studies have shown that young people learn much about music outside of the formal classroom environment and these findings are also supported by a recent consultation that we carried out involving Warrington-based musicians and local school children.
“The Exchanging Notes project will enable pupils at University Academy to bring together their formal and informal learning and experiences and we believe this can have a beneficial effect on their development and attainment at school.”