Our partners Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra recently provided a special performance and workshop for pupils at Dover Park Primary School in Ryde.
The children loved the workshops and they were a perfect link to the tuition the children will be having from January. They left inspired and excited for their lessons!
Read the full article below.
Read the full article
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Captivates Pupils At Dover Park Primary School
Students at Thornhill Primary School, Redbridge Primary School and Hightown Primary School have worked alongside Southampton & IoW Music and workshop leader Miko Lisiak to learn and record songs from The Wind in The Willows: Toad's BIG Musical Adventure.
We are amazed that the students were able to learn, sing and record these songs all in less than an hour!
You can listen to the recordings below:
On Friday 6 December, we joined University of Southampton Voices and their director Harvey Brough for The Bells of Paradise, a sparkling Christmas concert at Turner Sims concert hall.
Children from Bassett Green Primary School and young singers from St Michael's Choir came together to perform a collection of carols and Christmas songs from around the world.
We are so proud of our incredible young singers who performed brilliantly with a full adult choir in front of a packed audience. What a way to continue the festive period!
Join students and teachers from Platform One - College of Music to hear performances from bands, young people and learn lots about events, sound, music technology and jobs in the music industry. This will be happening in April - July 2025.
Details of spaces available will come directly from Platform One to your settings so this is one to look out for!
The schools came together to take part in singing workshops, a tour of the house and some Victorian Christmas Crafts topped off by a fantastic performance in the Durbar Room where Queen Victoria would have enjoyed listening to her own children singing. A beautifully decorated Osborne House was a stunning backdrop for the day along with the amazing staff and volunteers from English Heritage who helped the day to run smoothly.
In addition to this students from Carisbrooke College were invited to sing for guests on a tour of the house in the week prior.
“Just wanted to say a big thank you for today. The children had a wonderful time and they just beam after these experiences!”
- Emma Millard Music Lead at Broadlea Primary
"An Audience With..." is Southampton & IOW Music's flagship vehicle to help schools connect the areas of the National Plan for Music Education focused on Music Industry roles with children and young people.
In partnership with IWCEP and Creative Island, we will be delivering workshops on Thursday 5th & Friday 6th February for young people on the Isle of Wight in KS2 & KS3.
These will be hands-on sessions outlining some of the job roles available in the music industry (both technical and performance based) through practical activities and digital video content which will inspire young people to work in the music industry and develop aspirations for the future
Find out more via our hub menu.
Pathways to music industry workshops
In partnership with Isle of Wight Cultural Education Partnership & Creative Island
After the success of our recorder extravaganza at St Catherine’s Church in Ventnor last year as part of Fairest Isle Festival we will be continuing the tradition this year!
Although the festival is not taking place again until 2026 the festival organisers were keen to continue the legacy of this year’s project via the commissioning of a new recorder songbook written by island-native Miriam Monaghan from recorder super-group Palisander.
The music hub will host these digital resources, provide CPD for schools and workshops to introduce the materials and during next term select a venue and date for performance in the spring term.
If your school would like to host this event please do get in touch.
In January and February, the student members of Southampton University Chamber Choir are offering the opportunity for schools to hear them perform in a short assembly and then work with a class or a choir group for a workshop leading to a small performance on the day.
The workshop: 60 minutes, suitable for a class of up to 30 or your choir.
Assembly: 15-20 minutes, including performances from SUCC and children’s performance of material from the workshop.
Join us on 23 January 2025, at the iconic Portsmouth Guildhall for an inspiring day of exploration and collaboration at South Coast Music Partnership’s Music Education Conference. This year's theme, Innovation: Driving Music Forward, invites educators and music practitioners to engage in meaningful discussion and, explore new innovative ideas and transformative practices that are shaping the future of music education.
Strands of sessions across the day will be suitable for EYFS, KS1, KS2, KS3 and KS4 along with specialist sessions on vocal, curriculum and SEND. You can explore the sessions and full schedule on the South Coast Music Partnership website.
The dynamic line-up of presenters and workshop leaders, drawn from across the music education sector, will provide invaluable insights and hands-on experiences designed to ignite creativity and enhance your teaching practice. Whether you're a seasoned music educator or just starting out, this conference is an opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals, share innovative strategies, and explore new approaches to fostering musical talent in the classroom.
Don't miss this chance to be part of a vibrant community dedicated to advancing music education. Together, we can drive music forward!
Tickets are £90 with lunch included or £50 for students - schools will be invoiced for your attendance after booking so please have the details of your finance contacts when completing the booking form.
Thursday 23 January 2025
Portsmouth Guildhall, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, UK
Find full details and how to book for each event through the link to the listing on our events page.
Monday 25 November: Elgar, Twango and Los Twangolitos live at Cantell! — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]
Thursday 28 November: Airplay & Boom! live at Cantell School! — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]
Saturday 30 November: BSO On Your Doorstep: Curious Creatures Family Concert — Southampton Music Hub [Isle of Wight]
Come and join 14 BSO musicians, a young Isle of Wight string group, and someone to guide you through the music – this relaxed performance is perfect for young audiences going to a concert for the first time. The afternoon will involve some listening, some participatory elements, and you’ll be sure to experience a mixture of styles – from Bjork to Moana, as well as relaxing classics. Designed with families in mind, let the music take you from forests to oceans and explore the curious creatures of the natural world.
Saturday 30 November: Gig Night — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]
Southampton and IOW Music are proud to partner with the Gig Night Charity, providing young artists with a regular platform to perform and develop their music and confidence. Gig night runs monthly at the Old Chemist engaging young musicians from all over Southampton. SIOW Groove Bands, Groove Merchant and Groove Syndicate, feature in the lineup.
Sunday 1 December: Southampton Youth Orchestra live at Turner Sims — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]
Southampton Youth Orchestra’s first concert of the season is an all-French programme with a Spanish twist, featuring Delibes’ Coppelia Suite, Chabrier’s Espana and an exciting performance of Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnol, featuring the debut concerto performance of one of our own young violinists.
Wednesday 4 December: Southampton University Symphony Orchestra at Turner Sims: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]
Southampton University Symphony Orchestra and Turner Sims would like to invite you to a free performance featuring Leonard Bernstein's thrilling ‘Symphonic Dances from West Side Story’! This performance is perfect for local families with children up to 15 and is an ideal opportunity for young people learning an instrument, who are interested in learning an instrument, or anyone looking for a fun evening out!
Thursday 5 December: Schools Christmas Concert at O2 Guildhall Southampton: featuring SYWB — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]
Join us at Southampton Guildhall to continue the Southampton Schools Music Association of schools Christmas events at Southampton Guildhall this Christmas! Featuring music from Jo Downs new Christmas Songbook and narrative script, loosely based on the Nativity story. Southampton Youth Wind Band will also be performing in our Christmas Schools’ Celebration Concert.
Friday 6 December: The University of Southampton Voices: The Bells of Paradise at Turner Sims — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]
The University of Southampton Voices present a sparkling Christmas concert. The Bells of Paradise is a collection of carols and Christmas songs from around the world and through the ages. For this performance, USV are joined by children’s choirs from local schools, organised and supported by Southampton & Isle of Wight Music.
Saturday 7 December: Southampton Youth Brass Band live at Exbury Gardens! — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]
Southampton Youth Brass Band will be performing at Exbury Gardens.
Monday 9 December: Pulse8 Open Rehearsal for Family & Friends! — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]
Pulse8 will be having an ‘Open Rehearsal’ at Richard Taunton Sixth Form College. This is an opportunity for Family & Friends to watch our young members practise together. Parents & friends are welcome to attend the whole rehearsal.
Wednesday 11 December: Southampton Youth Concert Sinfonia live at Thornden Hall — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]
Join Southampton Youth Concert Sinfonia, Southampton's largest youth orchestra, for an evening of festive favourites from our most loved Christmas films. Programmes to include everything from Aladdin to White Christmas, along with wonderful festive lighting. Fun for all the family - not to be missed!
Thursday 12 December: Southampton Youth Brass Band perform at Ocean Terminal! — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]
The event will be at Cantell School from 1.30-3.30pm on Sunday 24 November.
This is a FREE event run with support from the Friends of Southampton Youth Orchestras (FSYO) and is open to string players who have been learning for a year up to approximately Grade 1 standard.
Please contact music@southampton.gov.uk to sign up.
As part of our ‘An Audience With…’ series, in which young people have interviewed music professionals including Sam Lee, Carducci Quartet and Camilla George, we have developed a series of Assembly resources to accompany these interviews.
These powerpoint resources include prompts, questions, suggested activities and further listening linked to the artists featured, to bring the video interviews to life for your weekly whole school assembly.
You can now download the powerpoint assembly resources to accompany the first three interviews.
An Audience With… Assembly Resources
2024’s Black History Month song is based on a theme of Reclaiming Narratives; showcasing untold stories, correcting historical inaccuracies, challenging the narratives that have often overlooked the contributions and achievements of Black individuals.
The song ‘Retelling our Stories’ is now live in our Songbank. To accompany the song, we have made a KS2/KS3 music curriculum resource.
This resource includes outlining the topic, researching the themes and writing your own verse to fit with the existing chorus and example verse.
Find the song and curriculum resource in our songbank via the button below.
Over four hours we were able to showcase the incredible talents of the city's young people including the hub rock bands and bands from Upper Shirley High School and Redbridge College and some of the brilliant artists from our Stage Door Rising Stars series.
Along with the performances in Southampton's old town, hub bands and local young musicians were also taking part in the hugely popular open mic sessions run at The Old Chemist in Bitterne which was another excellent and busy night of performances by young people!
Nia Collins, Southampton and Isle of Wight Music Strategic Programme Manager:
"It has been so exciting for us to be able to give young people the opportunity to be part of this city-wide event and reach new audiences who have been blown away by the level of musical talent these students have shown this weekend!"
A huge thanks to all the music hub staff and parents, friends and families who supported this event, the Tudor House for hosting us in such an amazing venue and Music in the City.
Below is a 360 video and photographs from the event!
Are you interested in taking part in music lessons or music groups?
Find out more about the opportunities we offer, via the buttons below!
Each school group participated in a rap lyric writing workshop with MC Larry Kazingizi, and vocal workshop with Shannon B & J Fashole-Luke and a freestyle session with rapper TenChoo and music producer Karan Master.
The music hub commissioned a song from local producer Sara and Shannon B for the Black History Month theme this year - Saluting Our Sister which all the students learned in their workshop and write lyrics for.
Year 5 & 6 students really enjoyed the opportunity to explore their feeder secondary school and student helpers from Redbridge College were a huge support during the workshops and helping everyone around the school too.
All the elements were brought together for a performance featuring the workshop leaders learning about a history of hip hop from the female perspective and bringing all the parts of the song together live on stage with all of the audience joining in too. This included an unplanned freestyle rap battle between schools, an amazing year 5 beatboxer and everyone joining in for the final song including two part harmony, live keyboards and percussion!
'Thanks so much to you both for organising such a great day. The children were buzzing and many said it was the 'best school trip ever!!'
- Teacher St Patrick's Primary
Three schools from across Southampton; St Patricks Catholic Primary, Weston Park Primary and St Monica's Primary School took part in this amazing session and their voices will be heard in the new prelude to Vaughan-William's opera Riders to the Sea staged by Opera Up Close next year.
Next up in our series of An Audience With… is FolkActive Youth Ensemble’s interview with Mercury Prize nominated singer, performer and writer Sam Lee.
An Audience With… is an interactive youth led experience for schools, allowing children and young people to take the lead on planning and creating content and an opportunity to interact and interview music industry professionals and performers. This project has been made in partnership with Turner Sims.
It is a fantastic vehicle for bringing the music industry into the classroom, inspiring pupils to work within our industry and developing aspirations for the future. This project has been specifically created to support teachers and young people to understand more about the many roles and pathways into the music industry.
Sam Lee is a Mercury Prize nominated Singer, Performer and Writer. As a song collector and conservationist, his music has its roots in traditional folk song but his inventive and original sound breaks the boundaries between folk and contemporary music. He is a founding member of Music Declares Emergency, a group that stand together to declare a climate and ecological emergency.
Across 2024 we are releasing An Audience With… a series of youth-led video interviews with music industry professionals. The first two interviews with musicians and performers Camilla George and Carducci Quartet are both live on our YouTube channel. More will be released throughout the year.
An Audience With… is an interactive youth led experience for schools, allowing children and young people to take the lead on planning and creating content and an opportunity to interact and interview music industry professionals and performers. This project has been made in partnership with Turner Sims.
It is a fantastic vehicle for bringing the music industry into the classroom, inspiring pupils to work within our industry and developing aspirations for the future. This project has been specifically created to support teachers and young people to understand more about the many roles and pathways into the music industry.
Camilla George is a visionary saxophonist, composer, bandleader and innovator. She answers questions about working in the music industry from Southampton Music Hub's next generation of jazz musicians. Camilla's strong cultural roots and love of fusing African and Western Music has informed her own unique style. Her music is a hypnotising blend of Afrofuturism, hip hop and jazz.
Carducci Quartet is an award-winning string quartet, internationally acclaimed as one of the most accomplished and versatile ensembles of today. Young musicians from Elgar Strings get their questions answered by professional musicians from the world renowned Carducci String Quartet.
Photos from the Schools Christmas Concert 2023 at O2 Guildhall Southampton!
