THREE hundred children from primary schools across Yorkshire and the North East descended on York yesterday for a day of ‘music making’.
They spent the day singing, playing instruments and composing music in the glorious surroundings of the York Minster chapter house and at the stunning new creative centre at York St John university.
The day was arranged by the Richard Shephard Music Foundation – the York-based charity set up to remember the late composer Dr Richard Shephard – as part of Make Music Day, the UK’s largest single-day music festival.
Since the charity was founded in 2021, it has been arranging weekly music lessons in their own schools for more than 5,000 children across North Yorkshire and the North East.
Children who took part in Wednesday’s Make Music day event came from nine schools across the region – among them Badger Hill Primary and Clifton Green Primary in York and St George's RC Primary School in Scarborough.
Other children taking part came from schools as far afield as Middlebrough and Stockton.
Cathy Grant, the music foundation’s general manager, said: “The day was all about celebrating children's natural musical talent, supporting their wellbeing, and raising children's musical aspirations.
“What drives us forward is the ambition that every child should have music in their lives. It shouldn’t be for the privileged few. I’ve been lucky over the last two years to witness the transformational experience of music for young people.
“Working alongside our partners, we’re seeking to remove the geographical and financial barriers to a high-quality music education so that every child can experience the great many educational, health and well-being benefits it can bring.
“I can get absolutely lost in the swathes of research that seek to prove the benefits of music education, particularly from an early age.
"Researchers are even working on proving the ‘psychoneuroimmunological’ benefits – essentially evidencing how music is not only good for our minds, but also the long-term health of our bodies. And what’s not to like about schools being full of music and singing?”
As well as an inspiring day for young people, the event gave the Foundation’s supporters a glimpse of what the charity has done since it was created in 2021.
“We’ve got ambitious plans,” said Cathy.
“We aim, over the next three years, to allow over 10,000 young people to receive a high-quality music lesson each week and to have the opportunity to join a choir, to come along to a music holiday club, or take up an instrument.”
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