The vision of Crescendo is to improve outcomes for children through access to high quality music education throughout their primary school lives. The project is run in partnership with Colin Neighbourhood Partnership, Shankill Children’s Zone and the Queen's University Innovation Zones and currently delivers musicianship and instrumental lessons to over 1000 children in four primary schools in North and West Belfast – Malvern Primary School, Wheatfield Primary School, Holy Evangelists’ Primary School and The Good Shepherd Primary School.
The project aims to increase the resilience, aspirations and emotional development of children from areas of social and economic disadvantage through a programme of music skills development, increasing pupils’ musical skills and their readiness to learn, enhancing their Social and Emotional Learning and contributing to their improved wellbeing and self-worth.
The Ulster Orchestra delivers weekly workshops with P1-P3 classes to develop fundamental music skills, progressing to learning orchestral instruments from P4. Currently pupils in P4-P7 are receiving tuition on violin, viola, ‘cello, double bass, flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone and percussion. Ulster Orchestra musicians visit P2-P3 classes throughout the year, joining in with workshops and performing short pieces.
The culmination of the season is an event at the Ulster Hall in June which sees the P3 and P7 pupils perform alongside the full Ulster Orchestra for an audience of families and other guests. Showcase concerts for P1-P2s and P4-P6s also take place in local communities with involvement from Ulster Orchestra musicians.
Partners:
We are unbelievably lucky to have Roisin coming to us each week. She is fantastic with the young children and makes music such fun. Already we can see the children grow in confidence each week during the sessions. It was such a delight to watch my little Syrian boy in the class sing back to Roisin for the first time this week and the other children in the class cheered with delight!
Please know that we are so grateful to the orchestra for giving our children this wonderful experience, music is such a fantastic way for pupils to be creative; think critically & work with others!
I can’t speak highly enough about the programme- such a great opportunity for our children to work with musicians and develop their knowledge!
It was also fantastic having our guest musician, the French horn player with the Ulster orchestra visit. This was a day the children won't forget.
Thank you so much for inviting me to the Crescendo Project concert yesterday - it was really inspiring to see the children so enthusiastic and so focussed on the music. It was also lovely to see numerous mums with pre-school children enjoying being in the audience.
It was so nice to see the smiles and see the achievement of the children, who now have a memory for life too. The musical theme was brilliant!