See, touch, listen, experience: how arts organisations supported by Arts Council England are opening the eyes and ears of youngsters to the cultural riches of the North Our mission at the Arts Council is 'Great art and culture for everyone'. We have five goals to help us achieve this. The aim of Goal 5 is to ensure that ‘every child and young person has the opportunity to experience the richness of the arts.’ To this end between 2012 and 2015 Arts Council England, North is investing £183 million in arts organisations, museums and libraries that focus on creating high-quality arts and cultural learning experiences for, by and with young people of all ages - from early years to those in their early twenties. Making sweet music Several organisations are making a difference to children’s lives by giving them access to first class live music experiences. Three of the country’s six In Harmony programmes are based in the North. In Harmony is a national music education and social programme, based on the Venezuelan El Sistema principles, which aims to inspire and transform the lives of children and their families in disadvantaged communities through the power of high quality, intensive and immersive orchestral music-making. There is already positive evidence that each of the three schemes in the North is making a difference in the community it serves. In Harmony Liverpool, run by Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and local partners, is now in its fifth year. The feedback on its impact in those years is very positive: the percentage of children at Faith Primary School making ‘good progress’ (as per national curriculum levels) in reading increased from 38 per cent in 2009 to 68 per cent in 2013, and in maths from 35 per cent in 2009 to 66 per cent in 2013). The scheme has had a significant impact on children’s musical achievement, wellbeing, personal, social and emotional development, family relationships, school culture and the community of West Everton as a whole.
In Harmony - Credit: Simon Dewhurst
In Harmony Opera North has been working with the children and community of Windmill Primary School in Belle Isle, South Leeds, since February 2013. It is unique among the six national schemes for its emphasis on singing, which is given equal status to instrumental work. Since the scheme was introduced average parent attendance to a school event has increased from seven per cent to 35 per cent of all parents – the highest attendance in the school’s history. A highlight within the first few months, for children and parents alike, took place at Leeds Town Hall, where more than 350 young musicians performed in their first concert alongside the Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North. At the Music Teacher Awards 2014 In Harmony Opera North won the award for Best Classical Music Education Initiative. Through In Harmony Newcastle Gateshead Northern Sinfonia, the orchestra of Sage Gateshead, is working with Hawthorn primary school and adjoining Ashfield nursery, based in the Westgate ward of Newcastle to deliver a programme for 292 pupils. In Ofsted’s view, In Harmony contributes to the change in the school’s Ofsted rating from Satisfactory to Good, with an Outstanding in Behaviour. Between August 2012 and March 2015 the Arts Council is investing more than £171 million of funding on behalf of the Department for Education in a network of music education hubs across England, to ensure that every child aged five-18 has the opportunity to sing and learn a musical instrument, and to perform as part of an ensemble or choir. Thirty four of the 123 hubs are in the North area. Among these, the Greater Manchester Music Hub is the largest – a partnership of nine Music Services: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan. Its partner organisations include The Hallé, BBC Philharmonic, Brighter Sound, Chetham’s School of Music, Charanga, Greater Manchester Arts Officers Network, Manchester Camerata, Manchester Metropolitan University, Music Unlimited, Royal Northern College of Music, University of Salford, Sing for Pleasure, and The Voices Foundation. As well as providing regular access to music tuition and wider music experiences for the children within the Greater Manchester area, the hub has successfully developed several regional ensembles for high-flying players in the two years of its existence. The Youth Brass Band came first - the end result of a Brass Day held at the BBC Philharmonic studios at Media City in October 2012 – closely followed by a Youth String Band and Jazz Orchestra developed along the same lines. Similarly, the Lancashire Music Hub , a partnership led by the well-established Lancashire Music Service, offers a clear progression route for its most talented young musicians. The 48 ensembles delivered by Lancashire Music Service – including six county-wide ensembles and orchestras – provide progression routes in a range of genres that lead to high level performances at national level, such as Music for Youth and the Schools Proms. Through the service overall 325 schools
receive weekly whole class sessions and 3000 pupils engage with the Musical Schools programme – more than any other hub in the country. The hub has 18 music centres including three new centres in Libraries and three evening centres for Rock and Pop. Some recent success stories can be read here. Orchestras with highly developed learning programmes in the Arts Council England, North area include the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and The Hallé. The Hallé’s 2014 Music for Youth concerts on a World War I theme, offered children a multimedia experience. It involved big screen images– the result of a long-term partnership between Hallé Education and Stockport College Film and TV Foundation Degree - and scratch and sniff cards supplied by Principal Hallé sponsors P Z Cussons, as well as the opportunity to hear the orchestra play music associated with WWI and to sing along to a medley of war songs, specially arranged by Steve Pickett, the Hallé’s Education Director. Children from two primary schools each from Wigan and Bury also performed their own creative arts project based on one of the concert pieces and devised in advance with Hallé musicians. Over 6,800 mainly primary school children attended the concerts in 2014, 500 more than in the previous year. Theatre that stimulates, nurtures, challenges – and entertains
M6 Theatre Company
Among the National Portfolio Organisations we support in the North are several theatre companies who bring heightened theatrical experiences to children and young people of all ages. The long established M6 Theatre Company in 2014 is touring two different shows for young children in 2014, both of which explore the concept of Change. Grandpa’s Railway, written by Mary Cooper and directed by Olwen May, for children aged five and upwards and their families, examines the
difficulties, emotional dilemmas – and resolutions – encountered when elderly grandparents move house and downsize to be near their grand-daughter. Someone’s Moving explores similar themes, but is aimed at younger children, aged three plus and is created for schools and non-theatre audiences. Theatre Hullabaloo, based in Darlington, puts consultation with its young audiences at the heart of all the work it develops and the two pieces they are touring in 2014 are no exception. Luna is about Billy, a little boy, who is frightened of the dark, and his adventures with Luna, the girl who lives in the moon, who is lonely too. It is the result of detailed consultation during which nursery children in Darlington were asked what they thought of the moon. The children also provided feedback during development. Tiny Treasures by award-winning playwright Kevin Dyer, is the outcome of a very different collaboration, with Young Carers Revolution (YCR) an organisation which provides empowerment and influence to young carers and young adult carers (aged eight-25) in York. Miranda Thain, Hullabaloo’s Creative Producer, explains: ‘YCR had seen a play of ours about dementia a while ago, and thought theatre might be a good way to put across the issues they face. So they commissioned Tiny Treasures, helping us write and edit the script, devising its marketing image, and briefing the designer. Every aspect of the piece is young person driven.’ As well as delivering such productions as these, Theatre Hullabaloo also leads a consortium of seven venues in the North East in their programming of theatre for young audiences. This is a three year project funded by Arts Council England through strategic touring funding to raise the quality and profile of theatre for children and young people in the North East. Theatre Hullabaloo also works with the venues to improve their facilities for families, the marketing of their family offer and help staff teams better understand how to welcome children into their venues. Burnley Youth Theatre offers a range of regular workshops for young people aged from two-25 in dance and drama. Opportunities for the oldest age group (School Years 10, 11 and ages 16-25) include a Rep Company which involves commitment to a year long programme of work that culminates in taking a piece of theatre to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This year, a group of 15-19 years olds are working on a piece of original theatre to take to the Festival, having spent the first half of the year exploring a number of theatre styles such as physical theatre and verbatim theatre. 2014 saw the opening of a new building for the theatre, with additional rehearsal space: the Moira Preston building was made possible by Arts Council funding from the National Lottery and was also supported by Lancashire County Council, Burnley Borough Council and Burnley Housing Association Calico. Museums and galleries that fascinate and educate A number of the museums and galleries we support in the North give young people hands-on experiences of local history and of the visual and literary arts. They also
widen the learning and creative opportunities for children through their close links with schools and colleges, and by offering continuing professional development schemes to teachers. Seven Stories, the National portfolio organisation based in Newcastle, is the only place in the UK dedicated to the art of children’s books. It houses the original manuscripts and illustrations of over 100 writers and artists and welcomes over 70,000 visitors a year to its exhibitions, events and learning programmes, In 201415 Seven Stories is running Moving Stories, an exhibition that focuses on film and television adaptations inspired by children’s books.
Seven Stories - Credit: Damien Wootton
The Hepworth Wakefield gallery runs a number of schemes for children and young people. But it also reaches out to them via a comprehensive Continuing Professional Development programme for teachers. One important strand is the Creative Learning Network which has been running for over two years and is led by The Hepworth, CAPE UK and Wakefield Theatre Royal. Aimed at artists, primary and secondary school teachers, it offers five artist-led sessions, each focused on a specific issue relevant to creative ways of teaching and learning, plus a sixth reflective session. Natalie Walton, the Hepworth’s Head of Learning, explains its value: ‘We set it up in response to teachers’ needs for help, inspiration and support in the delivery of a creative curriculum - not these days found elsewhere because of the education cuts. By bringing artists - from all disciplines - into the conversation we give teachers the opportunity to think outside the box, and discuss and debate with
people who have the same issues but look at them from a different perspective.’ Schools pay £150 for their staff to attend the course, and it is definitely meeting a demand: the numbers attending have doubled in two years.
The Hepworth Wakefield
mima, the Middlesborough Institute of Modern Art, is developing a strategy to embed young people at the core of its work. Crucial to this approach was the setting up of a unique Creative Apprenticeship, with the aim of combining a long-term training opportunity with a clear focus on young people’s programming and involvement in decision making. Alice Hornby and Helen Wickens were the two apprentices and their year in that role led to important personal developments: Alice was offered a place at the University of Leeds to study History of Art (though she still works closely with mima) and Helen is now mima’s Young People’s Co-ordinator. They also achieved great things for mima including their close involvement in the setting up of mima young friends, a free membership adventure for young people aged 14-24. Their other successes included curating According to Us, an exhibition with a twist, completed from start to finish in partnership with mima’s resident group of young people, the ‘mima dreamers’. The fact that Alice and Helen were invited to an Arts Rooms event at Downing Street to talk about their experiences reflects how importantly this youth-led practice instigated by mima is viewed by the wider arts world. The Arts Council runs a Museums and Schools programme, funded until 2015 by the Department for Education to the tune of £3.6 million. The programme partners
regional museums with national museums and is enabling 10 regional museums and schools partnerships to work at increasing the number and quality of visits by school children. Three of those 10 consortia are in the North West. The Pennine Lancashire Museums Consortium (PLM) is supported by Sir John Soane's Museum and the V&A Museum in London, and is working collaboratively across eight museums. These include Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery. Stephen Irwin, Education Officer, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, explains their approach, ‘Our first objective has been to recruit teachers, show them around the venues and then get them to devise new sessions, using the building and their collections to inspire their pupils.’ These new sessions include Sounds of the Mill at Queen Street Textile Museum and Minibeasts at Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery, in which children use the Museum’s fascinating Victorian beetle collection to explore the different reasons why this familiar form of ‘minibeast’ is the commonest and most diverse group of animals on the planet. Full details of these and other projects can be found in the Pennine Lancashire Museums and Schools Programme newsletter. Across in Tees Valley, Redcar Museums with Middlesborough, Hartlepool, Stockton and Darlington Museums are supported by the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) for their contribution to the national Museums and Schools Programme. The scheme is called Making a Mark and uses a series of exhibitions to provide opportunities for children to develop a sense of belonging and local pride as they explore how the Tees Valley made its mark on Britain. Each exhibition includes at least one loan from the NPG. For example, at the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum, Middlesbrough, students investigate Middlesbrough’s famous explorer through the portrait of Cook’s cabin boy, while at the same time considering how they might make their mark on the world. By the end of the second year of a three year programme the Making Mark partnership had worked with over 200 schools and 6345 children. Bridge that gap: Arts Awards and more The Museums and Schools programme also receives input from Bridge organisations, the organisations we fund to act as facilitators, bridging the gap between arts bodies and schools to provide an environment in which cultural education can flourish both in and out of school. For example, Curious Minds, the Burnley-based Bridge organisation, is working with the Pennine Lancashire Museums consortium to increase the number of children gaining the Arts Award; while Making a Mark are working in partnership with The Sage, the North East’s Bridge organisation to develop custom-made Arts Award Discover log-books for use both locally and eventually at museums and venues across the area. Acting as leading agencies for the Arts Award – the scheme managed by Trinity College London in association with Arts Council England - is one of the key roles of the Bridge organisations. However, the range of arts opportunities Bridge
organisations create – both for young people and for their teachers – is very wide. For example, CapeUK , the Bridge organisation based in Yorkshire, runs the Bradford Film Literacy programme, which uses interactive film and animation workshops to encourage media literacy, while at the same time developing key literacy skills. The three organisations in the North who have made the highest number of Arts Awards since 2010 are the Customs House in South Shields, York Theatre Royal and The Lowry In Salford, The Customs House embeds Arts Awards’ five levels into all its projects with children and young people and has for the past three years, set itself - and achieved - the ambitious target of ensuring 200 young people supported by the organisation achieve an Arts Award each year. In partnership with The PLACE (Project for Looked After Children’s Education) and South Tyneside Fostering Services The Customs House has led the development of an Arts Award model of delivery for Foster Carers which is being rolled out nationally, as part of Trinity College, Arts Award’s ‘Reaching Out’ programme. During the pilot project 25 foster carers were trained to be Arts Award advisers at Discover & Explore levels and they supported 33 children to achieve a Discover and / or Explore award. Customs House is now working nationally with Trinity College to roll this model out nationally, training foster carers from outside the area. York Theatre Royal delivering Arts Award for the last five years. During this time the scheme has been made available to at least 420 young people and to date a total of 143 awards have been made: eight Gold, 83 Bronze and Silver and 52 Explore. In 2013 the theatre was presented with the Arts Award Best Practice award by Cape UK, the regional Bridge Organisation, and over 90 children and young people are currently undertaking the scheme. Among these are four members of the youth theatre casts who performed adapted versions of Macbeth,The Tempest and Julius Caesar in the studio theatre in March 2014. The Youth Theatre is just one very important strand within the extensive range of learning and participation activities for young people offered by York Theatre Royal across all age ranges, from weekly early years encounters to the Snickelway Theatre Company for young people aged 19 and over - intended as a stepping stone between Youth Theatre and the professional theatre industry.
York Theatre Royal Schools Festival
Recent Arts Award projects at The Lowry have included The War Horse Arts Award Explore log book - a resource developed in partnership with Tameside Council cultural services, with support from Curious Minds (Arts Council England’s Bridge organisation for the North West), Trinity Arts Award and the National Theatre. The resource will allow young people across the United Kingdom, who see the production on its national tour, to bring their experiences to life in documentation and achieve an Arts Award Explore qualification. This is an example of the way in which Arts Award can facilitate partnership working across cultural organisations to deliver a joined up creative offer for children and young people whilst also supporting them to access internationally acclaimed artistic work.
The Lowry - War Horse
The full range of current activity delivered by The Lowry’s Community and Education Team can be found here. One important strand has involved working with young carers. In 2013 the team developed a film in partnership with Salford Young Carers called We're Not Different, We Just Do Different Things starring the young people alongside Maxine Peake. The film was a great success as the young people presented it at The House of Lords and in many school, youth and education settings across Salford to raise awareness of issues faced by Young Carers in School. 2013 saw the development of another short film, this time a documentary: Invisible or Ignored is the result of many discussions with young carers in Salford about how they feel they are invisible or ignored by health professionals who provide healthcare for the people they care for. A copy of the film is to be sent not only to every young carer in the city but also to every GP's surgery as well. It will also be used to train Student Nurses at The University of Salford.
Grants for the Arts fuels vibrant festivals Grants for the Arts, our open application funding programme, supports a wide variety of arts-related activities, from dance to visual arts, literature to theatre, music to combined arts. Here in the North two important festivals particularly aimed at young people receive support in this way. Juice Festival, held for 10 days every year across Newcastle Gateshead, presents inspiring events created by, for and with children and young people. Crucial to its
success is its engagement with many partners, such as New Writing North, Bridge North East and TakeOff Festival, Northern Stage, Sage Gateshead, Laing Art Gallery and BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art. 2013 saw two important new partnerships. Juice became a commissioning partner with the Manchester International Festival (MIF) for ZigZag ZigZag, a brand-new piece of children’s storytelling devised and directed by Belgian director Inne Gorris. This premiered as part of MIF in July and then had its regional premiere in Hilton Primary Academy School, Newcastle in October. Hilton Primary was one of five local schools with whom Juice started a two-year partnership in July, bringing elements of the festival programme into school settings. For example, Year 5 at Walkergate Primary School were involved in immersive drama workshops on Dr Mullins and the Case of the Elephant in the Dock with November Club, the award winning performing arts company, at Theatre Royal, Newcastle, creatively exploring content for a reworked family version of the show. Children who took part in this project were so enthused about their experience that Walkergate’s Head Teacher offered to buy tickets for the performances for the children and their families. Many families followed this through – a very positive step for Juice in engaging harder to reach families and children. The schools partnership continues in 2014, when the festival runs from 24 October-2 November.
NCBF 2013 - Credit: David Charlton
The Northern Children’s Book Festival is the largest annual reading celebration for young people in Europe. Over two weeks every year authors and illustrators meet children in schools and libraries across the North East. In 2013 more than 13,000 children took part in these events, which are organised and run by all the public libraries between the Tees and the Tweed, with practical support from Bridge North East. Book people whose presence enchanted children at the 2013 festival included illustrator Korky Paul (whose 11 Winnie the Witch books created with writer Valerie Thomas have sold a million copies) and poet and story writer David Harmer, whose work appears in 130 books of children’s poetry and his own short story collections. Every year the festival culminates in a special Gala Day offering fun for all the family including storytelling sessions. Twelve authors took part in the 2013 Gala, held at Woodhorn Museum in Northumberland, for which all 1300 tickets sold out. 2014 sees the 31st Northern Children’s Book Festival running from 10-24 November. The Gala Day finale takes place at Sunderland’s Museum and Winter Gardens and neighbouring City Library and Arts Centre on 22 November.