National Centre for Early Music

Aimhigher - Found Sound

This project was selected as a finalist in the York and North Yorkshire Aimhigher Awards 2010. Aimhigher is a national programme which aims to 'widen participation' in higher education by raising the awareness, aspirations and attainment of young people from under-represented groups who have been identified as having the potential to benefit from Higher Education. The NCEM has been working with Aimhigher since 2008.

The NCEM works in partnership with Aimhigher York and North Yorkshire to run music-based projects for Key Stage 4 music and non-music students from Scarborough, the North Yorkshire Coast, Selby, Skipton and the City of York. The aim of the scheme is to widen participation in higher education by raising the aspirations and developing the abilities of young people from under-represented groups.

 

The Found Sound project was led by members of Backbeat Percussion Quartet who have performed prolifically throughout the UK and overseas and developed a strong educational programme. They worked with young people from Sherburn High School (Sherburn in Elmet), Holy Family RC High School (Goole), South Craven School, Aireville School (Skipton), Harrogate High School (Harrogate), Raincliffe School (Scarborough) and Scalby School (Scarborough), over two academic years using percussion instruments and a variety of every day objects to create a piece of music which included using basketballs, plastic bins and broomsticks! 

 

As well as making music, the workshops offered information about the benefits of continuing to higher and Backbeat gave an insight to the lives of professional musicians.

 

Internationally renowned percussionist, Simone Rebello was extremely pleased to have been involved in a project of this nature. She said: "Music is very accessible we don't want to feel exclusive about it we want everybody to be able to join in and contribute their ideas and to see how a piece of music evolves. We hope that the young people will take many experiences with them that they have learnt from being part of this project."

 

Fellow musician Damien Harron added that during the course of this project the young people had taken on board technical ideas but had also been allowed some freedom to express themselves and compose their own music as well. He commented: "There were a lot of challenges and they rose to those challenges really well."

 

Angela Kavanagh, the York and North Yorkshire Aimhigher Co-ordinator, observed that the young people were creating something for themselves, something that was not an examination.

 

Music teachers observing the process were really pleased with the results. Sue Robinson, music teacher from Holy Family RC High School said the young people had definitely benefitted from being in a different surround and that projects of this nature will definitely increase their self esteem and will make them consider going to university.  Sylvia McBriar, music teacher from Sherburn High School said the project had been really useful in helping the young people to develop their skills and to learn to work to   alongside others.

 

Here is a mix from one of the performances

 

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