About In Harmony Norwich

Norwich & Norfolk Community Arts are using the orchestral model to enhance young people’s lives through involvement in learning and playing instruments.

The Norwich In Harmony project targets three of the City’s most deprived areas, the Earlham, Mile Cross, and Catton Grove areas (with a possible extension into the Bowthorpe area in the second year). It is being led by Norwich & Norfolk Community Arts, in partnership with Future Projects – organisations that have considerable experience of working with deprived communities. The partnership also includes key community organisations, Earlham Early Years Centre, Larkman Primary School, Mile Cross Primary School, Catton Grove Primary School and Catton, Fiddlewood and Milecross Sure Start, offering a strong grounding in early years development.

In addition, the involvement of UEA School of Music and the Chamber Orchestra Anglia offers inspirational and experienced musicians and tutors, and the opportunity to embed the learning through the UEA degree course and the involvement of the students.

The project is focussed on the three key Primary schools, with provision both in school time and after school. Since May we have been working with the Reception classes at each school and from September 2009 we will be working with both Reception and Year One pupils in school-time. Children and young people have been accessing after-school provision at two centres of activity (Future Projects and Catton Grove Primary School) four days a week, with group and individual lessons in specific instruments, percussion and singing. There will also be sessions planned during the holidays and at weekends, particularly focussed on large ensemble and, eventually, orchestral activity. In the first year they will be working with violin, viola, cello, double bass and percussion, expanding on this in the following years of the project. Involving parents, carers and the wider community will be a key part of the approach.

In Harmony Norwich News

  • We have held Engagement days in each of the Primary schools we are working with - Catton Grove, Mile Cross and Larkman. We worked with 120 children from each school, alongside eight principles from the Chamber Orchestra Anglia, towards a performance. In each school there was a performance to the school and parents, which generated some really positive feedback and a great response from the children and from the audience.
  • Most of the In Harmony Norwich team has been appointed, including Artistic Directors Simon Limbrick and Sharon Choa, group co-ordinators Steve Copley and Dominic Newman-Sanders, Community Liaison Workers Cathie Davies and Teresa, tutors Hannah Birt (Violin), Abi Fox (Cello), Jonty Tan (Cello/Bass), Carl Cole (Percussion), Will Wilson (General music) and Early Years specialist Melissa Keeble.
  • The team undertook some basic training in a range of the sorts of techniques we want to use, including Koday, Dalcoze and Sheila Nelson methods, including advice and input from a local Suzuki teacher.
  • April saw a trip to the Southbank, taking 150 members of the community to the Family concert given by the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra and symposia. We also made final preparation for the start of provision on 5th May. This included the whole team working on repertoire development and putting together a basic ‘curriculum’ for the project.
  • As well as finalising delivery details with the schools involved and producing initial schedules for all the tutors we’ve started off the project with in-school provision for the Reception classes at Catton Grove, Mile Cross and Larkman Primary schools. All children in Reception get an hour of In Harmony a week and from September all children in Year One will get an hour and half. After school activity is concentrated at Catton Grove Primary and Future Projects, every day from 3.15 to 5pm, with a temporary session at Mile Cross Primary on a Monday. The response to the programme has been enormous, with us working with 160 children in school time and 130 children signing up for the after-school provision.
  • Sessions are going really well. Children have chosen between Violin and Cello, and have started lessons on these instruments, alongside sessions on general musicianship. At the end of term they will choose between the full range we are using – Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass and Percussion – ready for the Summer School and the new term in September.
  • We held a very successful launch day at Earlham Early Years in early May to introduce our provision there, with a performance to children at the centre by members of the COA attended by Julian Lloyd Webber, delivering some great press coverage. Julian also visited the after-school provision at Catton Grove Primary.
  • We are holding a four-day summer school in the first week of the holidays. This will be focussed on Reception children, and will bring together children from the different groups.
  • Already all the schools are reporting positive outcomes for the work, with improved behaviour, attitudes and concentration. We have experienced a very high level of enthusiasm for In Harmony from both children and parents.

Norwich - Norwich & Norfolk Community Arts (NORCA)

In Harmony Norwich
Led by Norwich and Norfolk Community Arts
Marcus Patteson
Marcus@norcaarts.co.uk
07590 052 656