Young Sounds UK Family Orchestra Day

Posted 8 hours ago

This summer we were excited to host our first Family Orchestra Day! Families supported by our Thrive programme were invited to play, learn, and make music together at William Ellis School in London.  For the young musicians it was an opportunity to create an original piece of music with professional musicians. For the parents and carers this was an opportunity to create and make music side by side with their children and develop a deeper understanding of their musical world.

No experience needed

Not all households are musical and not everyone has had the experience or confidence to play an instrument or sing. Our supportive community of parents and carers all carry their own individual journeys, aspirations and challenges. They often tell us how difficult it can be to cultivate a young person’s musical interest without having that first-hand musical experience themselves.

The parent and carers musical experiences varied, with some still playing having taken up an instrument from a young age, some that hadn’t engaged with playing since school, and some that had no previous experience at all! Those experienced parents brought their own instruments and our beginners were given the choice between the choir and the percussion section. The only skills required were curiosity, enthusiasm and a willingness to learn.

Our families were in the capable hands of seasoned industry professionals supporting and guiding them through a fun-filled day were musicians from the BBC Orchestras, freelance musicians and other workshop leaders, including our very own Alumna Trustee. 

A musical river

The day’s musical creation was inspired by the orchestral piece, Vltava (or The Moldau). Created by 19th century Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. Vltava is a musical depiction of a river, with the different sections of music evoking the characters and images of different places and activities along the way. With the music leaders’ expert direction, the orchestra and choir created their own journey for the river, harmoniously using bass lines, sound effects and melodies to draw together a unique musical portrait. 

The group were split into four sections: wind and brass, strings, percussion and choir. Each section was asked to imagine landscapes or locations where the river might run through. The choir were responsible for creating lyrics, melody and harmony, whilst the instrumental sections explored conventional and non-conventional ways to use their instruments, inventing soundscapes and bringing their images of landscapes and nature to life.

The final performance

Bringing together all the different aspects of music, the day ended with a final performance and recording of this mighty untitled 15 minute piece! Naming a piece of music with so many ideas proved challenging but among the best suggestions were Reflections on the Starry Waves, Rainforest and The Music of Water.

On the day Thrive Programme Director Jessica Burroughs says:

“Parent and carer support is at the heart of the Thrive programme. We never underestimate the dedication of parents and carers in helping young musicians access these wonderful opportunities. It’s an incredibly special experience to witness how young musicians can develop in just one day and we wanted to create this unique opportunity for families to do this together with their young musicians – and with top class music leaders to inspire them along the way!”

Parents and carers told us how much they enjoyed the day and the feeling of being able to collaborate and make music with their children, and that they came away with more insight and appreciation for what their young musicians do. 

“The experience genuinely surprised me in the best possible way. I have taken my children to many music workshops over the years, and they are usually designed solely for the young musicians. As parents, we often drop them off, pick them up, and only get to hear about what happened afterwards. Being invited to take part alongside my children was something completely different Because of that experience, I feel even more committed to supporting my children wherever their musical journey may lead.” 

The young musicians told us about coming away with more confidence and composition skills, as well as how much they enjoyed sharing this experience with their parents and seeing them get involved.

“I’m very glad that parents were able to see the process of making music and experience if for themselves, which is something I didn’t think most parents get to do. It also gives them a chance to find out something new about themselves and see how much effort it takes, so they can now support us as young musicians with a better understanding.”

Thank you

We’d like to say a big thank you to our facilitators for leading such an enormous and inspiring workshop.

They were: 

  • Michael Atkinson: BBC Symphony Orchestra cellist and educator 
  • Anna Smith: BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Section Principal 2nd violinist 
  • Chris Cotter: London freelance trumpeter (previously Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) 
  • Lenny Sayers: BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Principal Bass Clarinet 
  • Elsa Bradley: Freelance percussionist, timpanist and workshop leader 
  • Emily Varney: Professional singer and collaborator 
  • Sehyogue Aulakh: Percussionist and Young Sounds UK Alumna Trustee  

 A huge thank you also to William Ellis School, Young Sounds staff and Trustee Uta Hope for joining in – and most importantly all the families for embracing this special day! 

Apply to Thrive today

This Family Orchestra Day was one of many free musical opportunities offered to young musicians on our Thrive programme.  Apply today and you could receive funding and opportunities like this to support your musical journey! 

Apply to Thrive

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