Young Sounds’ Music Opportunities Pilot partners launch exciting new work!

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Young Sounds UK are the lead partner of the Department for Education’s Music Opportunities Pilot. The pilot is an expansion of our hugely successful Connect programme and has been supporting nearly 1000 young people from low income families across England to sustain their musical learning since 2024.

Alongside the core Connect programme there are some fantastic additional contributions from a group of key partner organisations. Two of them, ABRSM and Open Up Music are developing Open Music Assessments, an alternative method of assessing musical progress outside of the traditional graded system. This new approach is being tested in 15 special schools across the country, specifically with children with special educational needs.

This new kind of assessment is open to a wide range of instruments including the Clarion. Developed with young disabled musicians, the Clarion is an app that transforms an iPad or Windows device into a musical instrument that’s both highly expressive and accessible. It can be adapted to different musicians’ access needs and played using any part of the body, for example through touch or head movement using a head mouse.

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ABRSM and Open Up Music have just launched Clarion Sparks! – five specially commissioned pieces for teaching the ground-breaking accessible instrument. Clarion Sparks! is a free resource for teachers and beginner players.

James Welburn, Deputy Head of Engagement at ABRSM, says: “The Clarion was the first-ever electronic instrument to be included within our assessment portfolio, through our Open Music Assessment. Building on this, we’ve been delighted to create Clarion Sparks! as part of our shared ambition with Open Up Music to commission exciting new repertoire for the instrument. Having met many wonderful young musicians, including those at the start of their journeys as Clarion players, we remain committed to championing their music-making, while encouraging others to try this innovative instrument. We hope everyone has fun exploring Clarion Sparks! and feels inspired to develop their skills alongside their teachers.”

Jonathan Westrup, Open Up Music Education and Learning Manager, says: “The Clarion has made it possible for both young disabled musicians, and those who don’t read music, to play in ensembles – but there is still a gap for more Clarion teachers. We hope that through young people playing the five pieces in Clarion Sparks!, the Clarion will become more familiar in music rooms. This is crucial if more students with access needs are to progress in music.” 

Each of the five pieces in Clarion Sparks! introduces a different aspect of playing: 

Blue Skies by Sarah Baker is a gentle introduction, inspired by the contented feeling of looking up at a clear blue sky during a trip to South Africa. Its melody uses long, four-beat notes and introduces players to dynamics. 

It Goes Like This by Alexandra Skevington is a fun call-and-response piece whose title comes from its opening four-note phrase. It helps players develop their timing and introduces different note lengths. 

In The Clouds by Frederick Viner is a gently flowing piece about daydreaming. Written in triple time, it helps players practise timing and counting in threes. 

Spiring by Louise Drewett explores the Clarion’s ability to move between high and low notes. Its long, smooth melody gives beginners the chance to practise moving smoothly between notes. 

Soaring Through Sparks by Michael Betteridge is an exciting, rhythmic piece in which the Clarion melody soars above a driving accompaniment representing sparks. It gives players the opportunity to practise rhythm and playing exactly on the beat. 

Each piece comes with a flexible accompaniment for treble and/or bass instruments, so Clarion players can play with any other musicians, not just piano players.

Videos of all five pieces are also available to help teachers and students learn the music. 

Clarion Sparks! is available to download for free from the ABRSM Shop. The pieces can be played using the free version of the Clarion app (version 1.32), so no paid licence is needed to get started.