Inclusive music for all

We passionately believe that music is for everyone!

For children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEN/D), mental health difficulties, or challenging life circumstances, research shows that music can be of great benefit. Yet there are often significant barriers to learning an instrument and making music with others.

Inclusion is at the heart of our plans and we believe in the transformative power of music to make the difference in ALL children and young people’s lives.

We work with a variety of partners to provide bespoke music projects to support children and young people with additional needs and disabilities to access high quality music making.

We work in partnership with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Open Orchestras to support music making in Special Schools, including establishing bespoke orchestras and tailored programmes and projects.

Small group and 1-1 instrumental and vocal lessons can also be delivered by our team of tutors – who have experience of working with children with additional needs and disabilities.

RPO – Resound

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s ground breaking and award-winning Community and Education programme – RPO Resound – has been at the forefront of delivering orchestral outreach projects since its inception in 1993. The overarching objective of the programme is to leave a lasting legacy by harnessing the transformative power of music to improve participants’ aspirations, abilities and life chances.

In Spring 2020 RPO Resound and Wandsworth Music worked with 180 pupils with special educational needs and disabilities on a large-scale creative music project to devise a musical anthem celebrating music-making by young people with SEND. From January to March, RPO musicians and workshop leader Paul Griffiths visited six of the borough’s special schools, working with pupils to devise and perform original pieces of music. Extracts of each school’s new music was then orchestrated into a joint piece called ‘Open Hearts, Open Minds’, which was to be performed by representative pupils from each school, Graveney School Jazz Band and members of the RPO at Wandsworth Music’s gala concert at Royal Albert Hall in April.

Unfortunately, COVID19 closures meant we were unable to perform the final piece as planned, but we are excited to share this short film introducing the project, the participants and why music is so important to all of us.

Open Orchestras

Open Orchestras is a programme designed for all children to participate in learning instruments and experience playing together. This programme gives children with special educational needs and disabilities their first interactions with traditional and accessible instruments and progressing into group music making.

For more information about how we can support your school or setting please contact Dan White