The final concert of the year as part of ‘Music For Change’ took place at Edward Wilson Primary School and at St Jude’s Community Hall in north Westminster. The interactive concert for pre-school aged children was led by Early Years music specialist Penny Desbruslais with the support of percussionist and practitioner Beth Higham-Edwards on the marimba.
The large groups of children at both performances listened attentively and took part in the music, singing along with the words of songs they had grown accustomed to during weekly sessions delivered by our practitioners as part of Music For Change. You could also see the young children clapping, moving and engaging with the rhythms and beats in animated ways throughout the performance.
The storytelling nature of the concert revolved around the fairytale of the Ugly Duckling, which absorbed the children’s imaginations and the marimba was used evocatively to create the soundscape of the duckling’s world. Even a little bit of Prokofiev's Troika was played by Beth on the marimba, which went down a treat with the kids.
Background to Music For Change
We are delivering a three-year programme to enhance early learning and school readiness through a carefully structured and research-based programme of music, combined with other creative art forms. Music For Change involves weekly music sessions in 7 nurseries and 2 children’s centres as well as CPD for staff, concerts, and collaborations with NHS speech and language therapists to tackle high levels of speech and language delay. The project is funded by John Lyon’s Charity, Youth Music, and A New Direction’s London Cultural Education Challenge initiative.