The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is making its Schools Concert available to schools to watch for free – complete with supporting resource material – giving pupils pupils the opportunity to get to know the orchestra and its many facets through the experience of live performance. The concerts are presented by composer and music leader, James Redwood.
A total of 423 schools participated in the Explore the Orchestra series this year with 5,500 watching in the concert hall at Lighthouse, Poole and 26,932 tuning in online throughout the BSO’s territory in the South West and further afield across the UK from Kent to Cumbria— as well as some schools accessing the livestream from across the channel in France!
Explore the Orchestra: Midnight Magic is inspired by the night time… with a magical twist! The concert included the premiere of James Redwood’s new participatory piece Can’t Get To Sleep, which was created with schools in the BCP area and built in partnership with SoundStorm. Renowned conductor Natalie Murray-Beale led the Orchestra in a concert that also featured music from Saint-Saëns Danse Macabre to John Williams Harry Potter: Hedwig’s Theme.
But the journey doesn’t just begin in the concert hall. Learning materials are provided beforehand for students to enhance their experience, including key materials to aid in the participatory piece such as music parts, lyrics and audio tracks, and an introduction to Makaton. You can find these materials here.
The concert was also livestreamed, providing an opportunity for schools who couldn’t attend in person to stream the concert. This broadcast will be available for 30 days so students are able to catch up – or watch again.
For more details about the concert and how to watch the performance, click here.