Young creatives and the BSO Young Associates will come together for a series of creative training workshops to develop their creative music practice and develop their community music leading skills.

This free to access training weekend will take place on Saturday 22 March (11.00am-4:30pm) and Sunday 23 March (10am-1pm). Both days will be in Portsmouth, at Portsmouth Guildhall.

This will be a chance to play, sing and create with like-minded individuals, through a practical music making session led by BSO Associates Hugh Nankivell and Neil Valentine. You will gain key tools and tips to be able to apply in your music making groups, such as icebreakers and warm up games, and it will equip you with how to use music as a tool to build connections within your community.

Free to participate (travel costs will be reimbursed and a hotel for Saturday night for those who aren’t local can be reimbursed on discussion). We will be able to recommend hotels.

This opportunity is aimed at musicians and creatives who are emerging in the field. This could be between the ages of 18-30 but we acknowledge this could also be for anyone looking to retrain or wanting further CPD e.g. music teachers or freelance supporting musicians who frequently work in community music sessions or workshops.

Please fill out our form to apply – there is a maximum of 25 spaces and the deadline is Friday 7 March 12pm. You will then be notified if you have received a space. If you can’t attend this weekend, but are interested in further training days, please send us your email address to go on the mailing list. Put this next date in your diary: Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 May in Bristol.

We are excited to be partnering with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra this academic year as part of their “On Your Doorstep” programme. 

A group of instrumental players from the orchestra along with a workshop leader will visit schools to deliver some live performances and also work with  instrumentalists in your setting - this could be adapted to be suitable for beginners or any types of players/instruments or could perhaps be a starting point for a new ensemble in your school or a chance for an established group to receive some specific coaching. 

We would be keen to work with you to understand what would support you in the best way.  Please complete the form linked below to book a space for this, although slots are limited. The players will follow this up with a wider island-wide community performance on Saturday 30th November.

Schools choirs and music groups are invited to Osborne House on Monday 25th November for a carousel of Christmas activities!  You will have the opportunity to perform in the Durbar Room, have a tour of the ground floor of the house and take part in some Victorian Christmas craft activities. If take up is high we will also offer the opportunity for schools to take part the following week on 2nd December.

Your performances could include the new music hub Christmas songs from our songbook which we will learn in the workshop, something you have prepared for Christmas concerts or anything you have been working on this term - all are welcome!  We will not have a full band or sound set up sadly due to the delicate nature of the Durbar Room but we will be able to play backing tracks.  You are welcome to bring your own equipment too.  

Our proposed timings would be as follows:

9.15am - 9.30am Arrive / parents drop off gather school groups in the car park

9.30am - 9.45am Move to first workshop space 

9.45am - 10.30am Workshop 1 / tour

10.30am - 10.45am change over/break

10.45am - 11.30am Workshop 2 / tour

11.30am - 11.45am change over/break

11.45am - 12.30pm Workshop 3 / tour

12.30pm - 1.15pm Lunch break (bring packed lunch)

1.15pm - 1.30pm schools to Durbar Room

1.30pm - 2.15pm Performance in the Durbar Room

2.15pm Finish and schools leave and/or children are collected from the car park by parents

Schools are invited to bring groups to perform in the Courtyard of Carisbrooke Castle or in the chapel if you would like a performance venue or event for the end of term.  All performances, groups and ages are welcome and English Heritage will be flexible around days and times if you liaise with them directly.  Please contact laura.bosworth@english-heritage.org.uk to arrange this

If you are unable to join us for our workshop days, but would still like to participate in Christmas at Osborne, Gemma Wiggs at English Heritage would be delighted to offer you the opportunity to bring a school group to perform in the Durbar room in December.  Due to the delicate nature of the decoration, Osborne House is unable to host any loud or amplified sound in this room currently but choirs, singers and acoustic instruments are very welcome.  Gemma would coordinate this with timed tours of the house taking place in December so please contact her directly to take up this offer and discuss possible dates and times gemma.wiggs@english-heritage.org.uk

Schools are invited to either the Classic Boat Museum in Cowes or the Shipwreck Centre and Maritime Museum in Arreton to take part in workshops and a performance to mark the RNLI Bicentenary celebrations in 2024.  A group or class of 30 students will take part in a half day set of workshops (singing sea shanties, dancing a hornpipe and dramatic storytelling) along with touring the museums and learning about water safety. Children are then invited back after school with their parents to perform.  Following on from attendance parents will be given vouchers to attend the heritage site in the future.  We only have one space left for this project on Tuesday 1st October at the Classic Boat Museum in the morning.  Please contact nia@siowmusic.org if you would like to take this opportunity.  A sample schedule of the day is below.  

Morning workshops & visit

9.20 - Arrive and welcome

9.30 - 10.15 - Session One

10.15 - 11.00 - Session Two

11.00 - 11.15 - Break

11.15 - 12.00 - Session Three

Evening Performance

5.30 - Intro and Welcome (TBC)

5.35 - Parents tour the relevant venue with a provided map - Programme will look like this;

      Shanty school 1

      Dramatic Story school 1

      Hornpipe school 1

      Shanty school 2

      Dramatic Story school 2

      Hornpipe school 2

6.15 - END - It is hoped that each evening will end with an optional Sea Shanty Sing-a-long for 30 minutes or so either at Cowes Corinthian Yacht Club on the Tuesday and or the White Lion pub on the Wednesday

We have an exciting and inspiring Hub Menu for schools and education settings.

Get in touch to hear about music opportunities for the children and young people you teach via our mailing list or use the buttons below to download a pdf of activities for your region.