Music for life
The Orchestra’s Music for Life programme takes music and music-making experiences beyond the concert stage and into the community – offering high quality, live music-making experiences for all. The Orchestra works closely with schools, family centres and the wider community to deliver music projects to a wide audience including people of all ages and abilities. Such projects enable people to learn more about and to share the joy and many benefits that involvement in music making brings.
Throughout January and February a Musical Estates took place using a ten piece ensemble from the Orchestra to visit a variety of local estates in Milton Keynes. These estates included the Lakes Estate, Netherfield, Fishermead and Bradville. The Orchestra delivered a series of workshops which culminated in a local community concert in each of the six estates that they visited. These linked to the Family Concert which took place at Milton Keynes Theatre on Sunday 17th February 2008. In addition to this tour, a primary schools project took place at Olney First School and Wavendon Church of England Primary School which saw carnival arts working alongside an orchestral composition using the theme of ‘birds’. This work was displayed as a foyer performance prior the Family Concert on 17 February.
We have also been working closely with Borders book store to run a writing competition for each of the estates involved in the Musical Estates tour. The winning entries not only received prizes, but formed the all important narrative for each of the concerts. We were pleased to have been working in collaboration with local artist and storyteller Yaw Asiyama on this exciting and innovative initiative.
For further details about our Education and Outreach work please contact:
Jackie Allen, Education and Outreach Officer, Milton Keynes City Orchestra, 3 Theatre Walk, Central
