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LSO Discovery No.1: London Symphony Orchestra's education programme

JapneseEnglish】 【No.1No.2

A Scene from LSO Discovery (c)LSO
LSO Discovery No.1:
London Symphony Orchestra's education programme

London attracts many top-class artists from all over the world. The London Symphony Orchestra is the oldest independent orchestra in the UK, still boasting the largest number of concerts in London. However, their mission is not only to host world-class concerts in the hall, but also to provide music education and community programmes to more than 40,000 people each year through LSO Discovery. How is the education programme developed by one of the top orchestras in the world?

---LSO Discovery---
Host: London Symphony Orchestra (LSO)
Home of the orchestra: Barbican Centre (Silk Street,London, EC2Y 8DS Nearest tube:Barbican)
LSO Discovery URL: http://lso.co.uk/aboutlsodiscovery
Home of the LSO Discovery: 
LSO St Luke's, UBS and LSO Music Education Centre
(161 Old Street, London, EC1V 9NG Nearest tube: Old Street) Map

London's leading and pioneering orchestra
LSOディスカバリー 第1回
Home of the LSO: The Barbican

The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) was founded as Britain's first independent,self-governing orchestra, owned by its players. Since it gave its first concert, conducted by Hans Richter, at the Queen's Hall in London in 1904, it has always played a pioneering role in the British music scene: working with the world's leading conductors and players; performing many world premieres; touring to Paris in 1906 as the first British orchestra to perform abroad; being actively involved in gramophone recordings and film music from the early age. The first British orchestra to visit Japan in 1963 was also the LSO. Now, it promotes more concerts than any other classical music organization in London, and makes most recordings in the world. You cannot talk about the music scene in London without mentioning the LSO.

The LSO is based at the Barbican Centre which opened in east London in 1982, as the first resident orchestra in London. Apart from its income through concerts and recordings, its broad activities are supported by funding from Arts Council England and the City of London Corporation, through corporate partnerships, grants from Trusts and Foundation, and donations by individuals.

St Luke's: home for music education and community activities

LSO St Luke's

It was 22 years ago, in 1988, that the LSO established an education policy and founded LSO Discovery, aiming to draw in more people to enjoy music from the local community and around the world. As part of expanding the education and community programme in the 1990s, the LSO raised the idea of rebuilding the disused 18th century church called St Luke's, which is within walking distance of the Barbican, as a base for LSO Discovery. The £18-million-budget project of the conversion of the old church into a music centre, with modernized interior facilities, while preserving the heritage value of the church, was realized with funding from both the Arts and Heritage Lotteries, and total back up by the global financial firm, the UBS.

At the end of 2002, the formal church was reborn as 'the LSO St Luke's, the UBS and LSO music education centre', with a 372-seat hall, several rooms for workshops, lessons and music technology, and an office. Thus, the LSO got the environment, in addition to big concerts at the hall, to engage local people in a small but close and sustainable relationship. On the other hand, the local people got a place where they could visit to experience some music concerts and workshops, other than just waiting for unpredictable one-off events or for the lucky occasions of orchestra visit to their schools or hospitals.

Music for 40,000 people, of all ages, abilities and places

Brochure about LSO Discovery

More than 40,000 people are getting involved in LSO Discovery every year, at the Barbican, LSO St Luke's, and other places, such as local schools, hospitals and community centres. With the motto, 'Discover People', LSO Discovery aims to provide people with opportunities to meet the orchestra, experience the power of music, and add an extra dimension to LSO concerts. Sir Colin Davis, who was appointed President of the LSO after serving for a long time as its principal conductor, says, "Music moves people so deeply. LSO Discovery means that everyone can experience its special powers, even if they have never been inside a traditional concert hall".

As stated 'for everyone', LSO Discovery has quite a broad range of projects. Starting from one year old, with 'Early Years Music Workshops' at St Luke's, there are 'Concerts for under-5s', Family workshops and concerts for under-12s, Digital Technology sessions and choirs for young people, Lunchtime Concerts, a Community Choir and Gamelan Groups for all ages, and then projects for older people, to cover all age groups.

In addition, it deals with people of all abilities. Most of the projects for children and the public do not require prior music experience. It also develops 'Open Door' projects specifically for people with physical and mental disabilities; on the other hand, taking advantage of the highly skilled LSO musicians, there are dream-like projects to give talented young 'stars' rare opportunities to work with them. There are also training sessions for school teachers about how to use music in classrooms, aiming to empower the person who can deliver a musical experience to more children.


LSO Discovery event guide

The coverage of the living area of the participants also varies. The regular workshops, classes and choir held at LSO St Luke's are basically targeted at local people. The LSO also connects to the community through visiting local schools and hospitals. These programmes happen regularly, for example weekly for a few weeks, enabling people to absorb the experience slowly and make music into a habit in their daily life, while contributing to building the community through music. On the other hand, one-off family concerts, lunchtime concerts and school concerts at the Barbican and LSO St Luke's attract many people from a wider area. It connects with a much broader range of students in the UK and abroad through computers and video conferences.

Examples of the LSO Discovery programme

The Barbican Centre

As seen above, there are a variety of one-off and series of programmes under the name of LSO Discovery, with more than one event simultaneously happening almost every day, inside and outside the Barbican and LSO St Luke's. Here is a list of examples of the programme.

<Local programme>
under-5/45minutes each week/£77.5 for ten sessions
8-15 years old/45-60 min a week & concert/Free to join/75 singers
Adults living or working in the area/2 hour a week & concert/80 singers
Beginners, Intermediate, Advanced/1.5 hour a week/£5 per week/About 1500 people have attended
10-18 years olds living in the area/School holidays/Free to join/80 people
Digital Technology Group
12-18 years olds living in the area/3 hour a week/Free
<Hall events (Barbican/ LSO St Luke's)>
Under-5s and their parents, nursery group/45 min/Free
Family with 7-12 years olds/1 hour concert & Pre-concert workshop/Children £4、Adults£7/3 times a year/About 4500 people attended
Anyone/Free/1-2 times a month/With presenter, 45min
Family with under-8s/About 3 times a year/2.5 hour/£3 per family
Whole day, see the rehearsal, talk, performance/4 times a year/£16
For each year of Primary & Secondary school/Barbican Hall/16,400 people attend each year
School group of 11-18 years old/Barbican Hall
Instrumental tuition by LSO players at schools
Chamber concerts by LSO players at schools
Music making workshop at schools
School group aged over 7/One-off or long-term
Digital Technology Workshop
Over 7:Remix orchestra soundOver 16:Composition
School group aged 7-14 in the UK/35 min
Beginner to Advanced school group in the UK/45 min
CD,DVD material for teachers and students
Short term, 2 years programme
Introductory session for the teachers before school concerts
<Young musician projects>
Chance to performe in the orchestra alongside LSO players/All abilities/Through schools or local music services
Masterclass and workshop for promising young instrumentalists led by LSO principals/30 instrumentalists aged 14-24 years old/A week/Once a year
LSO Performers Scheme
Each year, 20 instrumentalists from conservatoire in London receive specialist coaching by the LSO players, and have the opportunity to sit in the LSO in rehearsals and concerts/StringWind, Brass, Percussion
Each year, 6 emerging composers have the opportunity to write for the LSO, and be performed in rehearsals
Each year 3 young conductors are selected to work with the LSO under the guidance of LSO Principal Conductor Valery Gergiev or President Sir Colin Davis, and conduct the LSO for one third of a concert.
Visually interpreted Schools Concerts for deaf students
Composition and performance workshops for blind musicians
Cross-generation music-making session for local older people and school children

There are always new projects being developed. Next, I am going to introduce a project for the very youngest generation; babies and toddlers.

Report: Chigusa Futako

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