WEST SUSSEX MUSIC

Published on 1st August 2024.
It’s Saturday morning and the halls are alive with the sound of music at Millais School in Horsham. A youth orchestra are busy rehearsing Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance, while youngsters in the early stages of their musical education are learning to play Adele’s Rolling in the Deep. A youth choir are refining their harmonies by singing Count on Me by Bruno Mars, while in the drum lab, youngsters freestyle on percussion instruments.
They’re all engaged in sessions run by West Sussex Music, a charity that provides opportunities for young people to explore the benefits of music on their education, wellbeing and future. WSM was established over 60 years ago and was funded for most of that time by the County Council. Since becoming an independent charity 11 years ago, it has continued to deliver musical projects in the local area, working with partner organisations, schools, families and stakeholders from different sectors to provide accessible music education.
With chances to learn music limited on the academic curriculum, West Sussex Music plays an important role by working with schools to offer instrumental tuition, whole-class programmes and other music activities, workshops and projects to inspire young people, covering all genres, from classical to rap.
James Underwood, Chief Executive, said: ‘Two years ago, the government produced a national plan for music education. Although it wasn’t a statutory document, it provided excellent guidance on what schools should try to offer pupils, both in and out of the classroom. Organising extra-curricular activities is challenging for schools due to funding and staffing demands, so we support them. Through our First Access Programme, we’re increasing the number of primary aged children learning an instrument, while workshops at secondary schools help them establish choirs, bands and orchestras. This year alone, we’re working with 130 primary schools through the First Access Programme, which equates to about 7,500 young people engaging in music.’
‘We also work with many partner organisations, such as Glyndebourne, who we helped collaborate with three schools in Crawley for a community project that culminated in a performance of Haydn’s The Creation. We have also worked with the Benedetti Foundation, established by world-renowned violinist Nicola Benedetti, which ended with a performance in Worthing. Recently, we worked with West Sussex County Council to offer free workshops during the holidays for children receiving free school meals. These included rap lyric workshops and drumming sessions. We have an experienced and enthusiastic team and are always exploring ways to help young people explore music in a way that inspires them.’

INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC
West Sussex Music also runs music centres, hosting activities on weekday evenings and Saturdays. The music centres are in Bognor Regis, Chichester, Worthing and Horsham, with the local one held at Millais School. The Horsham music centre is open on Saturdays and acts as a base for West Sussex Youth Choir and a host of orchestras, including West Sussex Youth Orchestra. Music centres also offer a place where orchestras, percussion groups and – in the case of Worthing – rock and pop bands, can come together to play.
John Randall, Music Centres Manager at WSM, said: ‘When we host programmes in schools, it is often the case that everyone wants to play drums, keyboards and guitar, but it goes quiet when you mention clarinet and trombone! However, when you demonstrate such instruments and tell the young people about their importance to bands, ensembles and orchestras, you can inspire some of them to try these instruments.’
‘I grew up in London’s East End, but my life changed when a teacher popped his head into the classroom and asked if anyone wanted to learn an instrument. I put my hand up and my life then followed a different course that led me firstly to music college and then to playing in orchestras all over the world. It ‘s a privilege to share my knowledge and experiences to help ensure the next generation has the same opportunities I had. Last year, we took 70 young musicians and singers on tour to Germany and we’ve also been to Normandy, where the choir and orchestra played at the Basilica Sainte-Therese. For young people, it’s a great experience to have the chance to perform a repertoire of choral and pop arrangements in such prestigious venues.’
TOP OF THE POPS
One way in which West Sussex Music encourages children to learn an instrument is through the Tomorrow’s Orchestra Programme (TOP). The programme is aimed at youngsters in Key Stage 2 (7 – 11 years old), with sessions held at all four music centres, including Horsham. The first term is free, with sessions for a further two terms costing £70. TOP is promoted in schools across the county, with WSM instructors visiting schools to provide taster sessions on different instruments. Youngsters can develop their skills with string (violin, viola, guitar, etc), brass (trumpet, French horn, tuba, etc) and woodwind instruments (flute, clarinet, oboe, etc) at sessions on Saturday mornings.
Ten-year-old Emily Perry is a pupil at St Mary’s Primary School in Pulborough, where she developed an interest in music. Emily has since been playing the cornet for two terms, even practicing songs by one of her favourite rock bands, Mother Mother. Barns Green Primary School pupil Heidi Minnaar is learning the viola and hopes to eventually progress to the cello. She said: ‘I’ve been playing viola for about six months and am getting quite good. I like playing newer songs, like Rolling in the Deep by Adele, and I practice at home too.’

SOCIAL MEDIA APPEAL
TOP helps feed talent into the West Sussex Youth Orchestra, under the guidance of Musical Director Adam Barker. This orchestra’s recent repertoire has included Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky and Harry Potter music by John Williams and Patrick Doyle.
Tuba player Fraser Cornell is currently learning the Second Movement of Vaughan Williams’ Tuba Concerto for an upcoming concert that will also feature Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No.1. Fraser was introduced to the instrument through a West Sussex Music session and now hopes to continue his music journey at the University of Kent.
Theeran Loganathan took an interest in learning an instrument after WSM ran sessions at his school. He was inspired to take up the violin by an older pupil he saw perform brilliantly at a school concert, and since then has not only started playing, but also developed a love of baroque music. Theeran is also part of the Youth Advisory Board, helping WSM appeal to more young people.
‘We come up with innovative ideas to promote music to all,’ said Theeran. ‘We’re in the process of creating a TikTok page and are filming short videos where we can portray different parts of the Youth Orchestra. We’re also asking people to tell us what they love most about playing in an orchestra, adding humour to make the videos more engaging. Hopefully we can attract more people to join and if they work hard, there are opportunities to play at renowned venues like the Symphony Hall in Birmingham.’
SPECIAL TIMES
As an inclusive charity, West Sussex Music receives funding from the Department for Education as one of 118 music education hubs, helping to ensure every young person has opportunities to learn an instrument or experience music. At Millais, WSM operates Orchestra Inc, a creative music group for young people with special education needs or disabilities (SEND), as well as their parents and carers.
Alison Sutton, Assistant Head at WSM, heads the inclusion programme. She said: ‘There are some great music projects taking place in SEND schools across West Sussex and we wanted to offer something beyond that in the community. We use percussion instruments, ukuleles and electric keyboards to engage young people, with parents and carers joining in with the sessions too. It’s wonderful, as they all enjoy making music together and the parents appreciate the opportunity to do something fun with their children.’
Charlotte Hawkins has two 12-year-old sons with disabilities and both benefit from the sessions. Charlotte said: ‘One of my sons has brain damage, but music is very powerful and you can see that he responds positively to sound. Families with children with disabilities have a lot of outgoings and we have to fight for every bit of support, so to have music sessions that are not only good fun but free and easily accessible makes a positive difference to our lives.’
Further information:
For more details about music schools and music centres across the county, visit www.westsussexmusic.co.uk
WORDS: Ben Morris / PHOTOS: Alan Wright