University News Last updated 03 July
The Learning and Participation (LEAP) Ensemble has been out and about entertaining and educating young people across the UK this summer.
The tour started with a commission from City Music Service Stoke to perform at the Big Play event, celebrating 100 years of Stoke becoming a city, with more than 700 young musicians playing alongside the Ensemble at Victoria Hall. The Ensemble was joined on stage by Kelvin the Kiln, the new Stoke 100 mascot.
LEAP then packed out the Bradshaw Hall for its Musical Mystery Tour family concert that included the Instrument Zoo where children and families got to meet Ensemble members and were introduced to their instruments close up.
The season closed with a visit to York St John University to perform to more than 450 children from schools across the region as part of its partnership with the Richard Shephard Music Foundation supported by the Joseph Weingarten Trust, which regularly supports RBC students with their studies.
RBC’s flagship outreach ensemble, consisting of students, alumni and staff, has been active since 2016. This academic year it has performed alongside 1,400 young musicians and to more than 7,300 audience members.
Associate Professor in Music Education Richard Shrewsbury said: “The LEAP Ensemble has the pleasure of working with amazing, dedicated music education partners up and down the UK and alongside some of the most talented young musicians. Each year we are wowed by the quality of music education that many young people are able to access, but there is always more to be done to make this access equitable to young people from diverse backgrounds. The Ensemble aims to reach out, so that all can experience the joy and emotion making music can have on enriching people’s lives.”
Pictured: The Ensemble with Kelvin the Kiln.