In a time when arts education is under threat, Earthsong is proof that music isn’t just an extra — it’s essential. For many families, access to musical instruments and lessons would be out of reach
00:00Six years ago we approached the Bristol Beacon. We decided that we wanted to
00:12redress the balance of the lack of music education in schools except for private
00:17schools. We wanted to help bring about a really inclusive good quality music
00:24education project in schools so every child could go to that lesson. We approached
00:31the Bristol Beacon because as well as being this fantastic concert hall they
00:35are a charity and they deliver all the music education into Bristol schools and
00:39they have a lot of expertise and understanding each particular school's
00:43needs. So six years ago we started on phase one of the Earthsong program and we
00:49delivered five years of music education into 13 different Bristol primary
00:54schools. I'm Adam from Bristol Beacon and we're working alongside the Earthsong
00:59Foundation we're sort of celebrating another new five years of funding for a
01:04really immersive music education program that's taking place in 11 schools across
01:10Bristol. Tell me a little bit about this music education program then. Yeah so it
01:14started about five years ago now and really it's about trying to support young
01:21people to have really immersive music education particularly for those young
01:25people who might face loads of barriers to taking part in music or music
01:28education. So it means they get loads of whole class music instrumental lessons in
01:33singing, they take part in composer workshops, they get instrument loans as well as
01:40part of it and they get to take part in really big exciting performances as well. I am here today with
01:45some of our musicians Annie, Milo and Henry let's find out what their favourite thing
01:51they have learnt is. So we've been learning um like different different songs and chords on the ukulele um songs where we use different notes and we have to use timing to get it right. What have you been learning then? Learning songs.
02:08So Bristol Beacon it rebranded a few years back now it was the Colston Hall and the name in itself is all about inclusion. So why do you think including young children within the music scene within Bristol is a big part of what Bristol Beacon stands for as well?
02:27So at the heart of what we do at Bristol Beacon it is about supporting young people and communities to engage through music um it's it's really um central to what we do. We've got um some responsibilities from government as the music hub for the for the city and for the for the west of England so it's a big responsibility that we have and you know the stages that we have um aren't just for those world-class performers they really are those stages for young people in the communities of Bristol as well.
