New partnership allows children to blow their own trumpet.
Schoolchildren across the West Midlands will be able to get hands-on experience of playing a brass instrument thanks to a new partnership between the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Warwick Music Group.
As Platinum sponsors of the CBSO, Coventry-based Warwick Music Group has provided 100 of the world’s best-selling trombones, pBones, and the world’s first all-plastic trumpets, pTrumpets, for use by the CBSO’s Learning & Engagement department. Both instruments were created by Warwick Music Group and have helped revolutionise the teaching of brass music both in the UK and worldwide.
Warwick Music Group is also supporting the CBSO’s Fanfare project, which will enable world-class CBSO musicians to introduce pBones, pTrumpets and other Brass instruments to young people in local schools.
Performances and brass workshops with the innovative, lightweight and colourful plastic instruments will take place from January 2016. The project will also showcase specially commissioned digital resources whereby students will be able to ‘meet’ other members of the brass family and explore the history and diverse range of Fanfares.
Steven Greenall, chief executive of Warwick Music Group said: “The CBSO and Warwick Music Group are both West Midlands based organisations with global reputations so it made complete sense to partner in our shared ambitions. As a world-class orchestra with world-class musicians, there is no organisation better placed than the CBSO to showcase these innovative instruments and give children their first experience of the enormously fun in playing brass.”
CBSO chief executive Stephen Maddock said: “Whilst the CBSO is famous for giving concerts, we’re also famous for our innovative learning and engagement programme. Each year our Learning & Engagement programme offers are more than 70,000 opportunities to engage with our music-making beyond the concert hall, whether through singing, playing or experiencing the thrill of live orchestral music.
“Music Education is a fundamental part of young people’s development and thanks to the support from companies like Warwick Music Group, we are able to take music right to the heart of schools, offering opportunities to work creatively with our musicians, to enhance the curriculum, to nurture children’s talent and develop their personal and social skills.”
The new brightly-coloured instruments will also make appearances at the CBSO’s Family and Notelets performances, allowing for hands on experiences for as many young people as possible.
To find out how you can support the CBSO and more about sponsorship opportunities, go to www.cbso.co.uk/support-us/corporate-support.