17,967 reasons to be cheerful 25 October 2023
A programme to involve, empower and inspire.
Over the past 20 years, the OAE’s Education programme has grown in stature and reach to involve thousands of people nationwide in creative music projects.
The programme takes inspiration from our repertoire, instruments and players. This makes for a vibrant challenging and engaging programme where everyone is involved; players, animateurs, composers, participants, teachers, partners and stakeholders all have a valued voice.
From our base in Acland Burghley School in north London, we travel the length of England to deliver our work. In 2022/23 we visited County Durham, Yorkshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Sussex, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Devon as well as the London boroughs of Brent, Camden, Ealing, Islington, Merton, Newham and Wandsworth.
"These big moments in our calendar are to be cherished but so are the quiet moments; like when a student opens up through music or we make a real connection in a care home with a resident…"
The inventory gives you an idea the breadth of the work we do. Here’s 2022 – 23 in numbers.
17,967 participants
11,878 live audience
45 concerts
345 workshops
45 primary schools
4 secondary schools
4 nurseries
7 SEN settings
…in 14 towns, cities and villages.
The numbers, of course, only tell a part of the story. The powerful connections between the musicians of the OAE and the participants are what really makes the magic. Our Education Director, Cherry Forbes, writes in her introduction to the Annual Review:
“Undoubtedly one of the highlights of our 2022-23 season was our performance at the Queen Elizabeth Hall of The Moon Hares, our magical community opera. To see our Acland Burghley community perform alongside the OAE together with three Camden primaries and a community choir made up of singers around the country at our Southbank home was a complete joy! These big moments in our calendar are to be cherished but so are the quiet moments; like when a student opens up through music or we make a real connection in a care home with a resident who comes alive listening to a piece of music. The OAE’s Education programme is broad and far-reaching and is a wonderful way for us to connect with people of all ages across the country through the power of music.”
You can download a PDF of the full OAE Education Annual Review (20MB).
