Refelcting on another amazing year of Creative Engagement
The Creative Engagement team at Stoller Hall reflect on another successful season delivering engaging projects and experiences for all.
Firstly, we were delighted to welcome Chris Mather to the team as the Creative Engagement Coordinator. Welcome Chris!
Our work with schools
Working with young people in their educational settings has remained a significant part of our work. Our KS2 Online Workshops supported the music education of 1,907 children across the country. The sessions introduced a variety of instruments and encouraged participation through singing, songwriting and playing. Supporting workshops equipped primary school teachers with the skills to teach music effectively in their classroom, leading to the creation of their own song! Chetham’s students also developed their own teaching skills by supporting workshop delivery under the mentorship of creative artist Sarah Atter.
We were delighted to collaborate with the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing (CCOM), delivering two Chinese New Year themed workshops for 390 primary school children in Central Manchester and Salford. The workshops combined eastern and western traditional classical music to tell the story of The Great Race and explore traditional Chinese instruments. Participants engaged enthusiastically with Chinese culture, including learning a song in Mandarin!
Opening the doors to our organisation continues to be a key priority in supporting our local schools with their curriculum delivery. March’s Big Band Bop! concert for schools took 266 children aged 7+ around the world, discovering the sounds of the Chetham’s Big Band on the way. Maintaining our commitment to access and inclusion, we were delighted to work with Deaf musician and presenter Sean Chandler who integrated British Sign Language throughout the concerts.
In their pilot year, our popular school visits to Chetham’s Library have guided 353 students through both English Language and History workshops. Each visit sees students interacting with relevant material from the Library’s collection to support their understanding of the subject and increase appreciation for heritage spaces and the work that we do. We even welcomed North West Tonight who filmed one of the workshops and interviewed the students!
”The visit was extremely valuable for students and enhanced their engagement with English” – Teacher
Working with our communities
Our community projects have continued to grow, providing cultural opportunities for adults and young people across Greater Manchester. Our Make Some Noise project in partnership with Wood Street Mission has continued to engage young people from across Manchester in musical activities during the school holidays. We are delighted to have secured significant funding from the Bill Ainscough Foundation, allowing us to deepen our musical engagement in local communities through new regular workshops in Openshaw and Brookhouse from September.
Our Relaxed Lunchtime Concerts welcomed 411 audience members and provided performance opportunities for 24 Chetham’s students (plus the whole Year 7 and 8 choir). This season also saw an exciting new partnership with Rochdale Town Hall where 13 additional Chetham’s students shared their music with 139 local audience members.
Fun for families
The Stoller Hall Family Programme has continued to grow from strength to strength, welcoming 936 children and their grown-ups through our doors. The family season culminated in the delivery of our first ever Family Festival, offering families exclusive access to our venue through a fun-filled programme. The weekend featured its first-ever exclusive SEND Day, offering specialised experiences designed for children and families with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The weekend was a huge success receiving fantastic audience feedback:
“It’s one of the nicest things we have been to in ages!”
“A super day for the whole family”
“The SEN day was amazing. Absolutely perfect for us”
Our flagship family programme Stoller Story Sounds continues to grow. Thanks to Arts Council Funding, we are now able to deliver the programme at Oldham Library and Rochdale Town Hall, engaging families in creating new stories and characters inspired by their communities.
We were delighted to deliver Stoller Story Sounds at Wigan Music Services in support of their Groove and Grow programme, allowing us to engage with 39 families who have never experienced our family programmes before.
Emerging Artists Scheme
Finally, we are passionate about nurturing and supporting new talent through the Haworth Emerging Artist Scheme. The season has supported a diverse range of talented emerging musicians and artists, enabling creative cross-artform collaborations and providing opportunities for professional growth and development.
The Creative Engagement Team is proud of everything we have achieved this season and can’t wait to continue and strengthen our programmes. Stay up to date with Creative Engagement projects, opportunities and experiences by contacting joinin@chethams.com or subscribing to the Stoller Hall newsletter on our website.
