The Education Outreach Project
The RTWSO is a community Orchestra, and at the heart of the Orchestra is a passion for nurturing new talent, developing the skill of the players and delivering high-quality concerts that entertain and inspire a diverse audience. Our Education Outreach Project is our primary means of reaching out to a younger audience to inspire them and nurture their talent.
The project started life in October 2015 with a visit to Langton Green Primary School for an orchestra workshop based on Mars, the Bringer of War from The Planets Suite by Holst. Following the workshop 45 children and their parents attended the Sunday concert where the whole Planets Suite was performed. Due to the overwhelming success of the initial workshop the project was run again in 2016 and has been running and growing every year since, reaching a wider audience of future musicians and audience members.
The workshops have been designed for children aged 7-11 and a programme has been devised utilising a memorable piece of orchestral music that can be made accessible to children. Led by Education Officer Yvonne Smith, members of the RTWSO help to run these annual workshops. Following the workshops, pupils and their families are offered reduced-price tickets for the Sunday concert that follows the workshop.
The primary schools we have visited include: Speldhurst Primary School, Bishops Down Primary School, Claremont Primary, Pembury Primary, Rusthall St Pauls CE Primary, Temple Grove Academy, Rose Hill Prep School, St James’ CE Juniors, St Mark’s CEP, St Matthew’s CEP, St Augustine’s Catholic Primary, Southborough CEP and The Wells Free School, with other pupils from across Tunbridge Wells joining the workshops.
In 2022 we visited Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School where students from The Judd School and Tonbridge Grammar School also took part in our workshop for A-level students.
In 2023 the talented young trumpet player Aaron Akugbo was invited to host a masterclass for young brass players. Nine outstanding teenage musicians were coached by Aaron at the event, kindly hosted by The Skinners School, and twenty-one more students came along to watch. This was so successful that in 2024 the world-class trombonist Carol Jarvis hosted a similar masterclass. Also in 2024 a group of RTWSO members visited the Rosewood School, a KCC residential institution for teenagers with profound mental health problems. This was a powerful and profound experience for all involved, and we have been invited to return in January 2025.
So far, over 5,300 pupils aged 4 to 18 have seen our outreach presentations, which has led to children taking up instruments they first heard played at a workshop and exposure to new musical activities such as composition and conducting.
Plans for the upcoming season’s workshops and beyond are progressing and, due to the project’s popularity, we have a waiting list of schools that would like a visit. If you are interested in an outreach visit or would like to support our outreach project, please contact our Education Officer on education@rtwso.org