What we’re doing to reach children and young people

Access to the arts will help children and young people develop their imagination and creativity and can positively impact their mental health and overall wellbeing. Unfortunately, not all children and young people can access these benefits equally.

Research has shown that people from poorer backgrounds continue to be less likely to engage with the arts, and the same is true for people of black, Asian or minority ethnic heritage (BAME). Those who are disabled, come from a lower socioeconomic group, or don’t have higher level qualifications, are also less likely to participate in the arts. It’s also been found that a lot of the language which is commonly used to talk about the arts does not translate to young people’s own understanding and experiences, further widening the gap in participation.

To help children and young people overcome these barriers, we have developed a programme of activities to reach children and young people from early years all the way through to early careers.

Supporting music education in schools

It’s often said that “you can’t be what you can’t see”, which is why we are proud to have a number of young artists including Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Jess Gillam, Isata Kanneh-Mason and Leia Zhu, on board to help us deliver our work with schools. We know that diversity and representation in the arts still isn’t where it ought to be, but by providing peer role models from a diverse range of backgrounds, we can show young people that the arts really are for everyone. As part of our Spotlight series with these young artists, we’ll be producing a range of inspirational digital content including performances, workshops and interviews – delivering easily accessible content country-wide. To find out how your school can access these activities, please register your interest below.

“The children loved the interaction with the musicians (awe and wonder all round) – something that it would be near impossible to facilitate in ordinary circumstances.”

— Sheila SmithMonks Orchard School

Helping children and families access music at home

Music often forms a key part of young children’s early learning, and yet opportunities for young children to engage with playing, listening and making music are often lacking. In addition to creating and sharing concerts specifically for very young children, we are developing a number of easy-to-use resources to help parents engage with music and creativity whilst at home, leading on from the success of our ‘Family Fridays’ as part of At Home with LMP.

Access our free learning resources

Providing early careers support

Creating opportunities for young artists to play, perform and create has long been a tradition in our work as an orchestra. But in addition to the many budding young musicians across the country, there are also thousands of young people who aspire to work in the creative industries in other ways, but lack the networks, support and knowledge to help them get the right start. We also know that creative skills are vital to building the innovation and entrepreneurship capabilities needed in our workforce across the country, and can help open doors to a variety of job opportunities. Our early careers masterclasses and workshops for 16-24 year olds will give young people access to experts in the creative industries who can share their knowledge and experience, providing the inspiration and motivation to help young people set off in the right direction.

Get early careers support

How you can get involved

We are determined to reach as many children and young people as we can, but we can’t do it alone. Here’s how you can help:

Make a donation

A gift of any amount will help us to continue expanding our exciting programme of activities and resources for young people.

Donate now

Become a Partner

We want to work with organisations who can help us deliver relevant and impactful arts opportunities for young people.

Become a partner

Spread the word

We need as many people to join us on our mission as possible. Who else do you know that could get involved?

Spread the word