Building the audience of the future

In these post-Covid times, audience development is more important than ever for music organisations. In Scotland, with attendance by many elderly supporters in decline, orchestras are finding that their investment in educational projects is beginning to pay off with a discernible increase in young people attending concerts.

Andy Stevenson, director of engagement for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO), says the national company is developing a more holistic approach to music education. ‘We’ve been canvassing teachers over the last couple of years to find out what content is most relevant and how we can support them to deliver fun, enjoyable concert experiences for young people which can be followed up in the classroom.’

The RSNO are increasingly using digital engagement, one of the positive legacies of the pandemic, alongside live concerts to extend the orchestra’s educational reach. For example their recent two-year project Gaspard’s Foxtrot was seen in digital form by over 46,000 pupils in the first year and over 57,500 in the second, during which its impact was augmented by a series of live events. Taken from Zeb Soanes’ book of the same name with illustrations by James Mayhew and set to music by Jonathan Dove, the film was made by Visible Fictions. The company also co-produced Yoyo & The Little Auk with the RSNO for Scotland’s 2022 Year of Stories. Before its international release on St Andrew’s Day last year, the animation was seen by over 45,000 nursery-aged children and BBC Alba broadcast the Gaelic version on Boxing Day.Yoyo & The Little Auk was enjoyed by thousands of children in Scotland before its international release ©Marc Hindley

Building on their relationship with Mayhew, in January the RSNO launched Once Upon a Tune, based on his new book, and the live tour is underway. Aimed at primary school children aged 5 to 7, the concerts feature Mayhew narrating and illustrating live, stories inspired by well-known orchestral works. Stevenson says the series features challenging repertoire including Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Flight of the Bumblebee, Debussy’s Sunken Cathedral and Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.Illustrator James Mayhew presents Once Upon a Tune with the  RSNO, based on his new book ©Martin Shields

‘Both the concert and accompanying resources explore climate change and sustainability as part of the cross-curricular Learning for Sustainability. Alongside the live events, we’re also producing a concert film in English, Gaelic and BSL with online content, including lesson plans and classroom activities, for teachers. Partnerships are key to the delivery of our school projects and we’re always looking to form new relationships with organisations with specific expertise in a topic.’

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) is also attracting more young people to their concerts, particularly from Craigmillar where they started a five-year residency in 2021. Laura Baxter, SCO’s creative learning director, says providing transport for over 80 children and families to come to the season opener in September last year was key to attendance.

‘From the consultancy work we did with the community before the residency began, we knew disadvantage and poverty were real barriers to a lack of engagement with the wider city, so it was quite a trek, physically and psychologically for people from Craigmillar to come into town. But it’s a huge thing for the children to spot the musicians they see regularly in the community on stage and it’s important they see us in our own spaces as well as in the spaces they occupy.’

The SCO residency includes a portfolio of projects from multi-artform guided play and interactive music-making for nursery children to Moving Music and SCO family concerts for primary pupils. For secondary school pupils, the SCO Vibe project encourages them to try different instruments and compose and perform their own music together. They will also have the opportunity to perform as part of the 2023 community festival. Baxter says the SCO itself has put on concerts at the festival and is keen for participants in their community and school programmes to showcase what they’ve achieved at the festival.

Baxter’s team and the SCO musicians work closely in partnership and consultation with the teachers and other providers in the area to ensure the residency provides a lasting legacy. From the end of this year, she says the musicians will start working more intensively with the teachers. ‘The programme will give teachers the skills to incorporate more music and singing in the classroom. We’re investing a lot in the relationship-building that goes with the residency so the culture of music in the community will flourish after we’re gone.’

A regular attendee at both RSNO and SCO concerts is 12-year-old Sandy Reilly. He’s been going to concerts since he started learning the violin at the age of 3 and also plays guitar and viola. His passion for classical music inspired him to set up The Perfect Score podcast where he reviews concerts and shares his enthusiasm for music with people of all ages. 

A pupil of George Watson’s in Edinburgh, Reilly plays in several school orchestras as well as the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and the SCO String Academy. ‘I learned so much through working with the different SCO musicians. You had to think about the sound you make in your section and also imagine how the audience would hear it and adjust your sound. It takes a lot of teamwork and everyone has to be on the same path.’ 

Another highlight for Reilly was a composition/improvisational workshop at school with Sir James MacMillan where he got the opportunity to experiment with an unusual line-up of instruments. ‘We had clarsachs which had to be tuned differently so there were some odd clashes. But music doesn’t have to be perfect sounding all the time, it just has to say something.’