For the last five months, the Faculty of Music has been running a series of extension classes, Music+, for two groups of Year 12 state-school students from across Greater London and the North West of England. These classes, held at Southbank Centre, London, and Loreto College, Manchester, introduced students to some of the many ways in which music can be approached as a subject of intellectual enquiry, from ethnomusicology, to analysis, via reception studies, and music psychology.
The Music+ programme culminated in a two-day residential course in Cambridge on 25 and 26 March, offering an insight into what it's like to study music at the University. The students stayed at Queens' College and Selwyn College, and attended a composition workshop, with composer Tim Watts and mezzo-soprano Cerys Purser; taster lectures on performance studies, with Pierre Riley, and on learning chant, with Head of Department Dr Sam Barrett; and a concert with composer-harpist Dr Úna Monaghan. Our visiting students also enjoyed dinner at St John's College, and a punting trip, in perfect spring weather.
We're very grateful to the University of Cambridge Widening Participation Project Fund for supporting our Music+ programme, and to all the Colleges, staff members, and student volunteers who helped to make this event happen.
For details of forthcoming outreach events and activities, have a look at our outreach pages, or contact outreach@mus.cam.ac.uk.