Apollo Music Projects is now in the eighth year of its music education programme in primary schools in Hackney and Tower Hamlets. AMP has so far reached over 2400 children in 16 primary schools and over 12,000 children in assemblies and schools concerts.

This innovative and interactive programme introduces children to the instruments of the orchestra, the musicians who play them and the music they play, providing the opportunity to hear live music and the tools to understand what they are hearing.

The project focuses on developing listening skills, enabling students to discover for themselves how to listen to and enjoy classical music, using their own imagination and experiences to enter a new world of sound, stories and feelings.

AMP brings live classical music to children who might not otherwise experience it, and recognises the innate ability and skill of children to respond to sophisticated ideas.

Apollo Music Projects captures the essence of what is special yet so fundamental about classical music. It is far more than just notes and instruments; it is communication, character, story, emotion, magic, aspiration and exuberance. AMP gives young children the opportunity to experience all of this when they are open to and hungry for new experiences that will colour their lives.

The programme offers children a unique opportunity to work closely with professional musicians over two terms in a progressive series of classroom sessions, an orchestra workshop and a symphony orchestra concert, using the language of music to develop children’s observational skills, communication skills and teamwork. Children learn how to relate the music they hear to their own experiences, how musicians communicate through their instruments, how different composers use music to tell a story, and how to identify the different voices and follow them as they listen.