Education Projects
Leeds Song inspires hundreds of children to discover and engage with classical song and excellent singing practice through their award-winning education projects: Discovering Lieder and Living Lieder.
We create unique opportunities for young people in primary and secondary schools across Leeds, encouraging them to explore their talents, embrace cultural diversity, and find their unique voices. Through tailored projects, we champion access to classical music, empowering those who might otherwise miss out.
Believing in music as a cornerstone of personal and social development, we collaborate with schools and teachers to inspire the next generation and ensure every child discovers the joy of self-expression through music.
Discovering Lieder
Discovering Lieder engages primary school children with classical concerts, exploring stories and characters in Art Song. Over a week, schools enjoy lively sessions, culminating in a Friday concert, where children creatively contribute by writing verses to Schubert’s music.
Email our team to get involved
The Discovering Lieder Project runs for one intensive week when each primary school is visited for one hour by our team before being invited to attend a grand culmination concert.
During this hour the children explore the joys of attending a concert of Art Song and the artists help to present Lieder as a fun and relevant artform, full of characters and stories, that can excite the imagination and stimulate the mind.
On the concert day over 300 children aged 9-11 from 10 schools across the Leeds area fill the concert hall and are treated to a programme of Lieder. Our three workshop artists perform songs by Schubert, Poulenc, Head and Dove all in their original language. A picture selected for each song is beamed onto a big screen behind the stage and the children are not given written translations of the texts, allowing their imaginations to run wild! In what’s definitely a Leeds Lieder Education tradition, the concert finale is a mass-sing of Schubert’s Das Wandern, with each class singing their own verse specially written by them in the workshop sessions.
If you would like to get involved, please contact Phil Wilcox.
Living Lieder
Living Lieder supports secondary school children in enhancing their musical and singing skills while delving into the depth of Art Song. Through three workshops over a month, students explore self-expression, creativity, and performance, culminating in a celebratory concert.
Email our team to get involvedThe Living Lieder Project involves our specialist team making several visits into secondary schools to rehearse participants for a grand culmination concert.
Three artists, two musicians and a creative writer, make three workshop visits into each school and work with the children on singing, musicianship, storytelling, creative thinking and performance practice. Teachers are encouraged to be actively involved, teaching and rehearsing the songs with their students in between visits by the creative team.
On the concert day over 150 children aged 12-14 from 6 schools across the Leeds area come together to share a fantastic programme of Art Song. Each group is encouraged to perform with confidence and expression, and we are always struck and moved by the quality of both the singing and the listening that occurs.
If you would like to get involved, please contact Phil Wilcox.