LMM-16-17-AnnualReview - E-VERSION

annual review
2016/17

Creating a world where everyone
has access to extraordinary music.
contents
chair's introduction
LMM Learning
LMM Artists
2016/17 statistics
featured project
diversity and inclusion
fundraising and finance
thank you
3
4
10
16
19
22
24
27

chair's introduction
At a time of profound global change and uncertainty, the education of our children
is more crucial than ever. As a charity, our commitment to modelling equal access to
high quality music education, and ensuring opportunities for personal and creative
development, remains strong. The artists, children, schools and families with whom
we work are shining examples of the enormous benefit that a rich cultural life can
have on a community.
In 2016/17 that benefit was recognised again by Ofsted which visited two of
our London schools. In their words, the London Music Masters effect increases
the resilience and social skills of the students. In my leadership roles in business
and the arts, I understand only too well the need for a resilient workforce that
communicates well both internally and to a global public. The impact of London
Music Masters’ work – which has now touched the lives of over 2,000 children
and nine world class artists – goes far beyond the purely musical experience,
something we have recognised for many years. The vast majority of our young
people will not pursue musical careers, but that is not our goal. We are educating
and inspiring children, enabling them to persist in the face of challenge, helping
them to cooperate with others, to develop the confidence to lead and the skills to
communicate.
Measuring this impact is a decades-long endeavour. But we are building our
capacity in this area in order to better understand how and why music education is
uniquely placed to develop core social and emotional skills in young people.
As you read our annual review, my hope is that you will be inspired not only by the
immense accomplishments of our children and artists, but also by the teachers,
administrators, funders, creative partners and volunteers who give so much. My
special thanks to our founding director and trustee Victoria Robey OBE, and to all
my fellow trustees.
Simon Freakley
Chair of Trustees, London Music Masters
3

LMM Learning 2016\17
‘London Music Masters has given my son the opportunity of a lifetime.’
Parent of LMM Learning student, Ashmole Primary School
‘…pupils’ resilience has increased as they persevere in their learning and
develop high-quality social skills through making music together.’
Ofsted, Ashmole Primary School, 2017

The comments on the previous page from a parent and an Ofsted school inspector
capture the entire range of our ambitions for LMM Learning. We believe that
every child should have access to high quality music-making, which is indeed ‘the
opportunity of a lifetime’. And we know from our experience that the perseverance
and dedication required for our children to succeed has a transformative impact on
their personal development. In 2016/17 we taught 1,400 children in seven schools,
across three London boroughs. Each of us has just one childhood, and we are proud
that the early years of every single one of our children are full of music.
musicianship – getting a great start
In musicianship lessons students explore and cultivate their musicality through
singing, movement, games, creative composition and improvisation.
The LMM Learning Musicianship programme is the bedrock of all of the musical
learning that takes place at London Music Masters and every child that goes
through our programme begins their studies this way. In 2017, our partnerships
with Prior Weston and Queen’s Park primary schools enabled us to provide
musicianship sessions to pupils in all year groups while simultaneously offering
continuous training and support to their classroom teachers. With these schools
we have focussed on re-energising singing, creativity and composition, with pupils
writing and performing their own songs, working closely with visiting musicians,
and performing at the Royal Festival Hall. Next year we continue to develop our
musicianship programme hand-in-hand with our instrumental programme to ensure
that all pupils are able to grow and thrive as well-rounded, flexible musicians.
understanding our impact
As audience members, students and colleagues we gain a huge amount from the
professional musicians we work with. In 2016 we asked ourselves, what do the
musicians gain from working with us? Our partnership with the Royal College of
Music led to a research project exploring the impact on professional musicians of
participating in community engagement projects. Through a series of interviews,
observations and bespoke projects over a six month period we researched the
impact that children and young people have on professional musicians. The
resulting paper – Finding Meaning in Music – reveals the personal and professional
impact of the creativity, spontaneity and leadership required of musicians when
they engage with children and community groups. The research is available to
download at www.londonmusicmasters.org/research
6 |learning 7

‘I have to work hard and keep on going, but I want to be a professional violinist so
this is a good thing for me.’ Kaya Ramjohn
student focus
Kaya Ramjohn is nine years old and has been playing the violin since she was five.
She is currently on the LMM Learning Pathways programme.
teaching and learning
‘What I feel is so special about working for London Music Masters is the
amazing support we get as teachers to regularly develop our skills through
the termly training sessions and observations. Coming together as a team to
learn from other specialists and share ideas amongst ourselves helps to keep
me feeling freshly inspired. At these training sessions, I am also reminded that
I am part of a team that really cares about the quality of what we deliver!
‘I have found it so valuable as a lead tutor to get feedback on my lessons
from both violin teacher specialists and education specialists (without musical
background). Having this regular feedback from different perspectives has
helped me to bring new techniques into my teaching, identify and build on my
strengths and grow in confidence.' Sarah Hill, LMM Learning lead teacher
London Music Masters works with 26 violin, cello and musicianship teachers
teaching 1,400 children each week. Our teacher training programme is supported
by a wide range of educationalists and music specialists.
‘I like performing in front of an audience – any audience! It makes me feel
emotional when I play. I don’t really get nervous, but if I do, thinking about my
brother and my family helps.
‘When I first joined Pathways I was really excited to start as I love the
violin but playing the violin also inspired me to want to learn some other
instruments. I now learn the piano as well as the violin, and I also like singing.
My favourite piece is Take Five. I like jazz, and that piece is really jazzy! I’m
also a member of the orchestra at school and I like it because I get to play
new pieces that I’ve never played before.
‘When I first saw my brother [Tristan, Pathways graduate and LMM Alumni
member] playing the violin it really inspired me. At the moment he is on tour
around England with his violin, and I want to do exactly the same as him.’
Pathways was pioneered by London Music Masters Artistic Director Prof. Itzhak
Rashkovsky. It celebrates talent, achievement and diversity by providing additional
tuition and performance opportunities to students from diverse backgrounds who
show the enthusiasm and potential to progress to an exceptional standard. All 11
of our recent Pathways graduates have been awarded places at prestigious junior
conservatoires. Many also play in national junior ensembles and are music scholars.
8 |learning
9

LMM Artists 2016/17
‘Thanks to London Music Masters, I now have the resources to refine
my practice, and come back to my classical roots…with a fresh new
perspective.’ Shiva Feshareki (centre)

Through our work with professional musicians we explore and celebrate the role
of the artist in society. All of the musicians we work with play a vital role in the
education of our young people and through their craft, both in the concert hall and
in the school hall, they restate the importance of music and the arts as an everyday
experience vital for a healthy, exuberant and inclusive society. Our artists have a
direct and meaningful impact in our schools, and are themselves impacted as they
develop innovative ways of engaging with new audiences. In 2016/17 in addition to
our award holders Shiva Feshareki, Marc Bouchkov and Jack White we worked with
the following artists on a wide range of collaborative projects: Nicola Benedetti,
Nadine Benjamin, Samuel Bordoli, Benjamin Grosvenor, Harlem String Quartet,
Hyeyoon Park, Elena Urioste and Maxim Vengerov.
exploring new music
Award-winning composer Shiva Feshareki was an inaugural recipient of the 2016/17
LMM Award for composers. Inspired by her practice, and with our shared belief in
the innate creativity of young people, we collaborated with Shiva on a technically
ambitious turntables masterclass and performance for 30 students from two of our
south London primary schools. Shiva taught the students how to use the equipment
and begin experimenting with sound manipulation, linking into the children’s
science curriculum topic of sound. We were supported in delivering this with our
Lambeth Sound partner Grooveschool who provided all of the technical support.
‘The children were engaged and excited, there were no inhibitions, and it’s
important to use this stage of development to get them into performance.
They influence me, I go back to this idea of playfulness of ideas, of
incorporating their experiments into the work I do.’
Later in the year, a London Music Masters co-commission with Aarhus Symphony
Orchestra enabled Shiva to realise a long-held creative ambition of writing a piece
for orchestra entitled GABA-analogue which immerses the audience in 360 degrees
of sound. On the day of the premiere Shiva led a workshop for LMM Learning
students exploring the creative impetus behind the piece.
‘…you can't imagine how special it was...I am inspired by the children and
determined to work harder so that they and all their friends can grow up
in a world that has, at the very least, little pockets of light and solace.’
Elena Urioste, violinist, following a creative workshop with LMM Learning
graduates
12 |artists 13

Sheku Kanneh-Mason
Eighteen-year-old cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, winner of BBC Young Musician 2016
and London Music Masters’ first Junior Ambassador, met with parents of our Year 6
students and talked with them about his experience of making the transition from
primary to secondary school. For the parents it was an opportunity to hear from a
young musician, not much older than their own children, about the kind of support
he had needed to make that difficult move whilst maintaining his passion for music.
For Sheku it was an opportunity to reflect on, and share some of the experiences that
shaped him as a musician. As part of his day with London Music Masters Sheku also
coached first year cellists, gave a whole school concert and an intimate private recital.
‘…it was quite spectacular! What an amazing humble young man!’
Martinet Ackermann, Assistant Head Teacher, Jessop Primary School
Marc Bouchkov
LMM Award Holder Marc Bouchkov visited every single LMM Learning school this
year and made his Wigmore Hall debut. A naturally captivating performer, Marc
was as comfortable in the classroom as he was on the concert platform giving the
children his undivided attention and inspiring them through masterclasses, coaching
and impromptu performances. Our teachers were delighted by the impact he had on
their students, saying: ‘it is all they have talked about all day’, and the head teacher
of Queen’s Park Primary School summed it up neatly: ‘He was absolutely fantastic!’.
14 |artists 15

93
1
arts organisations participated in LMM
seminars on diversity and inclusion
British Composer Award – Mark Bowden’s
Five Memos for Hyeyoon Park
44
creative
workshops
45
hours of workshops in
schools led by LMM Artists
100%
8,400
hours taught
1,000
members of the
public attended
our spring concert
Pathways graduates now
at junior conservatoires
£830,000
2
41
raised in 2016/17
world premieres
student
performances
45
3
hours of artist-led
workshops in schools
new school
orchestras
started
21
school visits by
professional musicians
100%
exam
success
(Grades 1-5)
37%
of LMM Alumni returned for
projects and performances
16

featured project
mass ensemble performs at Royal Festival Hall
LMM Award Holder Jack White was commissioned to create a new piece for the
largest LMM ensemble ever amassed in one space. Two hundred children from our
seven partner schools filled the stage at the Royal Festival Hall to perform Jack’s
newest work, Flutter. This was the first time Jack had written for children of this age
on such a scale and it was a hit with the students:
‘My favourite piece is Flutter because it has different types of things like
playing, plucking and stamping!’ Divya Patil, Year 4 Jessop Primary School
Also in the programme was Music Is Everything, a collaborative piece devised by
musicians Rosie Adediran and Eugene Skeef with LMM Learning students.
Workshops took place over eight months involving 320 students from all seven
LMM Learning schools. They wrote lyrics and melodies, developed rhythms and
even created the visuals for the evening’s programme. Lambeth Sound partner
Kinetika Bloco led percussion workshops at Prior Weston Primary School helping us
form our first bucket drum band who brought great energy to the performance.
Giving children the opportunity to create their own music and to work with living
composers connects them to the practice of music making as a living and relevant
art and is something we were proud to accomplish in 2016/17.
‘I just wanted to say what a fantastic performance it was. So inspirational
to see so many children playing so brilliantly and having fun with it!’ Louise
Curtis, Parent of Y5 Jessop Primary School student
18 |artists
19

We enjoyed our largest ever audience at the Royal Festival Hall in
March for the concert featuring Music is Everything and Flutter. Nearly
1,000 supporters were treated to the spectacle of LMM Learning
students performing these works and others. They also participated
in an improvised piece which broke down the traditional boundaries
between audience and performer.

diversity and inclusion
In 2016/17 we asked two questions: firstly, are there specific inclusion challenges
relevant to different regions and sectors within the industry? And secondly, how do
we move from discussion to action?
To explore some of the regional aspects of this debate we partnered with two
national organisations: the International Arts Managers Association (IAMA) and the
Association of British Orchestras (ABO), delivering conference sessions for both
groups and learning from their members. We also hosted the fourth instalment
of our discussion series: Class, Race and Classical Music at Cheltenham Music
Festival. In each of these events, we challenged participants to look at diversity in its
broadest sense and consider the unique challenges and opportunities arising from
engagement with local communities.
The move from talk to action is an important one. At the ABO conference in
January, delegates pledged to deliver realistic positive actions that would take
their organisation forwards. To help the process, we made personal contact in the
subsequent weeks with all who had made pledges and hosted a follow-up event
where delegates could share their experiences of making change. Additionally, we
invited senior leaders from arts organisations across the UK to help develop tools to
identify the impact of implicit (or unconscious) bias at an organisational level.
22
23

fundraising and finance
London Music Masters is an organisation on a powerful mission – with a long-term
vision for change. We take great pride in having raised substantial support from
individuals, trusts, foundations, and corporate partners. In 2016/17, voluntary
donations made up over 80% of our income. The remainder comes from fees
charged to schools for our services. The lack of funding for state schools is never
far from the headlines and we work hard to ensure that costs are as low as possible
whilst delivering a world-class experience for the students. Each of our partner
schools invests significant resources into the music education of their students
by partnering with us. This year alone the investment from voluntary donors and
schools helped us provide tailored tuition and outstanding musical experiences to
1,400 young instrumentalists who each receive their own instrument and 1.5 hours
of tuition per week. We believe that the acquisition of musical skills is only the
beginning of the impact that this investment will have.
London Music Masters currently has a team of three fundraisers – all committed to
maintaining the highest possible principles when fundraising. We are members of
the Fundraising Regulator and are committed to abiding by current legislation and
best practice.
We are always looking for additional voluntary income and are actively seeking
corporate partners to help implement our ambitious strategic plans. If you
would like to find out more about supporting the work we do, please contact
our Development Director Charlotte Hamilton on +44 (0) 20 7091 0767 or at
chamilton@londonmusicmasters.org
how we are funded
In 2016/17 we raised £830,000.* This is how:
26%
5%
40%
individual donors
trusts and foundations
parents and schools
corporate
29%
*This represents unaudited income for 2016/17. Audited accounts
for previous years are available via the charity commission website
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission
24

thank you
We would like to thank all of those who have supported us financially this year,
without whom none of our work would be possible.
corporate donors and corporate foundations
AlixPartners
Wellington Management UK Foundation
M&G Investments
trust and foundation donors
29th May 1961 Charitable Trust
Andor Charitable Trust
Arts Council England
Avenue Nursery & Pre-Preparatory School
The Boltini Trust
The Buffini Chao Foundation
The Emmanuel Kaye Foundation
The Great Silence
The Harrison-Frank Family Foundation
The Hyde Park Place Estate Charity
The Mageni Trust
MariaMarina Foundation
The Master Poulter's Pelican Trust
The Pewterers' Seahorse Charitable Trust
The R and J Bleach Trust
(via a legacy from the Cleminson family)
The Radcliffe Trust
Rhona Reid Charitable Trust
The Roger and Ingrid Pilkington
Charitable Trust
The Sampimon Trust
The Steel Charitable Trust
Teale Charitable Trust
The Vandervell Foundation
The Vernon Ellis Foundation
Walcot Foundation
The Worshipful Company of Carmen
Benevolent Trust
The Worshipful Company of Gold and
Silver Wyre Drawers
The Worshipful Company of Parish Clerks
instruments of change
Founders Circle
Anonymous
Sir Simon Robey
Victoria Robey OBE
The Sackler Trust
Pierre and Hélène Vareille – supporting
LMM Learning’s whole school programme
Benefactors
Anonymous
Michael Berman and Katharine Verney
The Loveday Charitable Trust
cont
27

individual donors
Steven Isserlis – part of the Glashütte Original Music Festival Award presented to him
in May 2017 at the Dresden Music Festival
Lady Waley-Cohen
play your part
Quartet
Anonymous
Charles Alexander
Nadine Benjamin
Sir Roger and Lady Carr
James and Julia Korner
Nick and Felicity Lyons
John Nickson
Duo
Julian and Annette Armstrong
Lord and Lady Hall
Rosemary Lipa
Solo
Anonymous
Simon Banks
Nicholas Berwin
Grace Blaiklock
Christian Brideson
Simon and Mo Carrington
Nick Edwards
Charlie Hamilton
Michael Marks
Nicky Thomas Media
Yehuda Shapiro
Ferry van Dijk
Moira Yip
Thanks to our creative and education partners:
Photo credits: Benjamin Ealovega, Belinda Lawley, Mariona Valarios and Richard Wilson
28

address: 125 Kennington Road, London SE11 6SF
telephone: +44 (0)20 3643 5085 (general enquiries)
+44 (0)20 7091 0767 (development)
email: contact@londonmusicmasters.org
www.londonmusicmasters.org
Company Registration No: 06226749 (England and Wales)
Registered Charity No: 1119372