The RCM, represented by the RCM Sparks team, is a strategic partner as part of the Tri-Borough Music Hub (TBMH). The TBMH is the lead organisation overseeing the delivery of music education in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham and the City of Westminster (the RCM’s closest boroughs). An award-winning organisation, TBMH is a centralised local authority that receives core funding from the Department for Education via Arts Council England, working with schools, pupils and the workforce.
In March 2023 Arts Council England announced a reform of the current Music Hub structure which led to the TBMH becoming the lead hub organisation for the new London West Music Hub (LWMH), covering Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Kensington and Chelsea & Westminster.
The National Plan for Music Education (England) sets out a vision and drive for excellence in music education to be on offer to all, to “ensure all pupils receive a high-quality music education, strengthen the creative pipeline and help create the musicians and audiences of the future”. Therefore, the role of the RCM is to work closely with TBMH (and the Royal Albert Hall) as strategic partners, helping to achieve the following aims:
- To support musical progression through a broad range of outstanding and fully inclusive musical pathways for children and young people with Youth Voice embedded in our work
- To engage with all schools to enhance the delivery of an effective music curriculum by supporting access to high-quality music education opportunities
- To provide a broad range of effective continuing professional development opportunities for the wider workforce that enhances the quality of music education delivery for young people
- To support families in our community by ensuring that financial access is not a barrier to pupils’ engagement in music education opportunities led by ourselves and our diverse range of partner organisations
These aims align closely with the RCM’s commitment to widening participation and workforce development/employability focus. The partnership with TBMH enables Sparks to gain a detailed understanding of the areas of need in the local area, provide a meaningful pathway of musical learning and practically support RCM students in becoming experienced, versatile educators.
Musical Senses
RCM Sparks and the TBMH is committed to positive change and in supporting children and young people from all backgrounds to better access musical activity. Working in partnership, the RCM, TBMH, ABRSM, Young Sounds and Audiovisability have developed a programme called Musical Senses to support music making for young people who are deaf or hard of hearing and/or blind or visually impaired.
In 2024-25 the programme included:
- supporting 6 students with bursaries throughout the academic year
- delivery of a creative 3-day programme and concert at the Royal College of Music for 17 students and their families
- provision of training materials for the workforce directly created by specialist workshop leaders
Large-scale projects
Every four years, the RCM works in partnership with the Tri-borough Music Hub and the Royal Albert Hall to commission a large-scale project, bringing exciting live music experiences to thousands of local school children.
In June 2023, Music Makes Me, a brand-new work by Emily Stratford and Gabriel Krchnavek, premiered at the Royal Albert Hall. This multi-school music education and performance programme shone a light on the importance of inclusive practice and celebrating everyone for who they are. Music Makes Me is a gateway into the world of music, regardless of who you are, and it draws on music as a strength in how we communicate with others.
The event followed in the footsteps of previous award-winning TBMH production, Seven Seeds (2015), awarded the prize for 'New Music' by the Music Education Council of Great Britiain (MEC) and shortlisted for the 'Best Classical Music Education Initiative') and more recently, Convo (2019), an ambitious new work by RCM alumnus composer Charlotte Harding.
Further information and resources:
Convo
See and hear more about Convo from the people involved, including RCM composer Charlotte Harding