The BBC has today announced a new initiative for UK primary schools that aims to inspire a generation of children to enjoy classical music and use it as a stimulus to their own creativity.



Ten pieces of classical music - some short, some selected extracts of longer works - have been chosen to represent a range of western classical music and provide good entry points into it. Children will be introduced to the works through a specially made film that uses a mix of live action and animation that will be screened in UK cinemas in October 2014.

During the autumn term, children will then be asked to respond creatively to the music through their own compositions, dance, digital art or animation. Six ambassadors - Nicola Benedetti, Alison Balsom, Cerys Matthews, Laura Mvula, Julian Joseph and Catrin Finch will be going into schools to help children engage with the project, and the BBC's Performing Groups will also be travelling across the country to give workshops and perform the pieces. The BBC orchestras and BBC Singers will run a series of Orchestra Take Over days and interactive celebratory concerts in schools around the country.

The ten pieces are:

The tenth is a new body percussion piece by young composer Anna Meredith and has been specially commissioned for the project. "I’m so excited that there’s contemporary music, music that’s being written right now, that’s part of these ten pieces because contemporary music is as vital to the future as standard repertoire," said Meredith.



Working with Stakeholder partners Arts Council England, Arts Council Wales, Arts Council Northern Ireland, Creative Scotland, Music Mark, Youth Music, ABO and Into Film, the BBC hope to reach every primary school-age child in the UK. Schools can sign up to take part in the project at bbc.co.uk/tenpieces, BBC Learning will provide a online resources including films, printables and teachers' notes on the Ten Pieces website from October.

The BBC will also be working with more than 150 "Ten Pieces Champions" including Music Services and Music Education Hubs, as well as specialist music, dance and arts partners across the UK to help children explore the music further, and develop their creative responses to it.

Roger Wright, Controller, BBC Radio 3 and Director, BBC Proms, said: "Ten Pieces marks the biggest commitment the BBC has ever made to music education in the country. We hope that the project will inspire a generation of children to learn more about classical music."

Katy Jones, Executive Producer, BBC Learning, said: "Music has the power to transform lives, and we are hoping that this project will be a catalyst for all kinds of creativity in primary schools across the country, as well as providing an inspirational way into classical music."

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