Eleven young Birmingham musicians from five local schools have been chosen to perform at the Royal Albert Hall, London at the annual Music for Youth Proms (November 27/28).

Some 1,500 musicians and singers from across the UK will converge on the capital to perform at the two-night culmination of a year-long programme of concerts and performances held throughout the country.

The Raga and Tala Ensemble from Birmingham Music Service – run by local charity Services For Education – was chosen by Music for Youth to perform on the second-day of the Proms which showcases the brilliance of young musicians and is known for its electric atmosphere and diverse musical performances.

The Raga and Tala Ensemble is part of the award-winning World Music Department run by Services For Education and first introduced in 1997. Each week, 3,500 Birmingham children attend small group and one-to-one lessons in world music. Almost one-in-five are from non-BAME background. Services For Education’s collection of world music instruments, available to Birmingham children on free loan, now totals nearly 3,400 and is believed to be the largest collection of its type in the UK. The ensemble is one of 113 free ensembles run by Services For Education.

In the last five-years, there has been an “explosion” in the popularity in Birmingham of world music instruments: djembe up 216%; tabla – 311%; steel pans – 563% and dhol, a remarkable 768%.

The six girls and five boys, with ages ranging from 12 to 17 years, are from Hamstead Hall Academy, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys, Nishkam High School, Nishkam Primary School and Queen Mary’s Grammar School, Walsall. They will travel to London to perform at the Proms which are organised by Birmingham-headquartered charity Music for Youth.

Playing tabla and sitar, the young players started learning the instruments whilst in primary schools and are now taught by Services For Education music teachers Gurdeep Dharni and Harjinder Matharu.

Richard Mabbott, Head of the Music Service at Services For Education, said it was fantastic that the Raga and Tala Ensemble had been chosen and a great opportunity for Birmingham’s young musicians to perform at such a world-famous concert hall.

“We are very proud that the Raga and Tala Ensemble has been selected to be part of Music for Youth Proms – which is also a great occasion to showcase Birmingham’s approach to broadening access to music. We have seen an explosion in interest in world music that we expect to continue. Our aim is to encourage as many children as possible in Birmingham to participate in music of all types and to appreciate the role that music can play in bringing cultures and communities together.

“Giving young people opportunities through music and the arts is crucial to their development – not just academically but also from the perspective of both the personal skills and the resilience it develops within them,” said Richard.

At the heart of this year’s Music for Youth Proms is a new piece from composer Cassie Kinoshi, titled ‘The colour of all things constant’, commissioned in partnership with BBC, The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Ten Pieces project. With words by poet Belinda Zhawi, the commission focuses on the powerful and timely theme of kindness and is one of several works from the much-loved BBC Ten Pieces list to be performed during the Proms.

The Music for Youth Proms is also highlighting the incredible work of music teachers across the UK through its Thank Your Music Teacher campaign to recognise the life-changing work of one dedicated teacher who has gone above and beyond to make musical magic happen in their community.

Sitar players from Services For Education’s Raga and Tala Ensemble 

ENDS

About Services For Education:

An education and training charity based in Birmingham, Services For Education brings music and learning to life. Services For Education employs more than 200 staff delivering music tuition to children, and expert training and development to teaching and school support staff. It has annual income of £6.9m (Y/E August 2023). Part-funded by the Arts Council, England it also has its own fundraising and subsidised commercial operations.

• Services For Education’s Music Service, one of the largest in the country, works with 98% of Birmingham schools and each year teaches music to nearly 32,000 children – as well as running 113 free ensembles. It provides 27,000 musical instruments free-of-charge so all children have access to playing and enjoying music together and its Youth Proms at Symphony Hall give 4,000 young musicians the opportunity to perform to an audience of more than 10,000. It also runs music schools, has a world music department, provides private music tuition to all ages as well as working with partners to deliver music and choral opportunities to disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. Its award-winning Online Music Educational Resource was completed and launched free to schools in 2021 to appeal to a young IT-connected audience attracted to learning online and to complement traditional tuition.
• Services For Education’s School Support Service provides expert training and development to teaching and support staff in nearly 600 schools in the West Midlands and increasingly across England, to improve practice and ensure teachers are best equipped to respond to developments in curriculum and policy. As a leading provider of safeguarding education, Services For Education works with 400 schools delivering training in-person and on-line. It also delivers innovative programmes to support the physical and emotional health of children and young people through Health for Life and other community-based activity. servicesforeducation.co.uk

About Music for Youth

Music for Youth is a national youth music charity working with young people aged 25 and under across the UK. Its vision is to ensure that every young person in the UK can achieve their musical potential by performing the music they love. MfY believes that music, and the chance to participate in high-quality musical activities, should be open to every young person.  https://www.mfy.org.uk/about/

In March 2024, Music for Youth announced its move to Birmingham to co-locate at the CBSO Centre. The charity said the new partnership ‘will see MFY and the CBSO working together to help support the City’s vibrant music culture and help make Birmingham a centre for young people’s music’.

The move follows a feasibility study to select a new location as part of Arts Council England’s Transfer Programme. Running parallel to the 2023-26 Investment Programme for National Portfolio Organisations and Investment Principles Support Organisations, the Transfer Programme provides two-year business funding to organisations willing to relocate by 31 October 2024.

Music for Youth said it chose Birmingham ‘for its lively youth culture and our strong existing partnerships with the CBSO, B:Music, local schools, the music service and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.’ Birmingham is already home to Music for Youth’s annual National Festival, welcoming over 6,000 musicians aged 4–21 to take part in performances, masterclasses and workshops across the city.

For further information and for interviews:

Public and media relations for Services For Education:
David Clarke
E: david-c@clarke-associates.co.uk;
M: 07808 735255

Issued on behalf of:

Services For Education
Unit 3 Holt Court
Holt Street
Birmingham Science Park
Aston
Birmingham B7 4AX