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Sinfonia Smith Square has formed a partnership with Westminster City School, as part of the orchestra’s education and outreach programme, and in support of SinfoniaSmith Square’s core mission to enrich and transform the lives of young people through music. Westminster City School (WCS) is a comprehensive boys’ school with a coeducational sixth form, situated in the heart of Westminster, just a short distance from the orchestra’s home in Smith Square.The school has a vibrant music programme, and both organisations share a commitment to providing young people with regular access to classical music throughout their school career to help foster a lifelong passion for and engagement with the arts.

The collaboration sees Sinfonia Smith Square’s Fellowship orchestra hold regular rehearsals on-site at the school during term time, immersing the orchestra’s activity into the daily life of the school, whilst also providing financial support to WCS. Working closely with school staff, the orchestra is developing meaningful ways to engage with the students, with projects aligned to the orchestra’s artistic programme. Students of all age groups are invited to observe the rehearsals, and its musical scholars and those studying GCSE and A-Level Music also have the chance to take part in workshops with the Fellowship musicians, enriching the subject curriculum and deepening the students’ musical experience.

Workshops so far have included a day based around concertos for KS3, and a specialist session for A-level composition students, which included a Q&A session with one of the composers working with Sinfonia Smith Square on its recent nonclassical project showcasing new artists.Sinfonia Smith Square is eager to see its partnership with Westminster City School develop into a significant and lasting relationship, helping to ensure classical music is a familiar and everyday part of school life at WCS. Further down the line, they hope this collaboration will also inspire more students to pursue careers in the arts, either as performers, creatives, or facilitators.

Both organisations recognise the importance of effective impact measurement and will look to assess the partnership’s success through tangible outcomes such as an increased uptake in music GCSE and A Level, as well as broader benefits such as improved behaviour, engagement, and attendance.The potential of music as a tool to positively influence the development of young people is supported by a 2017 study from the Cultural Learning Alliance, which established wide-ranging benefits associated with increased cultural activities in schools. By sampling thousands of students from across the country, the research showed that engaging with the arts at school not only enriches students’ daily lives, but participation in structured arts activities directly correlates to increased cognitive abilities and higher attainment in core subjects such as English and Maths. The research also found that students from low-income families who engage with the arts at school are more likely to move on to further education, leading to better employment opportunities. Beyond academics,there is evidence of broader holistic benefits, such as improved physical health and emotional wellbeing.

Given this strong evidence of music’s power as an instrument for change, it’s no surprise that similar partnerships are thriving across the country. Ahead of its collaboration with WCS, Sinfonia Smith Square looked to the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment to learn from their successful and longestablished residency at Acland Burghley School in North London, where they have called home since 2020. More recently, in 2023, the Shireland CBSO Academy in West Bromwich made history by becoming the first state school in the country to be set up in conjunction with a professional orchestra, in this case, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

At their annual conference earlier this year, the Association of British Orchestras launched a new #AnOrchestraInEverySchool initiative, highlighting the transformative potential of quality music education for young people. The initiative’s aspiration is for every school in the UK to have its own orchestra, or to have access to an orchestra through community outreach projects.

Rosie Fraser, Chief Executive, Sinfonia Smith Square, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Westminster City School, promoting one of our key educational objectives in supporting talented young people to embark on classical music career. We are also proud to be able to support the #OrchestraInEverySchool initiative through this new partnership with Westminster City School”.

WCS Headteacher Peter Broughton said:“We are excited by the opportunities provided by this partnership as it fits with our vision of providing transformational opportunities in the heart of London. Our burgeoning music programmes will be enhanced by the varied nature of our links with Sinfonia Smith Square. I look forward to seeing these connections deepen so that more and more of our students are able to experience a world class orchestra in action.”

Sinfonia Smith Square gratefully acknowledges the support of Guinness Global Investors for funding towards essential equipment for this collaboration.