Theatre News

Lloyd Webber Foundation establishes £2m school music programme

The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation has joined forces with The Charles Wolfson Trust to donate £2 million over four years to establish The Music In Secondary Schools Trust, which has been specifically created to create a “ground-breaking music programme”.

According to press material, “The Andrew Lloyd Webber Programme will give every child at participating schools the opportunity to study a musical instrument as part of the compulsory curriculum in order to exceed, by ages 16 and 18, the expected academic outcomes for all students.

The aim is to improve discipline, commitment to learning, develop team working skills, and to enrich the lives of students by providing regular music tuition and performance opportunities as part of ensemble and orchestral groups.”

The programme is modelled on a scheme developed by
Truda White, former head teacher at the Highbury Grove School in Islington.

Participating schools will be selected through a “thorough application process” with top
priority being given to schools in areas of deprivation or communities
where access to high quality arts projects is limited.

Lloyd Webber’s wife Madeleine, a trustee of the foundation, said: “We are delighted to be joining forces
with The Charles Wolfson Trust to launch the Music In Secondary Schools
Trust, which we believe will have a profound impact on learning for
generations to come… This is one of the most exciting projects the Andrew
Lloyd Webber Foundation has been a part of.”