Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic RPO Resound has continued to deliver a huge range of community and education projects up and down the UK, both in person and online - sometimes for the very first time digitally. Continuing their important work despite the challenges we have all faced in this time.

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s award-winning Community and Education programme RPO Resound – has been at the forefront of delivering orchestral outreach projects since its inception in 1993, successfully underpinning the RPO’s extensive programme of UK regional performances and international work.

As 2021 draws to an end we look ahead to what RPO Resound have coming up towards the New Year and beyond, read on below to learn more about their mental health sessions in Brent, STROKESTRA® and Brent Music Ensemble:

Brent Mental Health

November kicks off a new year-long programme of music and mental health activity in the Orchestra’s new home of Brent. Funded by the Baring Foundation’s new ‘Creatively Minded and Ethnically Diverse’ grant programme, activity will include a range of therapeutic music sessions for young people and adults experiencing mental health challenges.

Monthly referral sessions for adolescents and adults will support people living in the community to take control of their mental health through supported group creative music-making, while two in-patient projects will support patients and staff with more severe needs. Additional training for support workers in the benefits of music in supporting mental health recovery will up-skill the local workforce, while four local musicians from diverse ethnic backgrounds will take part in a paid six-month training programme developing their skills as community music facilitators.

"Thank you so much for a eventful enjoyable music evening. Really appreciate as it helped my depression as I find it hard to leave my home"
Music Session participant November 2021

Brent Ensemble Explosion

Brent Ensemble Explosion is coming to the end of its first year of delivery. This project has created three new ensembles Brent Youth Pops Orchestra, Bridge Orchestras and Boom Bands. All of these ensembles will be performing together for the first time in December 2021.

In January 2022 the project begins its second year of delivery. We will be delivering creative composition workshop days with the Bridge Orchestras and Boom Bands. Brent Youth Pops Orchestra will have their first chance to play and listen to the Brent Anthem they created in 2020. Brent Young Leaders is an exciting new project for the second year of Brent Ensemble Explosion that brings together engaged young people from Brent who are hoping to diversify their skills as a musician and look at the different ways they can carve a career in music. This programme will be underway from January 2022.

STROKESTRA®

RPO Resound’s award-winning STROKESTRA® arts and health programme returns to Hull in November 2021 to reunite with stroke survivors, carers, clinicians and students after over a year of disruption due to COVID-19. Following a successful period of light-touch monthly online gatherings joined by participants from across the country, the programme returns to its home residency to continue offering targeted musical activity alo supporting improved physical, social, cognitive, psychological and communicative recovery in stroke survivors and their families.

Training sessions for University of Hull music students and stroke clinicians new to the team prepare the project to kick off with two digital sessions in December, followed by an exciting return to live visits from January 2022.