Royal Philharmonic to hold workshops in Jamaica

Appended to the visit of The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), one of the world's most prestigious orchestras, which will be performing at the Northern Caribbean University on September 13 and at Holy Trinity Cathedral on September 15, will be a number of music workshops.

RPO has had a myriad of music-education programmes created for marginalised groups within the last 20 years.

Between September 10 and 17, the RPO will implement uniquely designed workshops for local musicians and at-risk youths.

These workshops include; group instrumental tuition for the Immaculate Conception High School Symphony Orchestra, a creative workshop for the National Youth Orchestra of Jamaica (NYOJ), a pedagogical workshop for the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, and an open workshop with formal string coaching and a creative component for choral and non-string instruments.

Each workshop culminates in a showcase, whether the aims are enhanced musical skills or therapy, thereby celebrating the participants' achievements with the full support of professional orchestral musicians.

Ultimately, the shared music-making experiences, enable both educational enrichment and personal development, improving the participants' quality of life.

By tailoring programmes to participants' needs, the RPO eliminates common barriers to involvement in quality music-making such as affordability, accessibility and misconceptions about musical content or relevance.

The RPO's visit, its concerts and workshops have been organised by the NYOJ and made possible by major sponsorship from Digicel, NCB Capital Markets and Supreme Ventures Limited.

The NYOJ is a local non-profit organisation which provides free classical music classes for at-risk Jamaican youths aged 10 to 18. The RPO workshop designed for the NYOJ aims to build musicianship skills through a creative approach, including rhythmic devices, listening and section awareness, and improvisational abilities.

The Edna Manley College workshop will focus on sharing best practice music education approaches and methodologies, drawing on the extensive experiences of the RPO. The goals of this workshop are to bring together teachers and students from multiple courses through a combined ensemble creative experience, encouraging cross-curricular and cross-genre integration.

Through the assistance of the Digicel Foundation, the NYOJ was upgraded from a string orchestra to a full orchestra with four sections, and more recently the NCB Foundation has provided new instruments for the NYOJ's expansion.

Supreme Ventures is the latest additional sponsor, providing support for the RPO's visit.

Tickets for the RPO's concerts are available in Mandeville at Fontana Pharmacy and Digicel Willowgate Plaza, in Montego Bay at Fontana Pharmacy and Digicel Westgate Plaza and in Kingston at Cannonball Café, Shields & Shields, Music Mart and Digicel/Anbell New Kingston.

For further information on these events contact the NYOJ at rpoinjamaica@gmail.com or 561 6252.