CHAMPIONS - INTRODUCTION Thank you for agreeing to be a Champion for BBC  Music’s Ten Pieces initiative.

Starting with special screenings in cinemas across the country in October 2014 - and ending with a major celebratory event in Summer 2015 - Ten Pieces will open up the world of classical music to children and encourage them to develop their own creative responses to the pieces through music, dance or digital art.

The aim of the project is to provide a stimulus for music and arts education in primary schools throughout the country, linked together by the Ten Pieces theme.

The BBC is hoping to collaborate with at least 150 Champions across the UK for Ten Pieces, including Music Education Hubs and Music Services, Bridges, local orchestras, film, dance and other arts organisations working with schools to deliver music and arts education. The response so far has been very encouraging.

The BBC will be producing a 50-minute film to introduce the repertoire, which will be screened to schools in cinemas across the country, and made available on DVD to schools upon request. Champions will also be able to apply to organise their own screenings. BBC Learning will be providing educational resources on the Ten Pieces website to enable teachers with little knowledge about classical music to run some engaging lessons. These will include online clips of the Ten Pieces film; recordings of the repertoire; arrangements of the pieces to suit different abilities; and information about the composers.

The project will be greatly enhanced by the work you do as Champions in the community, building on the children’s  interest  and  excitement  stimulated  by  the  Ten  Pieces  theme,  helping  them  to  find  out  more about classical music, and further develop their creative responses.

The BBC is not being prescriptive about the way that Ten Pieces Champions work with the project. All we ask is that you use one or all of the 10 pieces as the theme for your activities, and you provide:

x A named person in your organisation whose contact details can be published on the Ten Pieces website

x An outline of how you intend to work with the project (so that we can share the information in our newsletter, with the media and on the Ten Pieces website)

x Photos and video clips (they don't have to be professional) illustrating the creative work being done by  children  you  are  working  with  around  the  Ten  Pieces  theme….details  of  how  to  do  this,  and  the  permissions that need to be in place, will be available on our website in the autumn.

x At the end of the year, a summary of the work your organisation has carried out, so that we can collate a record of all the activity that has taken place nationwide around the Ten Pieces theme.

We have already had some fantastic ideas from potential Champions about how they intend to work with the 10 pieces. They include:

x Using the repertoire as a stimulus for whole class instrument tuition and singing sessions x Making the 10 pieces the focus of ensemble work (vocal and orchestral) x Getting secondary school orchestras to perform Ten Pieces concerts for primary schools, and to

introduce children to orchestral instruments x Running training for teachers on how to develop creative and composition work x Holding amateur orchestra concerts featuring the 10 pieces x Screening the Ten Pieces film in their own venues (e.g. when there are strong links between Arts

Centres and Music Services) x Linking with local art, film and dance organisations to encourage them to work with schools as

part of the project

In the final phase of the project, the BBC will be staging a number of concerts in the nations and regions with the BBC Orchestras in the summer term of 2015, to give children the opportunity to hear the music live – and join in with some of the pieces.

Many music services are also planning to hold their own celebratory Ten Pieces concerts at a local level – giving children the chance to perform their own compositions and dances, and showcase their digital work. In London,  there  is  even  talk  about  an  attempt  to  break  a  world  record  with  the  world’s  largest  orchestra  of  10,000 children playing the 10 pieces simultaneously at Wembley Arena!

The finale of the Ten Pieces project will be a major BBC event in the summer of 2015, when the BBC will be showcasing  some  of  the  children’s  creative  responses alongside one of the BBC Orchestras. The BBC will also unveil a portal featuring clips of the  children’s  creative  responses  from  around  the  country.

Most music and arts organisations already provide fantastic educational activities for children. By collaborating on the same theme, we can maximise the impact of the work we all do, so the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

We'd be  grateful  if  you  could  return  the  Champions’  sign  up  form to us asap so that we can put your contact details on our website.

If you have any queries, do email tenpieces@bbc.co.uk.

Many  thanks  once  more  for  coming  on  board.  It’s  going  to  be  an  exciting  year!

Best wishes,

Katy Jones, Executive Producer

TIMELINE LAUNCH

MAY 2014

x 12th May launch of bbc.co.uk/tenpieces website x A leaflet goes to schools across the country informing them of the initiative urging

them to sign up for the Ten Pieces newsletter and book their places for the cinema screenings

x Ten Piece Champions from across the country will be listed, with links and contact names e.g. individual Music Education Hubs

x Resources will be added to the website between May and October

PHASE 1 - INSPIRATION OCTOBER 6th – 10th 2014

x Nationwide screenings of Ten Pieces film for schools at cinemas across the country

x Pan BBC coverage of the Ten Pieces theme

PHASE 2 – EXPLORATION AND CREATIVITY

OCTOBER - MARCH 2014

x DVD packs are distributed to schools upon request, so they can have their own screenings

x More resources available on-line for schools, including longer recordings of the orchestral music, inspiration films, etc to allow children to learn more about the music and composers

x Music and arts organisations in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland start to work with schools around the Ten Pieces theme, including the BBC Orchestras

x Children develop their creative responses to the repertoire – through music, dance and digital art

x Schools/ Champions start  to  send  in  video  clips  of  the  children’s  creative work (deadline 27th March 2015)

PHASE 3 - PERFORMANCE

MAY – JULY 2015

x BBC performing groups hold interactive concerts in venues across the UK, showcasing some of the children’s  creative  responses

x Other organisations hold celebratory concerts in their nations and regions x Major national finale – celebrating  the  children’s  creative work from across the

country x Launch of the website where  the  children’s creative responses to the 10 pieces

from across the country will be uploaded onto a single portal

SUMMARY OF NEXT STEPS

MAY 2014 1. Complete the sign up form that you received with this information pack and return it ASAP to

tenpieces@bbc.co.uk, with SIGN UP in the subject 2. Meet with local schools and other arts organisations to develop and share plans for the roll out of Ten

Pieces in your area in the autumn term

MAY - SEPTEMBER 2014 1. Sign up for the newsletter on the Ten Pieces website to get regular updates, news and links to relevant

resources. Do share the newsletter with schools and partners 2. Encourage schools to book seats for the screenings of the Ten Pieces film in October 2014 – numbers are

limited so booking is essential! Bookings can be made from May onwards via the Ten Pieces website 3. Apply to run your own screenings where you have access to venues with screens free of charge 4. Order copies of the Ten Pieces leaflets for schools – to which you can add your own contact details 5. Plan activities with schools for the academic year 2014/15 (including CPD for teachers if necessary) 6. Contact other organisations in your area (e.g. amateur orchestras/secondary school orchestras/ local

artists, filmmakers and musicians of all kinds) to see if they would like to get involved 7. Start to plan your celebratory events in the summer term of 2015 8. Update the Ten Pieces team with any interesting developments/projects and plans by Friday 13th June so

that the ideas can be shared in the Ten Pieces newsletter and on the website

OCTOBER - MARCH 2015 1. Encourage schools to order the Ten Pieces DVDs 2. Work with local schools to help children develop creative responses to the Ten Pieces repertoire 3. Keep track of the activity going on in your area – and keep BBC Learning informed of developments, so

we can spread the word and where possible link to local media 4. Also let local TV and Radio know about the creative projects connected with Ten Pieces 5. Work with schools to send the BBC clips of up to 2 minutes  of  children’s  creative  output  (by  March  27th

2015) for possible inclusion on the Ten Pieces website and regional concert – or encourage schools to do this themselves. Full details about how to do this, and the consent that needs to be obtained, will follow nearer the time – but we are not expecting professionally recorded films!

APRIL – JULY 2015 1. Organise local events to celebrate and showcase the creative work produced by children across your area

in connection with the Ten Pieces project – e.g. interactive concerts where school or local orchestras play the original10 pieces alongside  children’s  creative  responses

2. Send a brief summary to the BBC about the work that has been done by your organisation around Ten Pieces, so it can be compiled into a single document outlining the range and breadth of educational activity and creative output around the Ten Pieces theme

3. Look  out  for  the  website,  where  a  collection  of  the  children’s  creative  responses  that  have been filmed and sent to the BBC from around the country will be showcased