DEADLINE: 6th June 2025
BCMG are looking for new schools to participate in LICP2 starting Autumn Term 2025.
Listen Imagine Compose Primary is an award-winning long-term project, led by Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and its research partner Birmingham City University, funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, which aims to improve the quality and frequency of composing teaching and learning in the primary schools. It does this through inviting composers and teachers to work, plan, teach and reflect together over the long term.
The project recognises, and brings together, the different professional knowledge, pedagogies and practices of teachers and composers, to create the best outcomes for the children and the school. The project's focus is on supporting children to become better at composing, and to support teachers to be more confident and skilled at teaching composing. We want to work with a school to build confidence, skills, knowledge and understanding that can be taken forward and embedded, influence curricula and, ultimately benefit future pupils after the project/residency has come to an end. BCMG and its partners believe that all children have the capacity to compose given the right support.
This is is the second phase of the project. The first phase saw composers working with 8 schools over two years, involving 480 children from Year 4 then Year 5, their teachers and the school's music lead. More about the project can be found on BCMG's website, including a free toolkit and the Executive Summary of the Research Findings.
Part of the project planning process is for BCMG to work with each school, within a common framework, to design a programme that works for that school and its needs. BCMG is committed to gathering together a diverse cohort of schools. Schools will be recruited based on a schools need, clarity around what the school would like to achieve, it's readiness for participating in a project of this scale, and its ability to make certain commitments. Schools are invited to apply through an application form (follow the link below) which is intended as an initial expression of interest. For the successful shortlisted schools, this initial expression of interest will be followed by an in-person meeting.
The project is designed for Key Stage 2 but we are open to considering working with younger years. This is a two-year project and will run from Autumn 2025 to Summer 2027. It will roughly comprise of:
This project represents an amazing opportunity to develop your music curriculum and to be involved in nationally significant research. It is also requires a strong level of commitment.
If you’re a school and you want to get involved, visit our website for details: https://www.bcmg.org.uk/listen-imagine-compose-primary-2
