As part of our aim to provide high quality and culturally diverse music and music education, Musicport is a partner in the North Yorkshire Youth Music Action Zone (TuneIn).

Through this project we run Music Tots and Music Makers – singing and music sessions for under 5’s in playgroups and nurseries all over the area, and on Thursday mornings at Whitby Pavilion (10.15-11.15). Tots from under 1 up to 5 can come along, bringing an adult carer and sing, dance, play with our percussion instruments and through their play learn from the earliest age about pulse, rhythm, pitch and rhyme – all of which are very important in language development and literacy skills later on.

 

For older children, there is “Sing Whitby!” – a vocal project which invites children from all schools in the Whitby and Esk Valley area to take part in singing out of school hours. This is working towards a Big Sing later in the year – possibly as part of Musicport 08. Singing is not only good fun but it’s healthy too – and helps us improve many things (e.g. breathing, memory, confidence, listening, working together).

In addition, when funding allows, we offer schools the opportunity to host workshops with some of the performers we have visiting. We’ve had days of steel drumming, Indian dance, African drum and dance, Cuban percussion, dub poetry, singing and composition, storytelling with music, Tibetan monks demonstrating their ceremonies and chanting, and many others.

Whitby Musicport is also a partner in Vocal Force – a national programme to help train non-specialist teachers to use singing with their pupils throughout the curriculum.