Crescendo Expansion Project Culminates in Showcase Events

Our pilot project to bring our flagship Crescendo programme to four new schools culminated in a series of showcase events in late March.

More than 500 pupils from Glenwood Primary School, Forth River Primary School, Christ the Redeemer Primary School and St Kieran’s Primary School in Belfast took part in the Department of Communities-funded project, which delivered whole-class instrumental learning in P7, whole-class musicianship in P3, and music workshops in SEN (Special Educational Needs) classes.

In just 10 weeks from January to March 2026, P7 pupils were taught to play the violin, viola and clarinet – most having never encountered the instruments before – while the P3 and SEN pupils learned songs incorporating movement, storytelling and percussion.

Their lessons led up to special showcase events at each school, where the pupils performed their pieces together with musicians from the Ulster Orchestra in front of an audience of family, friends and, at two of the events, Junior Ministers Aisling Reilly MLA and Joanne Bunting MLA.

Teachers reported increased attendance on the days when the Crescendo lessons were taking place and strong engagement with the project beyond what they had expected.

Well done to all the pupils involved for achieving so much in a short time, and thank you to the four schools for agreeing to take part in the pilot project and welcoming us into their communities. Special thanks to our tutors Anne McCambridge, Cecily Smith Nesbitt, Emily Dore, Neil McErlean, Nicholas Montgomery, Sam Purnell, Sarah Patton, and Suzanne Savage who led the children through their learning.

The Crescendo Expansion Project was made possible with funding from the Department for Communities, with thanks to our Crescendo partners Colin Neighbourhood Partnership, Shankill Children’s Zone, and Queen’s University Belfast for their continued support.

The core Crescendo programme delivers musicianship and instrumental lessons to over 1,000 P1-P7 children across four primary schools in North and West Belfast and is supported by the Northern Ireland Executive Office, Department for Communities, Urban Villages, Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC), A&O Shearman and the Irish Department for Foreign Affairs.

Find out more about Crescendo.