BCMG was delighted to work with the RSA on an exciting project during the 2017-18 academic year with all 7 RSA Academies in the West Midlands. The overall aim of the project was to bring together the Academies through the creation and performance of a new song cycle celebrating the schools common mission and values.

Composer Michael Betteridge composed the new song cycle, Do You See? Do You Hear? with the participation of young people, parents, teachers, governors and Senior Leadership Teams from all 7 schools, through a series of creative workshops. In addition the young people had the opportunity to compose their own songs for professional singers.

The schools involved were:

Abbeywood First School, Redditch – here is a short clip of one of their workshops
Church Hill Middle School, Redditch
Ipsley CE RSA Academy, Redditch
Arrow Vale RSA Academy, Redditch
Whitley RSA Academy, Coventry
Holyhead School, Birmingham
RSA Academy, Tipton

The final 40 minute piece was performed by young people from all the schools on Monday 25 June at RSA Academy, Tipton, Tuesday 26 June at St Stephen’s Church, Redditch and on Tuesday 10 July at CBSO Centre. Below is a short video taken from the full performance.

For more information about the project, please email Naomi Wellings, Learning Co-ordinator.