The Lochrian String Quartet is passionate about education and dedicated to encouraging and engaging young people in music. Members have a wealth of qualifications and many years’ experience teaching, coaching and collaborating with students in order to pass on their love of music making to the next generation.
Members of the String Quartet run a thriving youth music programme in two schools in North Somerset. This programme involves over 90 children singing every week in three different choirs. Over the years the children have sung in Eisteddfods, Carnivals, at Bristol Beacon, at St George’s Bristol, at Resorts Arena in Birmingham for Young Voices and have won the Christmas Carol Competition on Weston-super-Mare Pier. As part of the youth project, children are also given the opportunity to engage with extracurricular musical activities. Over the years the Quartet has organised gamelan, steel pan, samba, chime bar, African percussion, Taiko Drumming and songwriting workshops. The children have also taken part in beatboxing and hip hop dancing workshops.
Additional educational partnerships have included a collaboration with Backwell School in their production of Dido and Aeneas, Lilliput concerts for young children in both Bristol and Cheltenham, and a touring family show, The Nutcracker, featuring storyteller Michael Loader from Wild Words and professional dancer Emelia Nurminen.
“The enthusiasm and professionalism of Ali and her team has been fantastic and it has helped my daughter grow in confidence. It is wonderful to see a shy child sing with a smile on her face in front of so many people”
“My daughter Samantha (7)… was so excited about the whole experience… music is so important for kids and grown-ups; Ali’s groups are a brilliant foundation to start from!”