In Harmony Needs Your Vote!

In Harmony Opera North has reached the finals of The National Lottery Awards.

The pioneering music education programme is competing against six other projects for the title of Best Arts Project – and we need your vote to help us win and to bring music into the lives of even more children across Leeds!

Please support us by voting on www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards, or by tweeting using #NLAInHarmony, our unique hashtag. If you’d prefer to vote by phone, the number to call is 0844 836 9675 (calls cost 5p but connection charges may be applied by some networks, so please check with your provider).

The National Lottery Awards are the annual search for the UK’s favourite National Lottery-funded projects, celebrating the inspirational people and projects who do extraordinary things with National Lottery funding all across the UK.

In Harmony Opera North was chosen for its work with over 1,100 children from all backgrounds and abilities in south Leeds. Each child benefits from the transferable skills that regular structured music making brings: communication and listening skills, confidence, team work, adaptability and perseverance.

The programme was initially established in one primary school in south Leeds in January 2013; it has since been extended to three primary schools where all pupils take part in at least two hours of music-making activities during school hours each week. Every child sings in a choir and, from age 7, has their own instrument (violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute, clarinet, trumpet or trombone) and takes part in small group lessons and orchestra sessions.

As well as these weekly in-school activities, pupils can join after school music clubs. The whole school take part in workshops and performances throughout the year, including concerts with the Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North in venues such as Leeds Town Hall, Sage Gateshead and Ripon Cathedral.

Voting closes at midnight this Friday, 27 July.