The key to the success of Sound Around is that young people are at the centre of the project. What is the importance of having every aspect of the orchestral concerts produced by young people?
The main thing is relevance; when you put young people on stage and in producing and curatorial roles, you get an orchestral concert that's relevant to its audience. We think it's important that young people are visible to the audiences alongside the orchestra, which is inspiring for other young people.
I've also thought lots about giving young people permission to express themselves and take ownership of that concert. So the important thing to get across is that the level of individual and collective decision-making they're given in Sound Around concerts is really high.
How do you coordinate something like that – having young people at the centre of a project and giving them the responsibility?
It's all teamwork, from all the partners – planning, years of experience working with young people. You look at some of the sessions and they seem casual and laidback, but underneath it, there's a really tight structure. We create a relaxed atmosphere that encourages creativity, but that does take planning and preparation.
How have the young people engaged with the task?
It depends on their skills, because you get 25 young people in the room and they're all different – some are born communicators, some are comedians, others are incredibly organised, some are good at writing. In the first session it's all about talent spotting. They engage in different ways, and we need to identify who's got those skills and then point them in the right direction.
I understand too that among the young people producing the schools concerts will be people with additional needs. How have they responded to the initiative?
I think like any other young person would – they're excited, enthusiastic, nervous. They're a diverse group, and they've had a huge amount of support from teaching assistants, which helps. So they're contributing exactly the same as everybody else really.
How will the ‘relaxed’ performances be altered to cater for audience members with additional needs – those with autism, sensory and communication impairments or learning disabilities, and those who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or partially sighted?
We make a whole range of adaptations for people with additional needs: BSL interpretations; audio descriptions; chill-out areas; information before the events about what to expect; and things like turning off the hand dryers in the cloakrooms, as they can disturb people. The concert itself is very interactive and spontaneous, there's core repertoire at the heart of it – plus Tim Steiner presenting it.
After the six large-scale school concerts, the three family-friendly ‘relaxed’ concerts and the mini-tour of 22 concerts, what is next for Sound Around?
This way of working is embedded in our practice, so the legacy of Sound Around carries on. We're already talking to the partners we've been to this year and last year about legacy projects, and also there's lots of spin-offs from this, which could be on a different scale. But the whole philosophy of putting young people in control is embedded in our work.
During 2017/18 Sound Around will tour to Carlisle, Reading and Lowestoft to feature six large-scale concerts performed by the RPO and produced by young people; three family-friendly ‘relaxed’ performances which will be accessible to everyone, especially those with additional needs; and a mini-tour of 22 concerts with and RPO octet. www.orchestraslive.org.uk/news/sound-around
