Our provision in Music Centres and City of Leeds Youth Music Groups will continue online for the remainder of this half term.  We are as keen as you to return to face to face teaching as soon as the situation allows.

We cannot thank schools and parents enough for the support that you have given us during this year by ensuring that our staff are able to work safely with your children and young people.  We look forward to be able to continue supporting you by enabling music to remain a vital part of the recovery for all.

• Everything you are and have been doing in schools can continue, including singing and playing blown instruments, from Wednesday 2nd December;
• Out-of-school activity of all sorts can restart (as can tuition in private homes, at least where there is no alternative, which should please colleagues with private practices);
• Public performances should not take place in Tier 3 areas. Within guidelines, they can everywhere else.

For further information, please see this message from Ofsted’s National Lead for Music, Mark Phillips.

To learn more about Music Mark, please click here to visit their website.

As you may be aware, four of the ArtForms music centres were due to reopen this Saturday – Horsforth, Guiseley, South Leeds and North Leeds. Other centres were due to open later in the term at various points.

However this email is to let you know that, due to the current situation nationally and, in particular the announcement this week, we have made the decision to delay the opening of all music centres until Saturday 7^th November at the earliest.

This is not a decision that we’ve taken lightly and we know that a lot of music centre learners will be really disappointed as there has already been such a long break since the centres closed in March.  However we do feel it is the right decision at the current time. Even though Music Centre staff have worked incredibly hard to ensure that the centres could open safely and detailed controls and risk assessments are in place, by opening we would be increasing the potential risk at a time when COVID-19 cases are increasing. In addition, we are keen not to put undue strain on our host schools who, as you will understand, are under incredible pressure to stay open for all their pupils at this time.

Many of you will already have enrolled for the new term, and may have been waiting to hear back as to whether your place is confirmed. We will now be placing this process on hold we until have a clearer picture as to whether we will be able to go ahead in November. If you have already had a place confirmed, this will be held for you.

Please be assured that nobody will be charged for Music Centre activities until the centres are open again.

We hope you will understand our thinking here and we hope to have better news in the coming weeks.

Take care and do stay safe.

From all at ArtForms Music Centres

In the meantime, we are keen to find ways of keeping in touch with our students. If you are a student at a Music Centre, you should already have received an update by email giving links to online lesson resources tailored towards your class or group. If you haven’t had this update, please contact your individual Music Centre (contact details here), or the ArtForms office at educ.artforms@leeds.gov.uk.

After Easter we will review the situation with regards to the Big Play scheduled for Tuesday 16th June and the Big Sing scheduled for Wednesday 17th June, both at Leeds Town Hall.

• City of Leeds Youth Orchestra
• City of Leeds Youth Training Orchestra
• City of Leeds Youth Training Wind Orchestra
• City of Leeds Youth Wind Orchestra
• Leeds Youth Choir
• Leeds Youth Jazz-Rock Orchestra (LYJRO)
• Leeds Schools’ Brass Band
• Leeds Schools’ Choir
• Leeds Schools’ String Orchestra
• Roots Alive
• Leeds Silver Steel Sparrows

We are also pausing all ArtForms Music Centre activities until the end of Easter.

We will review the situation over the Easter holidays and will send a further update then when we know more.

Stephen Wild
Head of Music, ArtForms