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Guildhall CONNECT

Contact: connect@gsmd.ac.uk

'The Guildhall CONNECT project has been a pioneer amongst music outreach programmes. Designed to develop musical creativity among young people, it involves a large number of schools and community organisations in East London, and is innovative and imaginative in its approach to communal creativity, composition and the fusion encouraged between different musical cultures and experiences.'
Citation: The Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education 2005


As its name implies, CONNECT is about making connections, putting people, organisations and cultures in touch with each other and enabling them to do better together what they would do less well alone. Through over twenty years of local, national and international collaborations with schools, colleges, communities and arts organisations, CONNECT has developed an artistic and educational identity that resonates with people from a wide range of backgrounds, ages and experience. Its inclusive approach embraces everything from classical to popular music, western and non-western genres, set repertoires, as well as new works created through collaborative workshops, often involving other arts disciplines.

The programme places an equal emphasis on process and performance for project leaders, professional musicians, students and community participants. As a result of this, CONNECT has established new forms of artistic leadership, creative processes and community development central to the training of young and professional musicians. It aims to break down the boundaries between musical genres, arts disciplines, 'specialists' and 'non-specialists', and open up an exploration of new musical languages and alternative mechanisms for instrumental teaching and learning.

Guildhall CONNECT aims to present a series of artistically driven activities which are creatively and inclusively led and where reflection on practice encourages continued innovation amongst musicians and composers of all ages, professional and amateur. The project facilitators include orchestral, jazz and electronic musicians as well as composers and music educators, all equipped to extend musical boundaries through improvisation and collective composition, and feed the imaginations of project participants.

There are four key areas of developmental activity within the Guildhall CONNECT framework:

  1. Youth Music/Creative Partnerships with young people, teachers and parents in East London, as well as across the UK and overseas.
  2. Arts and Community Development Project for Healthcare and Disability Centres in London and across the UK.
  3. MAP/making-Exploring New Landscapes in Music, Art and Performance in collaboration with the Royal College of Art and the London Contemporary Dance School.
  4. Trans-cultural Collaboration and Research which facilitates an international network of creative and performing artists who can meet, exchange skills and ideas, share resources as well as explore respective education methodologies.