Exceptional music education for all children
Aurora Classroom brings music of the highest quality directly into your setting, introducing children to music in an innovative and exciting way.
Meet the creators: Aurora Orchestra
Aurora Orchestra is a pioneering orchestra that crosses boundaries to create concert experiences beyond the ordinary. You might find us presenting whole symphonies from memory, collaborating with dancers, film-maker or actors, or performing in nightclubs.
The common thread which links all of this work is simple: we believe in exceptional music for all.
Aurora Classroom
“A lifesaver for teachers who have not taught music before. The quality is everything you would expect from this kind of orchestra.” – Music Teacher Magazine, April 2023
Aurora Classroom brings world-class musicians into your classroom via a digital platform expertly developed by Aurora Orchestra’s award-winning creative team and education specialists.
For many, teaching music can be a daunting and time-consuming task – that’s why we’ve created a platform that empowers all primary school teachers to deliver high impact and engaging music lessons effortlessly, regardless of your own musical abilities. Through our termly CPD programme we place teachers’ professional development at the heart of our programmes so that they too can become more confident musicians and practitioners.
If you’d like to make contact please feel free to email us, we’d love to hear from you!
Where we started
These resources have grown out of Far, Far Away, the award-winning live concert series we have developed for young children over the past 10 years.
Since 2012, Aurora has collaborated with writer Kate Wakeling and presenter/musician Jessie Maryon Davies to develop these productions, each one combining the music of a particular composer with a vibrant imaginary world. We’ve met Beethoven and the Dinosaurs, Bartók and the Pirates, Debussy and the Snow Elephant, Mozart in the Garden, and, as featured in Aurora Classroom, Tchaikovsky and the Magical Toy Box.
Find out more in this short film presented by BBC Radio 3’s Tom Service.
The Aurora Classroom team
- John Harte
Chief Executive - Jane Mitchell
Creative Director - Rebecca Barnett
Learning Director - Helen Mead and Sarah Lloyd
Learning Resources Producers - Anahita Falaki
Concerts and Participation Manager - Tara Collins
Orchestra Assistant - Kate Wakeling
Writer - Iain Farrington
Composer and arranger - Jessie Maryon Davies
Creative consultant and songwriter - Stanton Media
Filming and photography - Saboteur
Visual design - Long White Digital, with Orke Design and Admataz
Digital design / development
Acknowledgements
We’re so grateful to all the organisations and individuals who have helped us in so many ways to create Aurora Classroom, from grants in support of our artistic and technical costs to in-kind support.
Meet the Instruments was created in partnership with Southbank Centre.
We’re also extremely grateful to the following key supporters:
- Garfield Weston Foundation – Weston Culture Fund
- Signatur – The Karlsson-Játiva Charitable Foundation
- Arts Council England
- The Goldsmiths’ Company Charity
- The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust
- The Nugee Foundation
- The Radcliffe Trust
- The Aurora Patrons and Friends
- Kings Place Music Foundation
- Supporters of Aurora Orchestra’s 2022 Big Give campaign