Widening Participation

Inside Opera, a MOOC designed by Dr. Flora Willson at the Department of Music, with contributions by KCL academics, including Sir George Benjamin, director Katie Mitchell and Royal Opera House Music Director Sir Antonio Pappano. This free, online course, co-organized with the Royal Opera House and the Victoria and Alber Museum, leads learners over a four-week course through 400 years of opera history, under the supervision of Dr. Willson and KCL postgraduate students.

St. George the Martyr – KCL Music Academy, a widening participation music education project, initiated in 2017, by Dr. Katherine Schofield and currently under the direction of Professor Matthew Head and Dr. Esther Cavett. The Academy caters for Key Stage 2 children in the Borough of Southwark, run by KCL and St. George the Martyr director, Jonathan Pix and other staff. KCL postgraduate students gain valuable experience as teachers and mentors. Schools include St Joseph’s Primary School, St Jude’s Primary School, Charles Dickens School, Cathedral School and Friars’ School. Parents noted a strong increase in enthusiasm for music as a result of the academy. One said of her daughter that “the academy has shaped her love for music” and another said that her son always says that the academy is “fantastic”. Most have noted a big improvement in their child’s musical ability. One said of her child that when she is playing music it “gives her joy. It’s like she’s alive. She loves it.”