About Us
Founded by internationally acclaimed clarinettist Emma Johnson MBE, our charity was created in order to:
-
advance the understanding of music, in particular of orchestral instruments, among young people in the UK.
We travel around the UK giving educational workshops and concerts to children. At the moment, our main focus is our Instrument Stories project; we perform a sequence of stories with music which are designed to introduce children to the instruments of the orchestra.
Are you a teacher in a primary school? Do you work in a venue that organises family concerts? We would love to work with you and put on one of our workshops! Please get in touch and we will get back to you with more details. We are open to any enquiries, and we are happy to travel all over the UK!
You can find out more about Emma on her website.
"Very entertaining and engaging. Would like to come back again!"
Feedback from audience at family concert for Music at Stowe
Our Mission
Music has been a huge part of my life and much of that is down to my parents, but I also owe a lot to my primary school in South East London. I'll always remember the day when Mr. Littler, the school music teacher, told us about the sounds of the orchestra and announced that we could start lessons on an instrument. It felt as if a door had opened into a rich and exciting world.
It seems unfair to me that so many children in Britain aren't given an introduction to musical instruments today. You can go into some primary schools and none of the pupils will recognise a clarinet or a double bass. This is not the case everywhere - there are pockets of the country where music is taught - but the provision is patchy to say the least.
So, I've set up the Emma Johnson Foundation. We take introductory workshops into primary schools to enthuse children with music and give them a close-up view of orchestral instruments. As the charity grows, we aim to contribute towards the costs of instrument lessons for young children from disadvantaged backgrounds too. Music benefits children in so many areas - mental health, teamwork, self-expression, making friends, mastering a skill. Plus, it's scientifically proven that engaging with music enhances performance in other subjects too.
Why wouldn't we help children access the power of music?
- Emma Johnson, March 2024
