The Great Little Orchestra Project nominated for a Music and Drama Education Award
- MEHEM
- Dec 22
- 2 min read
The Great Little Orchestra Project is a workforce development initiative that supports young orchestral musicians to run music workshops with pupils in special education settings.
Developed by MEHEM UpRising360 with funding from Arts Council England, it has been nominated for a 2026 Music and Drama Education Award. The announcement coincides with the release of this new film showcasing the project.
Bringing emerging orchestral musicians together
In the summers of 2024 and 2025, aspiring orchestral players from across the East Midlands gathered in Nottingham for a week of training and work experience. This transformative programme aims to inspire and equip emerging musicians to work in inclusive settings. This in turn will help to address the current nationwide lack of specialist practitioners ready to work in inclusive settings.
I found the whole trip so eye-opening and so so much fun. It was such a lovely environment and the happiness there was infectious. GLOP has allowed me the experiences and learning to decide that teaching music in SEND schools is definitely something I want to do in the future
Lilian, participant
It has been really good to see the two groups of students cooperating and working together because it is quite rare for our students to have that opportunity to react with other people. You could see the learning that the GLOP participants had done
Patricia Lewis, Oakfield School Headteacher
Taking the experience back into local communities
Since the film was made, the 12 participants have been volunteering back in their home hubs of NMPAT, Nottingham, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Derbyshire, supporting pupils with additional learning needs in ensembles and in school-based projects.
See more about inclusive ensembles
Inclusive ensembles bring young people together to make music in ways that reflect their abilities, interests, and creativity. Find out more about our work.
