Inspire 

FISP: Inspire is a new project to provide life-changing opportunities to disadvantaged young people across diverse backgrounds, giving everyone a voice. Our aims are:

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• Provide high-quality opportunities to disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, eliminating the divide between those with financial means and those without.

 

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• Inspire young people with the skills and confidence needed to thrive as workshop leaders, conductors and singers invigorating a new generation of professionals.

 

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• Diversify the world of choral music to include people from a range of backgrounds.

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The conventional route into professional singing is via a private or cathedral school; both demand high fees and prior musical attainment. This path is inaccessible to the majority of the population, making it almost impossible to progress professionally. The Coronavirus Pandemic has exacerbated the situation with household incomes reduced, resulting in families unable to afford music lessons and lacking the technology to participate from home. The only viable pathway for many young people to succeed is applying for university choral scholarships, a process dependent on the academic status of the school before filling a scholarship application. The whole journey is filled with unfair barriers. Our four mentors have overcome these barriers, and their advice is essential to our scholars. FISP: Inspire will enable young people to take that all-important next step towards professional musical life and give them the skills to create opportunities for other young people.

 

FISP: Inspire gives scholars confidence and the skills needed to maintain a portfolio career in a cut-throat world where extra-curricular experiences and contacts are vital for success. Through FISP: Inspire, students build a network of contacts from the UK and Europe, working with award-winning guest conductors. FISP: Inspire is unique because it upskills scholars, giving them a competitive CV and first-hand experience in planning and executing a project, performing and conducting in world-class venues, and leading primary school singing sessions in disadvantaged areas.

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This project inspires generations because the knowledge gained can then be implemented in the future. So music and skills are passed to future generations. We are grateful to our partners, who have helped organise school children and choirs to work with. We are incredibly proud of Britain's world-class choral reputation. Imagine how much greater it would be if we gave all talent a chance to flourish.