Pudsey Cash Secures Next Viva Fever Programme

East Midlands orchestra Sinfonia Viva have been awarded £85,057 Children in Need funding to support an extended children’s music outreach programme.

Viva Fever has previously been supported by Children in Need and will continue for a further three years across the region. A group of professional musicians from Viva will regularly visit Rainbows Children’s Hospice, the Children’s Centre at Nottingham City Hospital and children’s wards at Royal Derby Hospital and Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre.  

Viva musicians will play a wide range of music – showcasing their instruments and then invite the children and their families to join in music games and create their own music using a host of percussion instruments.

The Orchestra will also work in partnership with Leicestershire Music Education Hub to hold interactive performances at 18 different special education needs schools in the county over the years – giving them the chance to hear live high quality orchestral music first hand. Viva Fever is part of Sinfonia Viva’s diverse education and community programme which has won national acclaim for its innovative approach in involving hundreds of young people and local communities in music making projects every year.

The aims of the project are to encourage more social involvement, improve communication, enhance memory through learning musical patterns and songs, help the children express themselves and offer a distraction from illness and pain.

Sinfonia Viva Education Project Manager Andrew Nesbitt explained: “Music is a wonderful medium and Viva Fever workshops bring families together to experiment, learn and enjoy something new - encouraging communication and team work. “Many of the young people who will be involved have had limited opportunities due to their medical conditions and disabilities to enjoy making music and join in group activities such as this. “By encouraging them to take part in whatever way they can, this is a level playing field – breaking down the barriers to take part and giving young people a real sense of achievement.”

For more information on Sinfonia Viva’s diverse concert programme, please visit www.vivaorch.co.uk

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