“It’s as simple as that!”
Imagining a better future with Oakwood Primary School, Red Note Ensemble and Dumbworld
Can you imagine a world where we listen to and learn from dogs and frogs? A world where we celebrate the simplest things, from strawberries to the colours of the fields? Where we listen better, always clean up after ourselves and hug each other more?
That’s just the kind of world imagined by the pupils of Oakwood Primary School in Easterhouse, Glasgow, in their musical manifesto for a more joyful, connected and inclusive future.
Working with Red Note Ensemble, composer Brian Irvine and director John McIlduff, the children took part in a series of musical workshops to create, compose and share their vision for a better world. Over the course of a year, these ideas were orchestrated, illustrated and finally brought together in a performance of An Easterhouse Children’s Manifesto.
‘I was nervous at first and then I got . . . wow . . . when we started singing . . . there was everybody . . . about ten thousand!’
- Primary 4 pupil from Oakwood Primary School
Meet the Team
-
Red Note Ensemble is Scotland’s leading contemporary music ensemble. As well as performing contemporary classics, they commission music from new and emerging artists, and support the development of performers from Scotland and internationally. With a penchant for unusual performance spaces, Red Note have played in bothies, pubs and aircraft hangars from Orkney to the Borders, as well as at festivals in France, Australia and more in their mission to take the best contemporary music to new spaces and new audiences around the world.
“The children of Oakwood Primary, and the people of the community around them, have created a wonderful thing that is simultaneously simple and profound, funny and serious, joyful and sad. And, in the process, taught us more than we could ever teach them.”
- John Harris, Artistic Director of Red Note Ensemble
-
Composer Brian Irvine and director John McIlduff are the award-winning artists behind Dumbworld, a multidisciplinary production company based in Northern Ireland. Founded in 2009, Dumbworld uses opera, orchestral music, animation, installations and virtual reality to create some of the country’s most innovative and inspiring performance art. Their aim is to create radical work that encourages connection between people and the most urgent social, political and human issues of today.
“The superpower of children is their ability to remind us of the core values of humanity, care, humour, and joy . . . values which in their honesty and depth, and simplicity feel increasingly anarchic within the context of an ever turbulent and confused world.”
- Brian Irvine, Co-Artistic Director of Dumbworld
Oakwood Primary School: a place of aspiration, inclusivity and community
Easterhouse is a suburb a few miles east of central Glasgow and is considered to be one of the most socioeconomically disadvantaged in Scotland. Oakwood Primary School has around 200 pupils and an ethos of aspiration, inclusivity and community is firmly embedded in the everyday running of the school
Headteacher Vanessa Thomson sees creativity as a way to improve attainment and boost personal achievement, so the opportunity to work on this project with Red Note felt like a great fit for her pupils.
“This collaboration has been such a phenomenal opportunity for us . . . hearing what children have to say is at the centre of what we do at Oakwood. It became a very natural process for [the pupils] to become songwriters. They wrote about making connections, what’s important, identity, love, with a sense of happiness and playfulness and humour.”
- Quote from Vanessa Thomson, Headteacher at Oakwood Primary School
The making of a manifesto
Over the course of a year, musicians from Red Note Ensemble, led by Brian Irvine and with John McIlduff, delivered a series of in-school workshops with the children of Oakwood Primary School in Easterhouse, Glasgow.
The central premise of the project was very simple: put the children in charge! From the very start, the pupils were influential in the development, composition and design of the project.
Pupils aged 5 to 11 were asked to tell grown-ups what the world should look like - from looking after the natural world to how we can improve our relationships with one another.
The children wrote their own words and melodies as part of the workshops led by Brian Irvine, supported by Red Note’s Creative Fellow Martina Corsini. The pupils worked with vocal coach Rachel Spencer, who helped them find their voices ahead of the final performance of the Manifesto. In June 2023, the finished piece was performed for the first time by the children and Red Note Ensemble at Platform Arts Centre in Easterhouse, to an audience of family and friends. These musical works were then illustrated and animated, along with footage of the children in action, to create a series of seven video posters.
Anarchic inspiration
The project was inspired by ‘La Anarquia Explicada a Los Niños’, an instruction manual for children that was published in 1931 during the Spanish Civil War.
‘La Anarquia’ sets out the what, why and how of anarchy in a child-friendly way. It proved to be the perfect inspiration for this child-led project. As the Dumbworld team explains: “What captivated us was the authoritative voice embedded in the text . . . we believed that a true investigation would come from the children themselves. This inspired us to create a new handbook from their perspective, exploring the idea of 'good' anarchy. Naturally, we found that this approach emphasised values like freedom, justice, and sharing, as opposed to the more rigid, taut approach.”
". . . their simple advice: 'listen to your dog' or 'be nice' or 'eat strawberries', seems to poke at the heart of what we as a species are all about . . . these incredible children in this beautiful project illuminate the wondrous and reignite the deep sense of love and fun and care within us all. It has been one of the most inspiring and authentic and enduring collaborations I have ever had the pleasure to be involved in.”
- Brian Irvine, Co-Artistic Director of Dumbworld
‘Normalising’ the arts
In a community where creative opportunities aren’t as easily accessible as in other places, the aim of ‘normalising’ the arts for the children and their families was central to the project. Supported by the Red Note team, the children worked together towards a shared goal. Everyone had their own part to play in creating the Manifesto, from creating melodies to writing lyrics. The months of collaboration culminated in a performance in front of family and friends, giving the children the chance to present their creative work and celebrate with the wider community.
For the musicians, they worked to create a safe environment where the children could express themselves fully and freely. Oakwood staff commented that the musicians were “always so friendly, approachable and encouraging” and that the pupils were “always fully included and considered” throughout the project.
“[The project was a] method of self-expression - a break from formality to be free and ‘themselves’ - a chance to learn and explore what music has to offer - to be exposed to music making - to develop their emotional responses.”
- Red Note Ensemble musician
Something that was clear from Brian’s workshops with the children was their enthusiasm for music and music-making. Through working with the musicians, the children learned about different instruments, different musical styles and also about careers in music. The workshops were fun, exciting and sometimes silly, creating a ‘buzz’ in the school whenever Red Note were visiting.
Having their own opinions and ideas brought to life through music was not only “super good” as one P1 pupil said, but also empowering. The pupils were well-supported throughout, with staff and pupils commenting on their way their confidence grew throughout the project. Any initial hesitancy from the pupils quickly dissipated once the workshops began, with an increased sense of achievement and autonomy cited by staff and musicians as a key benefit for the children.
Relationships between the pupils improved, particularly between EAL (English as an Additional Language) pupils and their peers. They could play and learn alongside their classmates through a shared medium - music - without the challenges that sometimes come with projects that focus purely on language.
“It was amazing and good working with Brian. He kept the beat going and would help us sing the songs if we got stuck with them.”
- Primary 5/6 pupil from Oakwood
“One of the best things about this project is having the whole school involved. Everybody felt part of it. The children really enjoyed knowing [that] we were working toward something.”
- Vanessa Thompson, Headteacher at Oakwood
"Thoroughly enjoyable and memorable experience. For pupils who perhaps do not feel confident with academic schoolwork, this was their opportunity to shine.”
- Oakwood staff member
Showing the children, and the wider community, that enjoying music and the wider musical world is accessible to them was an important part of the project. “Anyone can make music!” as one of the pupils said!
“A huge legacy”
Following the initial performance of the Manifesto, there was an overwhelmingly positive response from the children. When they were asked about the musical activities they might want to take part in in future, the call to do something similar to this project was unanimous. It was clear that the pupils were excited to share their project and that their confidence in their own creative ability had grown. The desire to show more people, including their peers, what they had created was clear.
“I’d like to go to a bigger place and let everybody see us sing cos everybody would know that singing was good.”
- Primary 4 pupil
“I would like to go to other schools and other places to show like other people what Oakwood Primary have been learning.”
- Primary 4 pupil
The staff at Oakwood Primary School also noted the impact the project has had on their pupils, citing higher levels of engagement in other creative areas of the curriculum and overall higher levels of confidence and connection.
“Creativity brings about such strong connections and moments of joy for all those involved. Working with Red Note and Brian on this project simply confirms this and has been wonderful to be part of,” said one staff member at Oakwood Primary.
Another said that “hopefully this will inspire them in their lives that they are in control of what they can achieve, even in adverse conditions.”
As well as noticing a difference in the pupils, the adults also commented on the impact the project has had on them. From adjusting expectations around how the children learned to feeling personally re-energised by the project, the staff at Oakwood benefited as much as the children. Seeing their pupils engage with and enjoy something new inspired them to approach their own creativity differently. As one staff member said, they “enjoyed feeling comfortable enough to give it a go!”
The overall sense of self-worth, creativity, autonomy and joy brought about by this project has had a significant impact on the children, their teachers and the wider community around Oakwood Primary School. When asked about the longer-term effects of the project, one staff member said it had created “a huge legacy, of the love of music and working together”.
What’s next for An Easterhouse Children’s Manifesto?
After the first live performance in April 2022, the video posters were shown in March 2024 at the Belfast Children’s Festival and then in April 2024 at Platform in Easterhouse.
On 29 October 2024, Dr. Jill Morgan presented her research on the impact of the project at the Nordic Music Days conference at Glasgow University, alongside an installation of the animated posters at the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow.
In November 2024, Red Note Ensemble won The Ivor Novello Award for Best Community and Participation Composition in association with ABRSM (The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) for their work on the Easterhouse Children’s Manifesto. Read more about the news on their website.
Both the installation at Nordic Music Days, and the Ivor Novello award are dedicated to the memory of Dominic Rossa, an Oakwood Primary School pupil involved in the project.
The Manifesto will also be presented in Istanbul, at the Atta Festival in November 2024.
Beyond the individual: the lasting community impact of An Easterhouse Children’s Manifesto
“The community was enthused by this project which reflected the school ethos of positivity and co-operation.”
- Oakwood Primary School staff member
An Easterhouse Children’s Manifesto is part of Red Note’s 5 Places programme. Working in five locations across central Scotland, the 5 Places programme focuses on working with communities at a grassroots level to deliver inspiring musical projects that have a lasting impact on the people who live in the area. This embedded, community approach had a hugely positive impact on the children’s enjoyment and engagement, not to mention that of their families and the school staff.
Throughout the project, the staff from Oakwood commented on the high level of interest shown by parents and families. As well as wanting to know more about what their own children were creating, the chance to see performances of the other classes’ work fostered a joint sense of pride across the whole school community. Parents felt included in the project and staff hoped that this would mean they would be more open to other creative opportunities in the future.
“I’m so impressed by all the children, they are all so confident standing there singing their songs. I like that it’s here at Platform. It’s great that we all got invited here to watch them.”
- A parent of a pupil from Oakwood Primary School
“I’m really surprised by what they’re singing about and of all their ideas. They’re really good and funny as well.”
- A parent of a pupil from Oakwood Primary School
“Having worked in the local community for a considerable time, I believe that this project has benefited the children, their families, the community and the whole school staff to an extent which I have seldom experienced . . . we are very fortunate to have enjoyed this experience together, particularly as we work towards helping the children, families and our community begin to recover from the effects of the pandemic.”
- Oakwood Primary School staff member
Working with a nationally-recognised group like Red Note Ensemble raised the profile of the Easterhouse area, something that the staff at Oakwood thought was really special and important for both the children and their families.
The success of the Children’s Manifesto lies in opening up the world of contemporary classical music and showing the participants (both young and not-so-young!) that they have the ability and the right to create, participate and enjoy the arts. More than this, the collaborative approach taken by the artists, the school and the pupils showed that getting creative doesn’t have to be a solo pursuit. This project helped the children, staff and their families go beyond the individual, challenging assumptions about ability, class and creativity. Together, they created something original, inspiring and entertaining that the whole community can enjoy, both now and in the future.
Some information in this case study was taken from the ‘Easterhouse Children’s Manifesto’ impact report created by Dr Jill Morgan on behalf of Red Note Ensemble. Images in this story come courtesy of Red Note Ensemble.