Children Meet Orchestras with Gaspard’s Foxtrot

The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) and world-leading music and arts education platform Charanga are celebrating three years of partnership, introducing beloved animated film Gaspard’s Foxtrot to primary school pupils across the UK.

The release of the animated film with accompanying teaching resources is the latest chapter in the close collaboration between Charanga and the RSNO, bringing high-quality, accessible music education content into schools that need it most.

The short, 30-minute animation introduces children in lower primary school to the world of classical music through the story of Gaspard, a lovable fox who accidentally boards a bus and ends up exploring London’s sights and sounds on his way to Proms in the Park. Originally a children’s storybook written by Zeb Soanes and illustrated by James Mayhew, Gaspard’s Foxtrot is part of the wider series, Gaspard the Fox. Produced in partnership with Visible Fictions, Gaspard’s Foxtrot is brought to life by celebrated composer Jonathan Dove’s compelling score, recorded by the RSNO.

Mark Burke, Charanga’s Founder and Managing Director, said:

‘Working with Scotland’s National Orchestra, we want to help more young people experience the exhilaration of live orchestral music. By integrating these resources into our new Creative Music Scheme, we’re enabling a generation of children to “meet the orchestra” and begin to engage with the beauty of live orchestral sound and performance.’

Alistair Mackie, RSNO Chief Executive, added:

‘It’s been such a pleasure working so closely with Charanga over the last three years. The addition of Gaspard’s Foxtrot to the platform will bolster high-quality education in the classroom and we hope it will become a key piece of content for supporting curriculum-based learning. Charanga’s potential to reach so many pupils and improve the quality of music education across Scotland and the wider UK is fantastic and augments the RSNO’s own education programme which aims to reach every child in every community.’

Gaspard’s Foxtrot was originally developed in 2021 as part of the RSNO’s National Schools Programme to complement Curriculum for Excellence, Scotland’s national curriculum, and to enrich learning experiences for primary school pupils. Now, Gaspard is making his debut on Charanga, the world-leading music and arts education platform used by more than four million children in 64 countries every week. The new film and Units of Work will be available in English, Scottish Gaelic and British Sign Language (BSL), alongside a suite of educational resources tailored for children aged 4 to 13, at charanga.com.

Since 2023, the RSNO and Charanga have worked closely together to create high-quality, accessible music education content and resources, filling vital gaps in music provision in schools across the country. The RSNO’s latest addition to Charanga’s platform marks the continuation of a fruitful partnership which will continue to grow over the coming years with more exciting projects in the pipeline.

Gaspard’s Foxtrot will also be available to watch on the RSNO’s Noisy Library.

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