How to Engage Children in Sustainability

As part of our ‘This Is Not A Rehearsal’ campaign, Music Mark commissioned a research project to assess environmental sustainability within UK music services, education hubs and partner organisations. Undertaken by UCL’s Department of Culture, Communication and Media, the report highlighted a range of fantastic work taking place across the music education sector to make sustainable changes. The following case studies from Portsmouth Music Service demonstrate some of the different approaches music organisations can take to embed sustainability into their work. 

Junk Percussion  

Portsmouth Music Service has championed sustainability through its junk percussion programme.

The school-based workshops provide children and young people with the opportunity to explore rhythm through using found sounds and recycled materials, from watercooler bottles, broomsticks and buckets to drainpipes and washing machine drums. Workshop leaders demonstrate how everyday waste can be transformed into a musical treasure trove.

The workshops inspire students to think differently about waste and the environment, and to look at junk with new eyes for its musical potential, all whilst developing their musical skills. This hands-on approach extends to performance projects like the Music Service’s vibrant Recycling Rumba, a song inspired by children and carrying a clear environmental message about recycling.

This video example features young children creating instruments as part of a cross-curricular project and performing with these instruments – the video is both a celebration of creativity and a call to action on recycling, linked to the Hub’s One World programme, inspiring children and young people to make a difference to safeguard their planet’s future.

With thanks to Portsmouth Music Service

Story Telling

Portsmouth Music Service’s Graham the Seagull initiative is an engaging educational initiative designed to introduce environmental awareness to Key Stage 1 students through music and storytelling.

Central to the story is the character Graham the Seagull, whose adventures highlight various ways he could care for the environment. Delivered across the city through the ‘Musicing Around!’ programme, Graham the Seagull provides interactive workshops during which children can participate in storytelling, interspersed with songs and music-making activities. The sessions aim to develop core musical skills while instilling a sense of environmental responsibility in young learners.

By combining creative arts with important ecological themes, the Graham the Seagull project fosters both musical development and environmental consciousness among Portsmouth’s youngest residents. https://youtu.be/QibQG-512tM?feature=shared

With thanks to Portsmouth Music Service 

Don’t forget to visit the This Is Not A Rehearsal webpage to explore more news, training & events, resources and research to support you on your sustainability journey.