Furthering Talent in Manchester City 


Children from Saviour Church of England Primary School in Manchester have been taking great steps forward in their musical journey. 

Saviour Primary is an inner city school where music and creativity have a strong and valued focus. Mrs Anderson, the school’s Headteacher, shares how the school spots pupils who would benefit from the free music lessons and additional opportunities provided through Furthering Talent, in partnership with Manchester Music Hub: 

“The children were all chosen due to their aptitude in learning the ukuleles and attitude towards further studies in music. The social and emotional needs for some of the children was an additional consideration when selecting pupils, as the impact of music on wellbeing is a factor that reaches them far beyond the classroom.” 

Here’s what music means to some of the pupils who joined Furthering Talent: 

“Music means a lot to me and it’s an important part of my life – making me feel happy and having happy memories about my dad.” F, 10 years old  

Music is really close to my heart and makes me feel relaxed.” J, 10 years old  

“Music helps you be confident in yourself. It makes you feel different emotions – sometimes joy, or feeling peaceful and relaxed, or hyped. It depends on the genre.” S, 10 years old  

Through Furthering Talent, these young people have been learning guitar in free weekly lessons with a partner. This has helped them develop friendships and stay motivated: 

“Furthering Talent has given me the chance to learn the guitar and I have a lesson with Macie Mae. I like working with her as we can practise together and make progress. We both choose different types of music to work on.” S, 10 years old 

“I’ve had the chance to have a guitar lesson each week with my friend Juliana. We both care so much about music. Working in pairs helps us to focus which is harder to do in a big group.” F, 10 years old 

As their playing develops, they’re sharing what they’ve learnt with family and friends: 

“I listen to music with my friends, my family and on my own. When I took my guitar home all my family and cousins wanted to learn too. My mum says I’m brilliant and was excited when I brought my guitar home. She’s proud of me.” S, 10 years old 

“When I brought my guitar home, I told my Dad I’d like to be a musician. My younger brother also is very eager to learn!” M, 11 years old 


Get Togethers


They’re also enjoying the other opportunities we offer through Furthering Talent, such as our Get Togethers. In November 2022, pupils from Saviour Primary joined other Furthering Talent students in Manchester to see Cinderella at the newly opened Hope Mill Theatre. F shares what it was like watching the performance, which was accompanied by a live chamber orchestra: 

“When we went to see Cinderella at the theatre, the music was incredible and you could see how passionate the musicians were to share their music.” 

Inspired by their experiences, each student is also working towards their own musical goals, which are as unique as they are! S is exploring percussive sounds so she can create beats with other musicians. M is learning more chords and listening to new radio stations to explore different styles of music. J is working towards performing Redbone by Childish Gambino at the school’s end of term concert. 

For Mrs Anderson, the development of these young people through Furthering Talent has been a wonderful thing to see: 

“Furthering Talent has given them the opportunity to play in front of others, as well as playing with others – in particular with those from other schools. This has widened their experiences. It has shown them that music is beyond just one instrument and that collectively they can create a wonderful piece and experience success in those performances. This has really developed the children’s confidence, not just in music but across all areas of school life – something that will stay with them as they continue their educational and developmental journey.”  

We look forward to hearing more about their progress! 


As part of the Furthering Talent programme we have established a network of experts across the music education sector in England. We’re calling them ‘Connectors’ and their role is to connect young people and families with musical experiences in their local area. They exist to find appropriate opportunities and share valuable information on how best to support young people’s musical development.

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