Jul 2023 - Lights Camera Score – new student films released

Lights Camera Score brings film, games and music into the classroom. Little People Big Noise developed it. Over the last four years, hundreds of students in Tower Hamlets have worked with professional musicians, storytellers, and filmmakers to create their own films and music.

The story

Hundreds of students at multiple primary and secondary schools across Tower Hamlets and both the THAMES Saturday Music Centre and Wednesday Music Centre benefited from working alongside professional musicians and award-winning storytellers and filmmakers on creating their own films and accompanying music.

The fourth iteration of the project in 2023, The Gazillium Music Machine, was delivered with the English Chamber Orchestra ‘Close Encounters’ and featured five Tower Hamlets schools as well as students of the THAMES Wednesday and Saturday Music Centre Concert Orchestras.

The films were inspired by a new work Oswald Ourania & the Gazillium Music Machine written by Sophia Thakur and Sally Herbert. The project was funded by English Chamber Orchestra, THAMES Friends and THAMES Arts Education Fund with support from Three Stones Media and Little People Big Noise.

In 2023, the instrumental and ensemble playing element of the project was further developed, bringing together multi-instrumental groups in schools and acting as a catalyst for the creation of school ensembles that will continue after the project has finished.

Part of the ensemble

Playing as part of an ensemble helps children progress beyond whole class instrumental tuition, developing their skills and confidence on their instrument as well as building skills such as playing together, following a conductor, listening to one another, developing musical expression and creative skills.

The project also worked with whole classes on creating the story and composing music for the films. It was a unique opportunity for children in Tower Hamlets to work with professional composers and filmmakers, developing artistic skills and creative expression, and highlighting some of the different careers in the creative industries.

Little People Big Noise, THAMES and the English Chamber Orchestra are currently developing a new project for 2024.