EXCELLENCE PROGRAMMES
MiSST's Programmes of Excellence build on the success of our Foundation Curriculum by bringing our MiSST community together with high quality ensemble music-making, exciting opportunities to perform, and bespoke provision from our fantastic music team and specialist practitioners.
Our Excellence Programmes aim to inspire, challenge and empower our students in ways that encourage them to become well-rounded, resilient, kind and confident young adults. We are proud of the impact that MiSST programmes and opportunities have had, and continue to have, on the lives of those that we work with.
MiSST Music Academy
In September 2022, the MiSST Saturday Music School became the MiSST Music Academy – a rebranded expansion of our Saturday provision, modelled on UK Junior Conservatoires. Built on the success of our single Saturday Music School Orchestra, the MiSST Music Academy now features the following:
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MiSST Symphony Orchestra
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MiSST Academy Orchestra
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MiSST Voices Choir
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Orchestral conducting classes
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Chamber Music
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Instrumental lessons
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Composition clinics
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Music Production classes
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Student leadership roles and opportunities
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A student-run tuck shop !
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The MiSST Music Academy is exclusive to MiSST students/alumni and free for everyone that attends. Every single student benefits from the exceptional teaching, tutoring, mentoring and coaching that is offered at the MMA. We aim to improve student satisfaction and confidence levels, as well as their academic achievement and mental wellbeing.
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More information on the MiSST Music Academy, including key dates for the diary, can be found on our MMA Portal: sites.google.com/misst.org.uk/mma
MiLO (MiSST Leaders Orchestra)
The MiSST Leaders Orchestra (MiLO), one of our flagship Programmes of Excellence, offers the most talented and accomplished students from our MiSST Partner Schools in London, the opportunity to play in their own self-run chamber orchestra, developing high-level leadership and ensemble skills.
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MiLO is modelled on university music society ensembles which are run by its members, and where repertoire and external concerts are organised by the students themselves. This is a unique opportunity for pre-undergraduate students to work independently at this level, often performing unconducted and rehearsing the pieces without assistance.
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​Our students have hugely enjoyed the freedom and room for experimentation that MiLO has offered them. They have explored a number of different themes with a particular interest in folk music, non-western classical styles and film music (as demonstrated tonight). Every student within the ensemble has had the opportunity to take the lead on different ideas and pieces whilst ensuring that all have the space to express their own opinion. As a group they have taken responsibility for all artistic decisions and the presentation of each piece they have worked on.
MiSST Pathways
We want our students to enjoy a lifetime of music-making and make the most of musical opportunities beyond school and the ALWP. All of our partner schools operate in different localities and settings, so we work with local partners such as Music Hubs and local bands and orchestras in each locality to ensure that MiSST students have access to opportunities for further ensemble playing, musical experiences and learning. Where they don't already exist, we look to create them together with our schools. Sometimes students may face barriers to accessing these opportunities so we are always striving to understand those barriers better and offer practical and innovative solutions.
We aim to offer musical and creative pathways which are:
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Always safe and welcoming
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Work towards musical excellence in whatever style or genre they operate
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Engaging, interesting and fun
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Extending and challenging
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Accessible and inclusive
MiSST Together
MiSST Together brings 2 or more MiSST schools together for a day of mass orchestral playing. MiSST Together days take place in both the Autumn and Spring Terms and the Director of Music will be in touch with schools to organise these days in September.
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MiSST Together Days aim to:
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improve standards of playing at all levels in MiSST schools through regular ensemble experience
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create a common repertoire across schools for the year which can be performed both in-school and at our annual concerts
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to have fun and build social interaction between students and across schools
MiSST Conduct
MiSST Conduct gives students an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of orchestral conducting. Students were interested to begin learning how to lead ensembles in this way for a variety of different reasons including:
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building their confidence in front of large groups (of students/peers/musicians)
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having the ability to be able to conduct their own music
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having a greater understanding of what the conductor does and what all the instruments in the orchestra are doing
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Students begin by learning the basic beat patterns, how best to start and stop the music and how to wield a baton before moving onto more advanced beat patterns, greater independence of the left hand and rehearsal strategies.
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This has been an extremely popular and impactful programme, with many incredibly rewarding opportunities available to those who are part of it. At our 2023 and 2024 annual concerts (Theatre Royal Drury Lane & The Roundhouse), a total of 6 pieces were conducted by student conductors; and in August 2023, our conducting class was invited to attend a rehearsal of the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.
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In-person classes currently take place weekly at our MiSST Music Academy, but we will look to expand this programme to our non-London schools in the near future!
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MiSST Create
MiSST Create is the title given to our composition and music production programmes. MiSST Create exists to nurture the creativity and ingenuity of our young people, encouraging all those that take part to express themselves through music. Our students’ enjoyment of music-making and overall confidence will be hugely enhanced via experimentation and improvisation through our composition and music production sessions.
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The generosity of the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation has been integral to MiSST Create, allowing students at many of our partner schools to be part of exceptional quality composition workshops and tailored lessons that have led to amazing results. Ricardo Little, Gifty Iwueke and Bita Khoshnood’s pieces being performed at our 9th, 10th and 11th Anniversary Concerts respectively, are the three most public examples of the success of MiSST Create and the important role it serves in a charity like ours. We are proud that this programme has encouraged and enabled young female and/or ethnically diverse students to take up composition and that many have been inspired to want to continue it as they further their studies.
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MiSST Create will continue to offer in-person, bespoke, KS4 and KS5 support to our partner schools and a brand new "tips & tricks" video series in the 2024/25 Academic Year.
MiSST Voices
Our MiSST Voices programme consists of three parts: Singing for Success, workshops/masterclasses and our MiSST Voices Choir.
Singing for Success is in-class group singing as part of the Andrew Lloyd Webber Programme curriculum. Each term focuses on a different style and students are introduced to the idea of singing in harmony.
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Workshops and masterclasses are offered by our MiSST Voices Lead to our partner schools, with the aim to further inspire and enthuse students who love to sing.
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Our MiSST Voices Choir rehearsals take place weekly at our MiSST Music Academy, bringing together many of our most talented singers. If you are a student in one of our MiSST schools and would like to sign up to the MiSST Voices Choir please visit:
