A MUSICAL project dedicated to celebrating the forgotten history of black classical composers is taking place in schools across the North-West. 

Manchester Camarata, a charity aiming to make classical music accessible for diverse audiences, is behind the series of workshops being taught to Year 10 pupils about the unknown diversity in classical music history.

The Hidden Histories project is being led by Lavender Rodriguez, 22, who is working one-to-one with pupils in their classrooms.

The talented musician is helping the children learn about music composition, which is something they thought was a “dead white male thing” until now. 

“Manchester Camarata contacted me about this project that focuses on diversity and composition, they said ‘We’d love for you to lead this project’ and I really enjoy activism. 

“I really enjoy working with kids. I didn’t even know composition was a thing. I thought it was a dead white male thing,” they told The Voice.

“There was a lot of hesitation at the beginning. I just thought I’ve got to write a whole piece of music. What the hell was I thinking? You’ve got to have all the skills, you’ve got to have all the knowledge or the instruments for orchestra. 

“I think breaking that down into like the most manageable steps and also relating it to what they’re [the children] are interested in has made it so much more achievable. 

They added: “They [the children] have been great. After week one, they were was so up for putting forward ideas. They’ve got such big imaginations and it was just a case of like facilitating that and looking at how can we develop that further, how can we make your voice heard in this piece? They’ve just been amazing.”

Growing up in Hampshire, Lavender admits that her parents never played any instruments, but the sounds of the “noughties and R&B and gospel” shaped they’s early love for music as a child.

Following they’s diagnosis with ADHD, it was a teacher at they’s school that spoke to they’s parents about harnessing they’s budding musical gift.

They started playing the cello and later the violin, and says they “fell in love with it” as they began playing in orchestras and ensembles.

Despite Lavendar’s introduction into the classical musical world, they admits that they never saw any diversity of what it meant to be a composer beyond the black musicians made famous through jazz and ragtime. 

“Growing up in my surroundings, they were very white and conservative as it was. And so in schools, there’s barely anyone that I kind of could relate to, but in music, even less so,” they says. 

“I remember a specific moment just before a concert. One of the older kids came up to me and said, ‘You do realise you’re the only black kids in the music department?’ 

“I didn’t want to think about it, but now that it was actively pointed out, I was really hyper aware of how people saw me. 

“So, I think it was quite hard. It was quite hard, like going for opportunities when I can afford it as much or getting to that place because my family were quite busy and my mum was sacrificing quite a lot anyway. 

“So I think it hit a lot, but I didn’t really want to. I didn’t feel that it was necessary to focus on my race until I was a lot older because there’s not much I could do about my surroundings.”

As someone of mixed heritage – with a Spanish father and Nigerian mother – it made getting involved in the Hidden Histories project for Lavender even more important.

The project comes a year after music education across the UK was brought into question after Pearson EdExcel made the decision to axe the only black composer, Courtney Pine, from the A-Level music syllabus.

The move was made after teachers complained about their increasing workload, but later saw the British jazz saxophonist and diversity advocates criticise the decision before he was later reinstated after mounting pressure. 

The work of black classical composers like Julius Eastman, Scott Joplin and Undine Smith Moore are being profiled in lessons for children of all backgrounds to learn music composition from as well as grasp their mark on the classical music genre. 

The Hidden Histories project is Manchester Camarata’s second aim at bringing attention to often unknown and underrepresented composers after previous workshops were led by James B. Wilson and focussed on composers including Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Ignatius Sancho and Joseph Bologne.

Praise Uloho, 15, who attends Ellesmere Port Catholic High School where just one of many workshops across the year are taking place, plays the drums and says the workshops have changed his perspective on making music.

“I never really saw myself as an orchestral composer, [and learning from black composers] but when you try something and it’s okay and you have to keep trying. 

Eventually, something you learn becomes a passion and it just gets better overtime,” he told The Voice.

Praise also says a career in classical music has always been in the making.

“I’ve been into music since I was three-years-old,” he says.

“Everyone in our family, at least everyone who wants to learn, knows how to play an instrument. 

“My older brother is good at piano and guitar, I play the drums. My little sister is learning piano and guitar too. 

“Even my parents can play music, so it’s something I grew up with. So even if you don’t want it in your lifestyle, since you grew up with it it’s just going to be stuck with you.”

Lavender, who is already working on her own contemporary album, describes seeing the impact on pupils like Praise as “rewarding” throughout teaching the workshops.

“I want the kids to know that whoever you are and whatever you’re doing, if you want to create music, that is absolutely fine and your stories are completely valid and anything goes,” they said. 

“I think there’s a lot of dictating these are the subjects you must do, and these are the grades you must get to earn this amount of money. 

“But the way of thinking is very close minded, whereas with composition, as long as you have something that’s enough for a launch pad to achieve anything. 

They added: “It’s mainly about finding your own voice and obviously the confidence as well. “The kids have gained so much confidence from week one to week four, and I can only imagine what happens if they have more exposure, the confidence they’ll get with more music, training within schools and more access to ensembles and what not. So, I think that’s been really rewarding.”

Lizzie Hoskin, Head of Community at Manchester Camarata, said: “We’ve loved running our Hidden Histories project. It’s our second year of the project, working first with composer James B Wilson and now Lavender Rodriguez.

“Here at Manchester Camerata, we believe in making music that enables change for the better: that might be changing perspectives and broadening horizons by coming along to one of our live performances, taking part in our creative music-making project in schools, seeing how music can be used to inspire the next generation of young people or even improving quality of life for those people affected by dementia.

“Diversity is a huge barrier to overcome in classical music, especially when it comes to the school curriculum, The fact that we can actually help influence what’s happening in schools (and pupils) in our local area is amazing!

“By broadening the influences and knowledge base of the next generation of potential composers, we hope that we are actively addressing the diversity issue for the better.”