Accelerando
Accelerando is a strategically designed programme to build music teaching capacity to benefit pupils in disadvantaged areas of London. It aims to address the national emergency in music education by building the confidence and skillsets of non-specialist teachers to deliver inspirational music education, leveraging a unique opportunity for their pupils to perform a newly commissioned BBC Ten Pieces piece at the Music for Youth Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. Over 250 pupils and 10 teachers from primary schools in disadvantaged areas of London took part in the pilot project and contributed to the creation of the inspirational classroom resource below.
Accelerando is generously funded by the Neville Abraham Foundation, and was delivered in partnership with East London Music Alliance, South East London Music Hub and Southwest London Music Hub.
How can I take part in future?
We are delighted to be running Accelerando again in 2026 and will be partnering with selected London Music Education Hubs, who will invite primary schools in their areas to apply.
Free resources
The resources below are for non-specialist music teachers in primary schools who wish to increase their confidence delivering the music curriculum. Developed by Alison Walker, the resources provide a simple, structured approach that can be used in the classroom, complemented by a range of videos.
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Teaching a song using ‘my turn’, 'your turn’ actions.
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Lesson 4: Feeling and showing the beat of a song
Visualising the beat by passing a ball around the circle
Visualising the beat by passing a ball around the circle
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Finding fun ways to discover the rhythm of a song
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Visualising the pitch in a song using hand signals
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Lesson 7: Exploring classroom percussion instruments with our song
Using a familiar song as inspiration for exploring sound with classroom percussion instruments
Using a familiar song as inspiration for exploring sound with classroom percussion instruments
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Creating our own accompaniment to a song by adding a drone
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We develop the accompaniment to include an ostinato.
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Creative Approaches to Composition in the Classroom
Some of our Accelerando teachers challenged class teachers to compose a song with their class… which sounds like a daunting task! However, when broken down, this was a very accessible approach.
Some of our Accelerando teachers challenged class teachers to compose a song with their class… which sounds like a daunting task! However, when broken down, this was a very accessible approach.
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