Shedding light on the musical talent of Haringey children

More than 700 Year 4 pupils from 17 Haringey schools performed on brass, guitars, percussion and strings to a 2,000-strong audience of friends, family members and community supporters at last Friday’s event (10 July 2026), which marked the culmination of Haringey Music Service’s (HMS’s) ‘Whole Class Instrumental Teaching (WCIT)’ programme for this 2025/26 school year.

Giving every child the opportunity to learn an instrument as part of the curriculum, this 30-week initiative is delivered by HMS – the lead organisation for music education in the borough.

The Leader of Haringey Youth Council, El Shaddai Sileshi, gave a speech at the event, which was also attended by the Mayor of Haringey, Cllr Dawn Barnes, Haringey Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Schools, Cllr Georgia Twigg, Director of Culture and Communities, Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp CBE and the MP for Southgate and Wood Green, Bambos Charalambous.

Celebrating achievement, creativity and cultural connection across north London and showcasing the transformative power of music education, this landmark event highlighted both Drumsheds and the HMS’ commitment to community engagement and was delivered in partnership with 9.8 and Broadwick Live.