In 2011 Manchester Airports Group (MAG) worked closely with the local Hallé Orchestra and venue Bridgewater Hall on the Halle ‘Adopt a player’ programme.
This education initiative enables children, mainly from inner-city primary schools, to attend a Hallé concert at The Bridgewater Hall and to take part in a creative music project connected to the music which they have heard the Hallé perform.
The aim is to introduce each school to a professional musician as well as one of the UK’s finest music venues.
Musicians hold interactive lessons in the schools demonstrating instruments and giving hands on opportunities as well as helping to understand the story of the music.
The culmination of the programme is a concert at the Bridgewater Hall, where the children are welcomed by the players, introduced to the audience and enjoy the music.
Further sessions after the concert the players culminate in a performance based on the music for friends and family at the MEA. In addition to the learning associated with the music, this project is a transition tool for children and parents as well as a showcase for the talent of all of the performers.
MAG, which comprises of the Manchester, East Midlands, Humberside and Bournemouth Airports, has supported the Hallé since 1988 and is currently the Hallé’s Principal Sponsor.
In addition to Adopt-A-Player, it sponsors a package of Hallé concerts in Manchester and around the country, allowing audiences in areas surrounding all its airports to benefit from and enjoy the Hallé’s performances.
For MAG, community engagement and relationships are vital, and their sponsorship of the Hallé has played an important role in their strategy. Children from schools surrounding Manchester Airport have taken part in the Hallé’s acclaimed ‘Adopt-a-Player’ programme and enjoyed sustained and focused engagement with Hallé players at The Bridgewater Hall and in their schools.
The Hallé’s national profile has allowed this work to be extended across the country to areas surrounding the Group’s other airports, aligning their Arts Sponsorship activity with community priorities.
“Manchester Airports Group is committed to encouraging success in the region’s arts and culture and believes that investing in the culture of our city helps to stimulate inbound tourism and in turn maintain a healthy local economy,” says MAG CEO Charlie Cornish.
“Through our sponsorship we can also offer schools and communities access to a range of performing arts and cultural experiences, which for many will be their first contact with professional arts and may be instrumental in shaping an interest and appreciation for the future.”
Japan-based technology and manufacturing company Brother, which has had its UK and European headquarters in Manchester since 1968, has been sponsoring the Hallé since 1988 and aalso works with the company to on its schools and in the community, Adopt-a-Player project.
The focus for Brother is to bring this scheme to the schools on the company’s doorstep in the Tameside area.
‘For Brother the main objective for working with the Hallé is to show how sponsorship is not just about “ says Brother Sales Director Phil Jones.
“Promoting a brand. It’s about supporting an orchestra that is part of Manchester’s DN,’ Our staff, our customers and the wider community are all given a unique opportunity to engage with the arts in a way that may otherwise be limited. Our sponsorship of the Hallé is a key part of what we give back for Corporate Social Responsibility, plus we love the music and they’re a simply brilliant partner to work with at all levels’.
Comment:
‘Local’ is the buzzword for community-based CSR sponsorship and the work from Manchester Airports Group and Brother with the Halle Orchestra reflects the importance of ‘in-person experiences’ to this kind community commitment.
Links:
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.