B:Music, the Birmingham-based music charity responsible for Town Hall and Symphony Hall, has for many years provided opportunities where everybody is invited to make music with the organisation.

It offers a range of performance opportunities, workshops, and creative projects throughout the year for everyone from amateur enthusiasts through to established touring artists.

On Friday 31 May, 12 young musicians who are members of B:Music’s B:and Together ensembles were given an unforgettable opportunity to learn more about music-making and performance when they were taken to London to visit Abbey Road Studios and the Royal Albert Hall.

The young people all take part in fortnightly Saturday workshops at Symphony Hall, where they learn Gospel and Jazz music from the best industry professionals in Birmingham, in what is a great opportunity for them to make music and meet new friends.

Some of the young musicians- who sing and play saxophone, clarinet, drums, flute, trumpet, and guitar- were in the middle of GCSE and A-Level examinations, so the trip offered some much-needed respite and inspiration.

On the day, the group of young musicians and B:Music staff arrived at Abbey Road Studios for an early morning tour, which took place before the recording sessions began for the day. The group weren’t allowed to know which artists or secret projects were being worked on that day. The tour included the iconic Studios One and Two, which remain largely unchanged since the days of legendary recordings by The Beatles and have produced many of the world’s most famous film soundtracks including The Lord of The Rings trilogy, all eight of the Harry Potter films, and a number of Marvel films including Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame. Whilst looking round the building, the group was shown items of old recording equipment that was hugely pioneering in its day and is all kept in working order so that artists can still use it if they choose to. Significant instruments were pointed out to them, like pianos that had been used for recordings such as Lady Madonna, Hey Jude and the famous Hedwig’s Theme from the Harry Potter film series.

After signing the iconic wall outside Abbey Road Studios and capturing a photograph on the famous zebra crossing, the group travelled to the Royal Albert Hall for a backstage tour of the venue. The team at the Royal Albert Hall showed the participants around all areas of the building including the Royal Box. The group asked lots of questions and were given some fascinating insights into the history of the 5,200-seat concert hall and the variety of events that the hall plays host to. The young musicians learned that as live events as diverse as sumo wrestling, ballet, the Remembrance Day concert, and Cirque du Soleil, as well as musical A-listers like Eric Clapton, Coldplay, Raye, and Adele have all played on the world-famous stage.

For further details about the B:and Together programme and B:Music’s other work with children and young people, please visit: bmusic.co.uk