Pictures: Mark McNulty

CHILDREN from disadvantaged communities in Liverpool are to be blitzed with culture.

The city was today chosen by the Government to take part in a pilot scheme designed to bridge the gap in arts engagement between the haves and the have-nots.

It will see 11- to 14-year-olds enlisted on a programme that promises to engage them with cultural organisations, public art, heritage sites and arts festivals.

Working with arts group Curious Minds, young people in Liverpool will be assigned trained "culture coaches" to embark on extra-curricular visits to festivals, theatres, galleries and museums such as FACT, the Everyman, Tate Liverpool and Museum of Liverpool.

They will review and share their experiences to achieve a "Bronze Arts Award".

Around 200 children from Liverpool and Blackpool will take part in the North West pilot of the Cultural Citizens Programme, launched this afternoon in Liverpool by Karen Bradley, the newly appointed Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, in her maiden speech on the importance of the arts.

Speaking at the Philharmonic Hall, she said: "The idea is to provide fun experiences that increase confidence and lead to permanent engagement."


The new culture boss spoke enthusiastically of the RLPO-backed In Harmomy project, in Everton, which has seen hundreds of children learning to play musical instruments in a symphony orchestra

"When In Harmony Liverpool began at Faith Primary School in 2009, 84 children took part. Now more than 700 hundred young people and their families take part in orchestral music every week, for free.

"I know that In Harmony concerts are the talk of the town. That is only possible thanks to expert tuition – a violin sounds wonderful in skilled hands but sometimes challenging in unskilled ones.

"You can’t get better than the Liverpool Philharmonic, and their teachers and musicians have made a huge difference. I am sure that they find it rewarding too. Nothing can beat the joy of watching a child accomplish something they didn’t think they could do."

READ: THE MUSIC EXPERIMENT THAT CHANGED EVERTON LIFE FOREVER 

"As Professor Brian Cox has said, no-one thinks they can simply pick up a violin and play but they think maths is a natural talent. But in truth, both music and maths take time - and hard work makes all the difference.

She pledged: "Music will now be a part of the lives of hundreds – and soon thousands – of Liverpudlian children who might not otherwise have had that chance. This is a gift beyond measure."

The new programme targets similarly disadvantaged communities where fewer people currently visit museums, galleries or the theatre.

She added: "The Government runs a survey called Taking Part. Arts engagement is nearly 82 per cent among adults from the upper socio-economic group - compared to just over 65 per cent from the lower socio-economic group.

"The gap in arts engagement between white adults and adults from a black or minority ethnic background has widened. And people with a long-standing illness or disability are significantly less engaged in the arts.

"Small wonder that people from disadvantaged backgrounds are poorly represented in the artistic professions - or that young people from such backgrounds are less likely to play an instrument and are underrepresented at conservatoires compared to higher education in general."

Other pilots will be led in Birmingham and Barking/Dagenham, with the programme spreading across the country if it proves to be a success.