Mahler, mountains and music at Springwell School

As part of our Turner Sims School Concert Programme, we were thrilled to bring the extraordinary Aurora Orchestra directly to Springwell School, a primary special school for children with complex learning difficulties in Thornhill, Southampton. 

Each year we welcome children from over 30 schools to Turner Sims, an exciting highlight for many pupils. But for schools like Springwell, bringing children out on visits isn’t always possible. So instead, we brought the music to them. 

Aurora performed three concerts of Mahler and the Mountain Adventure across the day, an imaginative, interactive experience inspired by the music of Gustav Mahler. This was a concert full of sound, movement, responsiveness and shared exploration. Musicians worked flexibly with each group, adapting in the moment, responding to individual reactions and building genuine musical interactions with pupils. 

Springwell also invited children from their satellite class at Weston Park Primary School to attend. These pupils have learning difficulties that mean they require specialist teaching support, but they are able to access trips and shared experiences like this. Bringing both communities together through live music made the day even more powerful. 

The feedback from Springwell spoke volumes: 

“I want to pass on a huge thank you to all of you and the Aurora team for making yesterday such a success for our pupils. There has been a buzz all day around school about the sessions and the impact that they had on the children who attended. Seeing the children engage and interact with both the team and the music they were creating was very special to see. We have never had people into school who have built interactions with pupils in the way that the Aurora team did yesterday, and so that is a testament to their understanding of SEND, flexibility and responsiveness.” – Harriet Rowland, Assistant Headteacher 

Aurora Orchestra will return to Springwell three more times in the spring and summer terms to deliver follow-on workshops and training with both pupils and staff. This longer-term approach means the impact goes far beyond a single day, building confidence, musical understanding and creative skills over time. 

The project is delivered in partnership with Southampton and Isle of Wight Music and supported by funding from Orchestras Live. 

For us at Turner Sims, we believe that live music should be for everyone, not only those who can travel to a music venue. Projects like this remove barriers, meeting children where they are. They respect different ways of communicating, responding and experiencing the world, showing that world-class musicianship can thrive in classrooms, halls and shared spaces just as powerfully as it does on a concert stage.