HarrisonParrott Foundation
The HarrisonParrott Foundation has at its heart our mission to support and champion diversity and inclusivity within the arts.
About the Foundation
The HarrisonParrott Foundation was founded in 2019 as part of HarrisonParrott's 50th anniversary celebrations.
The Foundation is proud to partner with Tri-borough Music Hub who oversees the delivery of music education in three West London boroughs — the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea; the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham; and City of Westminster — working with schools, pupils, the workforce and the community. Through our ‘Artists for Inclusivity’ initiative, HarrisonParrott’s roster of great international musicians and partners will regularly visit a Tri-borough Music Hub programme during their London engagements.
We also partner with Creative Access who is the only organisation in the UK dedicated to recruiting under-represented talent in the creative industries. Our aim is to recruit four candidates each year for a 6 month paid internship.
HP Foundation Trailer
Watch the video with HarrisonParrott Foundation trustees saxophonist Jess Gillam and composer and multi-instrumentalist Ollie Howell who explain the purpose and aims of the Foundation.
Taiko Drumming Workshop with Kodo
Watch this video of one of our educational workshops with Tri-borough Music Hub's Percussion Ensemble and Japanese taiko drumming group Kodo, who were in London as part of their European tour in 2020.
Ollie Howell & Create 5 Ensemble
Ollie Howell gave a workshop with members of ‘Create 5 Ensemble’, which took on more of a jazz and contemporary approach. “I think it was inspiring and it’s really helping kids to develop their understanding of Jazz and it’s fun for them to improvise. It was a really fun experience and we hope to have Ollie back!”
Ollie Howell and Create 5 EnsembleHarrisonParrott Foundation
We also asked Ollie about his thoughts on the workshop and the importance of holding a workshop of this nature to Tri-Borough Music hub:
“I was really impressed with how brave they all were, it can be scary improvising in front of your peers and parents and in front of an outside guest which adds an extra level of anticipation, but everyone really got stuck in. Dom (the ensemble’s teacher) is obviously doing a great job! Hopefully it was useful for them! These workshops are hugely important to Tri-Borough Music Hub, especially in a class like Create 5 because the participants learn so much more about social skills and other elements of communicating/being part of an ensemble that have completely nothing to do with music! Those sorts of classes teach them things they can’t get in other areas of schooling or amongst their friends. A truly unique experience for them and it’s really nice to be a part of it and be able to add my stories, ideas and techniques.”
Stephanie Childress Violin workshopHarrisonParrott Foundation
Junior String Ensemble
Conductor Stephanie Childress joined TBMH Junior String Ensemble to lead a session of 26 students aged between 7 and 12 for a one hour workshop.
Stephanie Childress: A highlight was seeing how each musician engaged with those around them, and how this changed throughout the session. Many children were shy at first, but by the end they were smiling, listening to each other’s ideas, and playing like a united ensemble which was amazing to watch. I hadn’t expected as much positivity from them, but by the end it had filled the room!
Click here to find out more about our Foundation team and trustees and to get involved in our programmes.
