Olympias celebrates ten years providing a visionary and free music education to young people in Greater Manchester, with over 38,000 music lessons delivered
Founded on a shoestring budget in 2015 by pianist Jo Yee Cheung, for over 10 years Manchester music charity Olympias has developed an innovative family-centred, free music education model. Based on three core principles, this successful and dynamic model continues to break down barriers for young people experiencing low income to learn an instrument, join a choir and learn to compose.
Now, in its 10th year, Olympias has won numerous awards, launched a new Global Music Teacher Training programme with an attached PhD researcher, and set up a ‘Recycled Orchestra’ to repair and rehome damaged instruments.
From its roots as a student-led project hustling instruments and giving free music lessons to children at local schools, pianist and founder Dr Jo Yee Cheunghas grown Olympias into an award-winning charity with a core team of five, over twenty musicians and facilitators and a Board of six Trustees. Olympias does not receive regular funding, and relies on support and donations raised on a continuous basis.
Kathryn Stott, Pianist, Artistic Director and Professor of Piano at RNCM, said: “Congratulations Olympias! I’m delighted to support this wonderful charity, which is at the very grassroots of our musical community in Manchester. All musicians start somewhere, but so many young children simply do not have enough exposure to music, let alone the opportunity to explore the sheer joy of learning an instrument, be creative, attend a concert and be part of a musical eco-system that is both nurturing and ambitious.”
Olympias’ innovative model runs on three core principles of sustained, pupil-centred learning in either a 1-to-1 setting or small groups; access to an instrument students could take home; and regular, sustained contact between the teachers and the parents. Lessons are delivered in the heart of the community, putting the child and their family first.
Offering these free 1:1 music lessons and instruments to young people experiencing low income in Manchester’s communities, Olympias currently supports 180 children on the ‘Learn to Play’ programme, an increase of 50% from the previous year.
Over the past decade, Olympias has been successfully redefining music education, making it more inclusive and more sustainable. It has delivered more than 38,000 free music lessons and supported 608 children through various initiatives, including music lessons, choirs for children and parents, and SEND workshops.
Jo Yee Cheung, CEO of Olympias, said: “The children who joined Olympias 10 years ago when they were 6 years old are now 16 and have experienced a decade of owning their instrument, getting up in front of an audience and being part of a musical community that is rooting for their success. We even managed to persuade cellist Yo-Yo Ma to run an online workshop which touched and transformed us all. That’s 10 years of confidence building, making friends and feeling a sense of belonging that we hope will follow them for the rest of their lives. ”
