What we wanted to achieve

Long Shop Sound Machine was designed to inspire children, young people, and families to engage with local heritage, composition, and orchestral music. The project aimed to develop a sense of pride in place and encourage more cultural involvement.

By working closely with professional musicians, the project supported children to raise their aspirations, build creative skills and self-esteem, and understand more about potential creative career paths.

Almost half of the participating children had never previously experienced a live orchestra. The project also offered school staff new ideas for enriching future teaching across history, music, art, and local heritage.

What we did

The project launched in October 2024 with a special Steam Up event at the Long Shop Museum in Leiston, which was once a key manufacturer of steam engines during the Industrial Revolution.

149 pupils from six local primary schools were introduced to City of London Sinfonia and experienced the sights and sounds of the museum’s historic engines, The Joker  and Consuela, in full steam, hissing, whirring and tooting! Each class took part in a hands-on Experience Day  at the museum to discover more about its unique social and industrial history.

In Spring 2025, the Long Shop Museum’s Education Team visited each school to support pupils' knowledge and inspire their creative thinking.

Each participating primary school enjoyed an interactive concert by a trio from City of London Sinfonia, presented by music leader Aga Serugo Lugo. In a series of four creative workshops, Aga and the instrumentalists supported each whole school community, of over 1,000 children and staff, to compose their own five-minute piece.

An additional strand of work involved local high school students using music technology to create atmospheric and rhythmic soundscapes using sounds recorded at the Museum, supported by a tutor from Suffolk County Music Service.  

In May 2025, the primary school pupils performed their compositions, accompanied by a City of London Sinfonia octet, to a full audience in the Britten Pears Studio Theatre at Snape Maltings. The pieces were presented as part of a wider musical programme, interwoven with the digital soundtracks and enhanced by themed artwork created by the children.

Outcomes

• An increased awareness and celebration of local heritage by children and families, and a development of pride of place.
• Music exploration, composition, and performance skills were developed in children who were invested in the creative process, building the sense of ‘I can’ and enabling a boost in their self-esteem.
• 73% of the children agreed that they were "proud of what we created during the project"
• The children’s sense of working together was heightened as 80%  agreed "we worked well as a team"
• Enhanced school curriculum delivery for history, music, and art. 100% of teachers agreed "it gave us the opportunity to access activities we would otherwise not have access to" and that Long Shop Sound Machine inspired the young people.
• 100% of teachers agreed that "taking part improved my confidence in using music and the arts to support cross-curricular learning"
• Families in this rural area who do not usually access orchestral music, performances, or the local music venue were able to do so.
• From June to October 2025, the Long Shop Museum hosted a free exhibition and sound installation showcasing images and recordings from the project. All museum visitors were able to interact with this and celebrate the children’s creativity and discoveries.

Future plans

As a legacy for the project, the recorded schools’ compositions and photographs of their artwork will become part of the permanent collection at the Long Shop Museum. Some of the recordings will also be featured as part of the interpretation boards for related exhibits.

As a result of their learning, the Museum Engagement Manager and Education Team have developed thorough plans for all their Experience Days to scale up the number of schools they host in the next year. Long Shop Museum is exploring possibilities of working with other arts organisations to host and incorporate music into their project work.

Suffolk County Music Services are offering Digital Music Production units of work, incorporating the recorded steam engine sounds, to the six primary schools involved and more widely.

In conversation with the Association of Suffolk Museums, Orchestras Live is keen to develop further heritage-inspired, place-based music projects.

Partners

Long Shop Sound Machine was produced by Orchestras Live in partnership with Long Shop Museum, City of London Sinfonia, Norfolk & Suffolk Music Hub, Britten Pears Arts and is supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.