cathedral music groups for children aged 0 to 5 and their families.
Our 2025 Spring Appeal raised almost £25,000 for Small Sounds. You can still support the expansion of the programme.
The project comprises two key strands of work:
Early Years Education
High-quality, weekly music sessions delivered by the newly trained cathedral musicians to children aged 0 to 5 and their parents/carers.
Professional Development
A comprehensive training programme for cathedral music staff, delivered in partnership with The Family Music Hub, equipping them with appropriate teaching techniques and enabling them to develop their skills and experience in leading music with early years.
I owe my entire career to my early cathedral music education. I urge you to support the Small Sounds project so that more children can be given the lifechanging opportunities that singing offers, now and for years to come.
Resources
We provide resources to help get the groups up and running, including repertoire, musical instruments and puppets, and offer support with promoting the groups.
Further Learning
As well as enjoying singing activities on a weekly basis, participating children and their families have the opportunity to experience the range of music-making that takes place in the cathedrals and churches, by taking part in special ‘meet the musicians’ sessions, where they encounter the organ, hear the adult singers and meet the choristers.
They are able to progress from Small Sounds to children’s choirs and, eventually, for some, to choristership.
Evaluation
We work with our partner settings to evaluate the impact of the work and share our learning. Our hope is to expand the work to many more settings in future years.
With thanks to the following
-
Scops Arts Trust
Hymns Ancient and Modern
Westminster Foundation
The CPF Trust
Big Give
Brereton Fund
Sir Hugh and Lady Stevenson
Transform People International
Edmund’s Trust
Maria Björnson Memorial Fund
Golden Bottle Trust
Multiple donors via the Spring giving campaign (including Gift Aid)
Samuel Gardner Memorial Trust
Julia Rausing Trust
James Nye
Locations
Small Sounds is currently taking place at:
- Chester Cathedral
- Derby Cathedral
- Newcastle Cathedral
- Rochester Cathedral
- St Mary’s Cathedral, Middlesbrough
In Autumn 2025, the programme expanded to seven more settings across England, in areas where children face barriers to the their development.
To include:
-
Lincoln Cathedral
-
St George’s RC Cathedral, Southwark
-
Gloucester Cathedral
-
Portsmouth Cathedral
-
Ipswich Minster
-
St Gabriel’s Church, Pimlico in partnership with the Pimlico Musical Foundation
-
St James the Greater, Leicester
Donate to Small Sounds