SING OUT!
and why it matters

At Petworth Festival, we are committed to giving children inspiring experiences across music, literature and the creative arts. Our role is simple but powerful: to offer opportunities that schools cannot offer on their own. Opportunities that spark curiosity, build creativity, and give both young people and teachers the confidence to express themselves.

And this work is needed urgently.

As many of you will know, arts education in English schools is in serious decline. The number of arts teachers has fallen sharply, creative arts GCSEs have plummeted, and in primary schools a three-year training course now includes as little as three hours of specialist music education.

So it’s no surprise many teachers simply don’t feel equipped to teach music or the creative arts.

At a moment when things may be starting to turn around, the Petworth Festival has a vital role to play.

Last year, our SING OUT! creative arts project worked with local primary and secondary schools and showed just what can happen when children and teachers are given high-quality, hands-on inspiration.

The project began at Petworth House, where the children explored masterpieces with an art curator and a creative writing facilitator. They looked closely at the paintings, the artists, and the stories. Then, working together, they wrote original poems inspired by the artworks.

Next, a composer visited their schools, and the children set their poems to music, creating their own original songs. Finally, they came together at Midhurst Rother College to perform their pieces, supported by sixth form students who composed the soundscapes that linked them.

The results were joyful, imaginative and incredibly moving, and the confidence it gave the children and teachers was clear to see.

To make sure the impact continues, we created a free online teacher pack, with activities for studying the paintings, learning tracks for the songs, and a piano accompaniment everything a teacher needs to run the project themselves and to perform the final song with their pupils and families.

And with the support of the success of our Big Give funding appeal this year, we have been able to go much further in 2026, rolling the project out to five primary schools in the area, reaching 750 children and supporting 75 teachers with continuing professional development.

The arts help children discover their voice, their confidence, and their sense of possibility.

At a time when these opportunities are disappearing from classrooms, what we do together really matters.

Thank you for helping us keep creativity alive for the next generation.

Susan Hamilton, Trustee