UpRising Balloon wins ‘Excellence in SEND’ at Music and Drama Education Awards

Press Release

We are thrilled to share that the UpRising Balloon has won the prestigious Music and Drama Education Awards for 'Excellence in SEND (Music and Drama)'.

The resource balloon is a free online resource for those who want to better engage young people with additional learning needs in music making. It shares decades of knowledge from experienced teachers and practitioners in clear, bitesize videos. All of the resources were created in response to requests from teachers, and cover working with pupils with complex needs (PMLD), inclusive ensembles, engaging pupils with specific needs, an exploration of the lived experience of disabled educators, and special school curriculum development.

This award adds to the Musicmark 'Talk into Action' award that UpRising received in November 2023. The judges supported the "innovative, sustainable, and individual needs-based approach of this online resource for music educators." They noted the level of success enjoyed by teachers using the resource, and the long-term potential impact in the classroom.

Ben Sellers, who curated the UpRising balloon, said: 'So many people have contributed to this resource, sharing decades of classroom experience with passion and insight. We know that it has already had a significant impact for pupils across the East Midlands, and we hope that this award brings it to the attention of many more practitioners in the UK and beyond. We are excited to work with others to further add to the balloon going forward".

A MEHEM Hub lead commented: 'The MEHEM partners are thrilled that work of the UpRising team has been recognised by the awarding of the Music and Drama Excellence in SEND Award. We are very proud of all the practitioners who contributed to this amazing resource, and offer our thanks to Ben Sellers for his inspirational leadership.'

Link: Home | UpRising Resource Balloon | Music Education resources (uprisingballoon.com)

More info: uprising@lincolnshire.gov.uk Twitter: @MEHEMUK @bensellerz