Creative and Cultural Education: Connecting Nottingham and The Gambia
At BeatFeet we believe that cultural education is a vital part of every child’s learning journey. Our Creative and Cultural Education Programme, supported by Arts Council England, has been running across schools in Nottingham and in The Gambia, bringing music, dance, storytelling and visual arts into classrooms in ways that are expressive, inclusive and empowering.
The programme is about more than performance. It’s about developing resources that enable teachers themselves to deliver high-quality cultural education confidently, even if they are not arts specialists. We’ve created classroom-ready lesson plans, workshop models, and CPD opportunities designed to put creative tools directly into the hands of educators. The aim is simple: to make cultural learning sustainable, practical, and accessible for all schools.
This work has been enriched through collaborations with extraordinary artists. We are proud to share a clip featuring Ansumana Suso, Gambian kora Harpist and griot, and Seydou Kienou, master drummer from Burkina Faso, working alongside Nottingham Music Hub. Their artistry brings living cultural traditions into the classroom, inspiring young people to learn through rhythm, melody and story. By engaging with practitioners from across the globe, children are encouraged to think about music not just as sound, but as heritage, identity and connection.
Why does this matter? Because cultural education supports:
Inclusion: activities are multi-sensory and adaptable, meaning every child, including those with SEND, can take part.
Confidence: children develop self-belief by mastering new rhythms, songs and movements.
Connection: learning is rooted in community, history and global understanding, showing that creativity is universal.
Sustainability: teachers gain skills and resources to embed cultural learning long after a one-off workshop.
In Nottingham and The Gambia, we are already seeing the impact: pupils trying instruments for the first time, teachers embedding rhythmic warm-ups into daily routines, and schools celebrating diversity through music and dance.
This is just the beginning. By continuing to connect artists, educators and young people across cultures, we hope to build a model of creative learning that strengthens communities and empowers future generations.
Stay tuned for more clips, resources and stories as the programme grows.
Enjoy the clip just below showcasing a fantastic performance with Ansumana Suso, Seydou Kienou, and The Robin Hood Youth Orchestra.