Students draw musical inspiration from Tottenham High Road

A nationwide heritage project is bringing professional and emerging musicians together in harmony
By Olivia Opara

As part of the ‘Round Here initiative, students from Haringey wrote a song inspired by Tottenham High Road. Credit: Olivia Opara

Local students will perform a song inspired by Tottenham High Road at the Haringey Schools Festival this week.

Taking place at Finsbury Park on Wednesday, 13th July , the festival will feature a variety of performances by students from schools in Haringey, Hackney and Islington.

Students from The Vale School in Northumberland Park and The Brook School on Broadwater Farm worked with musicians Elliot Morris and Jamal Jones to write This Is Our Home. The song draws upon the heritage of Tottenham High Road and expresses their thoughts, experiences and memories of the area. The lyrics read: Everywhere seems different / the houses, pubs and shops / there’s beauty in the changes / I hope it never stops.

‘Round Here, from the social impact organisation Live Music Now, aims to stregthen connections to local areas through music. Commissioned by Historic England, in partnership with Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, young people from five other communites across the country are also taking part (in Barrow-in-Furness, Brierley Hill, Chatham, Huddersfield and Weston-super-Mare). The musical creations will be performed at live events – like the Haringey Schools Festival – in their respective areas.

As part of the initiative, multi-instrumentalist Sarah Fisher and local muscian Mary Otumahana – founder of The RecordShop in Wood Green – are mentoring the Tottenham students on an ongoing basis.

Janet Fischer, CEO of Live Music Now, said: “[We are] delighted to be working with Historic England and communities across England to celebrate their local heritage, hidden histories, and high street.”

Ellen Harrison, head of creative programmes and campaigns at Historic England, said: “Each piece will be shaped by local people and their experiences of their neighbourhood, so we’re delighted to be working with a diverse cast of musicians and community groups to express their pride of place through music.”

Videographer Connor Divers will produce a series of music videos for the project, set to be released in August. The songs will be released as a six-track playlist, which will be availble listen to via Live Music Now’s online platforms in the coming months.

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