This unique, ground-breaking composition project is led by members of Ensemble 360 alongside Robin McEwan of Sheffield Music Hub. Based around new pieces by GCSE composition students from 12 or more secondary schools, we workshop and perform around 140 world premieres each year! These are interspersed with works by established composers including Ligeti, Webern, Bartok, Reich, Piazzolla, Bryars, and Hermann that help to illustrate the canon of contemporary repertoire. The compositions are recorded by a professional sound engineer and given to each student for submission as part of their coursework and other promotional use. This hugely valuable programme helps to bridge the large gap in support for composition in the music curriculum.  

Robin McEwan won an award for PowerPlus for the School, Care and Voluntary Community category of Sheffield City Council’s Celebration of Success Awards in 2009.

In May 2015, as part of our May Festival 'Celebrating Youth and Experience,' five Powerplus compositions were chosen to open each of Ensemble 360's lunchtime concerts at the Crucible Studio.  

This activity contributes to the Bronze and Silver Arts Award. It gives children the chance to take part in an arts activity and to complete an arts challenge by composing a piece of music. As well as this, the participants could choose one of the Ensemble 360 musicians to be their arts hero/heroine!