Eleanor Mills

SEND Facilitator

Eleanor is a Manchester-based SEND music facilitator, professional bassoonist and multiinstrumental specialist, also playing saxophone, clarinet, and flute.

After graduating from the Royal Northern College of Music with a Masters and AdvPGDip in Bassoon Performance in 2019, Eleanor’s performance career highlights include being a part of the Thursford Christmas Spectacular’s 2023 season on clarinet and saxophone, and being a part of Hope Mill’s productions of Gypsy The Musical and Nine In Concert at the Manchester Opera House and The Lowry theatres. Another highlight of her career is being the bassoonist for
Kaleidoscope Orchestra, which has involved performing around the country with them at events such as Cream Classical, and on BBC’s Winterwatch.

Eleanor is also a founding member of Chameleon, a multi-instrumental woodwind quartet which plays around the country, delivering recitals, interactive concerts, and workshops. The group are passionate about creating programmes that connect audiences with classical music in unusual and accessible ways; for example, family concerts focused on storytelling and
interaction.

As a facilitator, Eleanor is passionate about making music accessible to everyone, encouraging exploration and self-expression, and using music as a method of universal communication. Over the last six years, Eleanor has visited and been a resident musician in many SEND schools around the North West, delivering interactive concerts and whole-class workshops, as well as weekly
class and one-to-one music sessions. Eleanor is also a Live Music Now musician and one of the Musicians In Residence at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, where she has been working with shortand long-term inpatients for the last five years.

Eleanor loves using her knowledge and passion as a performer to inspire her sessions in the classroom, and to help empower young people to explore their own creativity, communicate, and build their confidence through music.