Britain's rundown housing estates and deprived inner cities will be the setting for a new project that aims to use classical music to lift children out of the poverty trap.

Organizers are modeling the plan on a hugely successful scheme already in place in Venezuela that gives free instruments and training to children from poor and vulnerable backgrounds. They are hoping that lessons learned in the slums of Caracas can be made to work in Britain.

Under the government-backed project, children as young as three will be taught to play classical instruments by trained musicians. "We're really trying to go to the most deprived children, to the most poor areas," Lloyd Webber told CNN. "You're talking about children from a background where classical music has almost certainly played no part."

The inspiration behind the scheme is the El Sistema social program in Venezuela, which has helped improve the lives of thousands of young people since it began over 30 years ago.