A pioneering music service that teaches children in Wrexham and Denbighshire has bounced back after a devasting flood.<\/p>\n
The award-winning North Wales Music Co-operative \u2013 which has branches in both counties \u2013 was up and running again just 28 days after a frozen pipe burst, inundating the building and causing thousands of pounds worth of damage to instruments and equipment.<\/p>\n
According to Head of Service Heather Powell, the disaster was heartbreaking because it happened not long after they had completed a major makeover to upgrade the building.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cThe water from the burst pipe cascaded through the ceiling and on to all the technology which was a shattering blow.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a good few inches of water and it was pretty much the whole of the main room of the building as well as the new offices because it had been leaking over the weekend when nobody was here.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe damage was all the more awful because we\u2019d just got the office how we wanted it and the whole team were incredibly upset.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was hard to know where to start but everybody pulled together and the support we\u2019ve had from our tutors, from Cllr Mark Young, our Chairman, the two local authorities that we work with, Denbighshire and Wrexham, and from neighbouring businesses has been just fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thanks to a \u201csuperhuman effort\u201d the organisation is now back on track with plans to expand the service so that even more children can benefit from the \u201cmagic of music\u201d.<\/p>\n
Among the co-operative\u2019s fans is Plaid Cymru\u2019s Llyr Gruffydd, the North Wales Senedd member, who paid a visit to their premises in Denbigh.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cMusic is in our DNA in Wales and it\u00a0 is extremely important for children because it opens up the imagination, it\u2019s a door to all sorts of feelings and emotions and aspirations.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy visit has been a real eye opener and I think this is so much more than I thought it would be because it\u2019s not just a music service for schools but also a service which offers benefits in terms of wellbeing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are thousands of children who benefit from this service and there would be a substantial void if it wasn\u2019t available.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a governor who remembers when budgets were cut and suddenly schools themselves had to find people to come in and so on, that gap was filled by this group.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe new Curriculum for Wales offers the use of different methods in order to teach, so this could be a key opportunity for music to reach audiences of children in a way that it hasn\u2019t in the past.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe co-operative is also making a very important contribution in the fact that it is providing a livelihood for the musicians.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have heard how the offering of this service and getting a fee for teaching in schools gives a basis for musicians to have the flexibility to be able to perform and to do other things, rather than having to find another day job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heather Powell also paid tribute to the Welsh Government for developing a \u201cfantastic\u201d National Music Plan.<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cThe support of the Welsh Government has enabled us to upskill the tutors, to have better equipment and to deliver more to the children.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going from strength to strength, with lots of new tutors and an ever expanding service.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a music therapist who does fantastic work in Denbighshire and we\u2019ve got lots of new ensembles happening in both authorities and lots of extra-curricular courses to look forward to.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been lots of studies done about how music impacts children\u2019s literacy and numeracy skills but I think, since the pandemic we\u2019ve seen a massive rise in discussion about how music improves mental health and wellbeing which is more important with more people suffering than ever.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur plan is to continue to expand the service with\u00a0 more concerts, more events for the pupils, more opportunities to perform.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs well as Denbighshire and Wrexham, we\u2019re supporting other authorities across Wales with our virtual \u2019Make Some Noise\u2019 tour because it\u2019 doesn\u2019t matter where the school is, whether it\u2019s in the south, in the middle or in the north, they can access our tour which is helping other authorities to deliver the live music element of the National Music Plan.<\/p>\n
At a time when education budgets are tight, the co-operative\u2019s chair, Cllr Mark Young believes the not-for-profit co-operative model is the way forward to ensure that the children of Wales benefit from the \u201cmulti-layered benefits\u201d of music.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThe music co-operative has been a big success in Denbighshire and Wrexham.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe amount of pupils accessing music because of the high quality lessons, is going up.\u00a0 And every level of talent gets looked after.\u00a0 We don\u2019t leave anyone behind \u2013 it\u2019s totally inclusive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re reaching more and more pupils and I\u2019m pretty sure more and more local authorities will take up the model and we\u2019re here, willing and able to help with that and I\u2019m very proud to be the Chair.\u201d<\/p>\n