Talented pupils at a Wrexham school have been given a sneak preview of a video for a song which they hope will become an anthem for the city.<\/p>\n
The video for A Song For Wrexham is the culmination of months of work involving local musicians and every secondary school in the area.<\/p>\n
It pays homage to the area\u2019s proud coalmining and steelmaking heritage, with nods to\u00a0 the famous red brick of Ruabon and St Giles\u2019s Church, one of the seven wonders of Wales, as well as the rise and rise of Wrexham AFC\u00a0 thanks to the Hollywood glitz of its celebrity owners.<\/p>\n
The catchy tune and lyrics have already been hailed as a \u201clove song to Wrexham\u201d and \u201cmasterpiece that has all the ingredients to go viral\u201d.<\/p>\n
Members of Wrexham\u00a0Music Cooperative wrote the song and launched a competition\u00a0challenging the schools to write their own verse and a rap to be included within the new song.<\/p>\n
Workshops were held at every secondary school and the competition organisers chose Ysgol Rhiwabon as the winner.<\/p>\n
The video made starring the pupils who took part in the contest and was screened for the first time at a special assembly at the school.<\/p>\n
And there was double celebration as the prize for winning the competition – \u00a31,000 worth of music instruments \u2013 was officially handed over.<\/p>\n
The music and some of the\u00a0lyrics were written by the music cooperative\u2019s Scott Lloyd and Wyn Pearson, with the video being put together by colleague Matty Roberts.<\/p>\n
Wyn Pearson, the co-operative\u2019s artistic lead, said: \u201cWe put a verse and a chorus together and we invited every secondary school to write their own verse and a rap to go with the song.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery student involved at Ysgol Rhiwabon played a part, it was an amazing effort.<\/p>\n
Scott Lloyd added: \u201cThere was just loads of creativity flowing from every school, and they were all really, really good.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe love the finished song and video to bits. We’re humbled by it.\u201d<\/p>\n
A star of the video is 12-year-old pupil Holly Jones who raps one of the verses.<\/p>\n
Music fan Holly said: \u201cI really enjoyed it, it was great fun.<\/p>\n
Holly, who has been singing all her life and has taken part in music competitions, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just so happy to be involved with the song and the rap.<\/p>\n
\u201cI volunteered straight away to do the rap because I felt I was confident enough to do it.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy family are really proud of me, it\u2019s one of the biggest things I\u2019ve ever done in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holly is hoping it will become a favourite of Wrexham AFC fans and the anthem is sung at the club\u2019s Racecourse ground.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cI hope they do, the song\u2019s words are all about Wrexham.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heather Powell, head of service at the Wrexham Music Cooperative, said: \u201cWe congratulate Ysgol Rhiwabon on their entry to the competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the high schools in Wrexham took part in the competition and we had some brilliant entries, and for me Ysgol\u00a0Rhiwabon was the clear winner.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe project was a successful collaboration between the Wrexham Music Cooperative and all the high schools in Wrexham and was funded by the Shared Prosperity Fund in Wrexham.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe song was a way of engaging with the students through music and helping to educate them about the city where they live.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe winning students were able to record their song professionally with our sound engineer Matty Roberts and it was a great experience for them all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sandra Tarver, curriculum leader for music at Ysgol Rhiwabon, said: \u201cWe are delighted the school has won the competition, it\u2019s a fantastic achievement.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany thanks to the members of the music cooperative for coming into the school and making this all happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a wonderful opportunity for us all to take part in.\u00a0The students absolutely loved the whole process.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a community school and it was very evident with the ideas the students were coming up with that they deeply care about their community, and that is shown in the lyrics they came up with.\u201d<\/p>\n
The students who saw the sneak peak of the video said they were thrilled by the finished work.<\/p>\n
Elsie Davies-Bottomley said: \u201cI think the video is great because it represents Wrexham so well and represents the music industry as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s bringing a good thing to Wrexham.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily Stephenson added: \u201cThe video makes us so proud to be from Ruabon and from Wrexham.\u201d<\/p>\n
Music co-operative chair Councillor Mark Young attended the screening and said: \u201cWrexham is definitely on the up and the song does Wrexham justice \u2013 it’s positive, it\u2019s proud and it reflects the community and its history.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe song shows how proud the youngsters are about where they come from, and we should be proud of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a wonderful love song to Wrexham. It\u2019s a little masterpiece that has all the ingredients to go viral.\u201d<\/p>\n
Councillor Phil Wynn, lead member for education at Wrexham Council, attended the video screening.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cIn Wrexham we are just so fortunate to be able to work with Wrexham Music Cooperative and this project is another example of how creative the cooperative and our young people are.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe end product demonstrates the benefits of picking up a musical instrument and going for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Karen Evans, education and early intervention services chief officer at Wrexham Council, said: \u201cIt\u2019s great to see the students engage so well with these projects.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery secondary school in Wrexham was involved in the project and had the opportunity to take part in the competition, so well done to everyone for their efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a fantastic song that\u2019s brilliantly performed by the pupils at Ysgol Rhiwabon. Hats off to everybody who was involved.\u201d<\/p>\n