Major Trophy

In successive years Caerphilly won four NMC diplomas and last year a PRS Foundation diploma. It might be supposed therefore that there was a certain inevitability about their success this year. Few submissions could open with a statement like this: “Caerphilly Music & Arts Service has continued to be fully supported and funded by our local education authority. All other funding streams have been secured through income generation from schools and successful external grant applications”. In our report last year, we noted an apparent dearth of world musics and jazz. Mindful of that observation, the music & arts service introduced appropriate staff training, African drumming, samba, Asian dance and Latin music projects and made jazz links with the Welsh Jazz Composers Orchestra and the Brecon International Jazz Festival.

A full programme of free curriculum support and INSET was provided at key stages 1 & 2 to Caerphilly schools. Indeed, the approach to INSET both for classroom music teachers, at all key stages, and for instrumental tutors was exemplary. In addition to a successful collaboration with the three neighbouring LEAs, through the joint education support and inspection service, all four LEAs provided opportunities for students to make music at a higher level, as a transition to the national ensembles. That same spirit of partnership ran through all the activities of this LEA and their music & arts service.

Over 2000 instruments were available on long term free loans. All music tuition was provided free to schools through a formula allocation based on numbers in schools. Schools were able to buy in additional services to enable pupils to experience a broader music curriculum. The PRS Foundation citation attaches flesh and muscle to the above bones thereby demonstrating what a very special place this is for music!

Caerphilly share the major trophy with Devon where music education is delivered through the music service and Music Devon, a co-operative of instrumental tutors and, of course, classroom music teachers. New initiatives abounded throughout the year and included a vocal outreach project with Exeter Cathedral, a Polish and Korean culture project featuring music and dance, composition projects one of which explored junk instruments for teachers and numerous jazz projects covered in the Jazz Services citation. And, very importantly, previously successful programmes and projects were continued and developed from the amazingly popular ukulele revival, to gospel singing, large group double bass tuition, even stronger links with the LEA youth service and the Remix popular music festival, which involved 129 schools and 4500 pupils and students participating in performances and workshops. 70 per cent of schools were involved in WCIVT via ukelele, fife, guitar, bongo, djembe, tin whistle, mixed strings and voice.

The range and scope of INSET and CDP opportunities was excellent and very much geared to supporting WCIVT programmes. Partnership and collaborative working with other LEA music services and professional groups and orchestras and arts organisations was at a level ideally pitched to bear musical fruits galore. An open door approach to adult participation was another welcome feature of this submission.

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