Wiltshire Rural Music (WRM) is introducing a new range of clubs, lessons and projects to encourage children across the county to access music making in their local communities.
As part of this, the WRM’s Music On The Move programme sees it bringing live music and music lessons to isolated communities across Wiltshire. In the last year, this has seen the WRM working with the Wiltshire Council’s Mobile Library service to allow classical musicians, rock bands and a folk dup to entertain local residents and school children within various village primary schools across the county.
The result has seen Music On The Move workshops taking place in Shrewton and Colerne, while in October they will also entertain communities in Kington St Michael, Sherston, Derry Hill, Winterbourne Earls and Newton Tony.
In addition, WRM’s own popular weekly group, the Mini Musicians, provides pre-school children with a fun introduction to playing instruments, singing songs and movement. The Mini Musician sessions run on Monday mornings at WRM’s own Trowbridge hub and provide a perfect opportunity to let your little one become inspired and enjoy making music.
WRM is also offering bursaries to support young musicians with help towards the cost of music lessons and hiring instruments. As part of this move, the charity has a wide range of instruments in full, half and quarter sizes to help your young musicians practice between lessons.
Among the bursaries on offer is the Liz Lawrence Award, which gives one talented musician £1,000 to help them continue their music education at university or conservatoire, and pursue their dream of a career in music.
“The bursaries are open to children from 5-18 years of age,” explained the WRM Creative Director, Gavin Osborne. “They have their lessons at various places in the county, with registered music teachers, and we help fund those lessons. We do have a couple of groups and lessons here, like Mini-Musicians, an adult singing group, various ensembles and orchestra groups, and kids guitar lessons too. The groups we run here are an opportunity for musicians and beginners to socialise as well as to improve and enjoy making music. We are also a centre for music exams.”
To find out more about the workshops, lessons, bursaries and performances that are available from Wiltshire Rural Music, click here