The Cat's Whisker
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cerdd gymunedol cymru community music THE CAT’S WHISKER wales Community Music Wales Summer Newsletter July 2009 Welcome ! Complete Control Music Reaches New Heights to the first CMW The Cat’s Whisker In May 2009 CMW was named as a recording opportunities, possible joint sponsor of the Reach the Heights releases, gigs, support and advice. We will be bringing you the latest project. This major project has This project works with a wide through the Community Music been awarded £27 million from the range of young people from many Wales new quarterly newsletter. European Social Fund. It aims to raise different musical genres, from singer This will be a way to stay in touch the skills and aspirations of young songwriters to bands to DJs. CCM and a place to find out about people across West Wales and the pairs young people with mentors who upcoming events and the latest Valleys to help them build a brighter have worked professionally within the news from the world of CMW. future by staying in education or music industry to provide specialised finding a job or training. It will target face to face mentoring. It targets Over the past year CMW has support locally to improve confidence, disaffected young people who may undergone a number of changes, decision-making and basic skills. not reach their full potential through amongst them, my appointment as traditional learning, and through the new Director last September. The Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn recognising and encouraging their I am primarily responsible for Jones said “Reach the Heights is a musical talents seeks to improve the effective creative and artistic major investment in the future of our their sense of worth, self confidence, management of the charity and will young people. This investment is just communication, business skills and provide strategic guidance for the part of our commitment to helping enable them to create a brighter future future direction of the organisation’s young people develop their full for themselves. projects. You can find out more potential and in turn, make a valuable about my background on page 2! contribution to the Welsh economy.” We have run a similar scheme to this in the past targeting those over 18 and In this issue you can find out CMW will run a project called Complete worked with musicians who have gone more about the new Reach Control Music 14-19 (CCM). CCM on to be in internationally recognised the Heights project as well works with 14-19 year olds interested bands such as Lostprophets, as taking a look at the latest in, or already making music. It is Stereophonics, Bullet For My projects CMW has recently a mentoring scheme which gives Valentine, Funeral For a Friend, Akira held across Wales, including a practical advice on the music industry the Don, Goldie Lookin Chain, Amy mass ensemble of North Walian along with opportunities to promote Wadge, Mclusky, Jarcew and Future of drummers, as well as music and develop their work, offering the Left. making with Gypsy and Traveller communities in the south. Enjoy Reading! Hannah Jenkins, Director Bop!2009 Samba or hand drumming. Community Music Wales held a At the end of the course the three day percussion workshop participants showcased their new for a large group of enthusiastic drumming skills to a massive aspiring drummers in March. Over audience of friends and family. 50 participants showed up to learn a range of new rhythms on each day Project Officer Gethin Evans who of the course. organised the event said; ‘’The 3 days were a great success Five tutors led workshops in a range and this was reflected in the of different rhythms including feedback we received from all who Samba, Cuban, African and Latin attended. Seeing so many people styles. Participants were able to mix from all backgrounds and ages come and match different skill areas to together to make music, made an make an interesting and varied few unforgettable experience’’ days. The course took place at Hendre Hall Classes helped improve confidence, in Tal-y-bont Bangor from 20th – communication and motivation 22nd March. amongst the group members and participants received an OCN BOP was held in partnership with accreditation in live performance, community project Replay Cymru. Staff Profile Soundgarden and Audioslave What’s the first gig you went to? Extreme in the International arena – Hannah Jenkins Favourite film? aged about twelve. Overboard with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Director Russell Cat or dog? Cat!! Before joining CMW Hannah worked What was the last album you in many aspects of community arts for bought? Star sign the past ten years including tutoring, Lungs – Florence and the machine Pisces arts development, managing and programming venues in South Wales, What is your greatest fear? If you could have an along with developing and managing Ships – (oil tankers and big cruise alternative career a charitable organisation. She has ships) what would you be? worked on international community Photographer or arts initiatives, including running Which person do you most admire archaeologist projects in South Korea and Thailand. and why? Wonder Woman –the blue and red What do you like to do when you’re If you had to be stuck in a lift with satin suit, lasso of truth, indestructible not in work? anyone who would it be? cuff links…..who wouldn’t! Belly Dancing/Learning the guitar/ Chris Cornell - singer with the bands Photography/ nothing! Thank You Community Matters! Community Music Wales would like to thank Waitrose and its customers for the generous donation of £268 that was donated through their Community Matters scheme. Waitrose makes donations to local charities every month and customers are invited to vote for which charity they would like to benefit from the scheme. CMW will be using the money received to help fund projects that enable adults with learning difficulties to take part in music making over the summer. CMW Training Raises In addition to these courses Community Music Wales held a free ‘Visual Awareness’ training workshop. Standards Across Wales Gethin Evans, Project Officer in North Wales said: In the past few months Community Music Wales has held ‘’These courses has proven so successful with many a range of training events including three Tutor Training people showing up to both the tutor training and the visual courses for people wishing to deliver music workshops awareness training. It’s great seeing how keen people are in the community. to raise the bar for community practise across Wales. I’m sure these participants will now apply the skills learnt The courses were all OCN accredited and were designed to their day to day work, as a result of the to raise the standards in Community Music practise courses’’ across Wales. CMW Takes Drumming Cardiff Communities interest, as well as gain and Puppet- Making Create Gypsy and OCN to Caerphilly Flower Traveller Songs accreditation. Festival Earlier in the year Community Running alongside Music Wales worked with Gypsy these sessions were Following years of successful and Traveller communities to workshops in music composition music workshops in Caerphilly produce a piece of music based using virtual studio software and Parks, this year Caerphilly Council more ‘traditional’ instruments such invited Community Music Wales to on the Gypsy culture. Workshops explored Gypsy and Traveller as guitars, drums and percussion hold drumming and puppet making instruments. workshops as part of the Caerphilly customs and traditions in order to Flower Show over the weekend of facilitate the creation of lyrics that represent the Gypsy way of life. Using the material produced the 27th and 28th of June. in these music workshops as inspiration, the group spent the The drummers enjoyed two lovely The young people worked in various areas in order to produce a range following weeks of workshops days of Welsh summer sunshine for making a video piece to go with the the workshops and lots of Flower of techniques for the final piece of music. Workshops in lyric writing music track and images generated. Festival–goers showed up to join in Two videos were created, one by the sessions. and singing techniques including rap and MCing were also held participants from the Rover Way site and the other by Shire Newton Participants played drums from during the day and participants had site residents to represent their the west of Africa and were able to a chance to explore a respective communities. explore a range of African beats range of musical with the help of the tutors. styles and The video was shown at a As the participants got in d e v e l o p presentation and awards evening in the rhythm they drew a t h e i r March, when the project sessions big crowd to play their newfound skills to. came to an end. Whilst the drumming Cardiff Gypsy and Traveller Project went ahead funded the project participants where also invited to use a range of craft When materials and create a Harry Met puppet of their choice, to Stevens the sound of the rhythms. A potential Flashpoint was avoided in Chris Dawson Project Officer for our office recently when Harry the CMW said Noiseworks dog met Stevens the ‘’It worked really well combining the Complete Control Cat for the first different activities of the music and time. There was much circling and craft in the one space. The workshop growling before Harry realised proved to be a very easily accessible that Stevens is in fact a plastic and enjoyable day and we had lots of model, albeit a very hard one. families show up who were able to Harry commented “I still think all join in together’’ I would have won a fair fight.