North Wales Music Cooperative, which runs music tuition co-ops in Denbighshire and Wrexham, is marking its tenth anniversary with celebrations including a business event and birthday concert.
The co-op, which provides work for 70 freelance musicians and teaches 5,000 youngsters a week, will be recognised at the Wrexham Business Professionals group meeting at Hotel Wrexham on 19 March, when its head of service Heather Powell will share the co-op’s story with business leaders.
The occasion is timely not just in terms of the co-op’s anniversary, but in terms of highlighting the benefits of the co-op model – with leading figures across the movement calling for better communication to the wider business and education sectors as the world marks the International Year of Cooperatives.
Powell formed the co-op in 2015 after she and other music tutors in Denbighshire were made redundant in a round of budget cuts. The co-op, which expanded into Wrexham in 2018, works with pupils from more than 100 primary schools and 18 high schools.
She warns that the co-op continues to face formidable funding challenges, while filling a “huge gap” in terms of culture, education and wellbeing. Recent high profile projects include it Song for Wrexham competition for schools.
Winning school Ysgol Rhiwabon received £1,000 worth of musical instruments. as a prize, and the song and its video attracted national coverage.
Last year, the co-op was hailed as a “national treasure” by Prof Paul Mealor, composer for royal events including the coronation of King Charles and artistic director of the North Wales International Music Festival in St Asaph.
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Mealor, who was made a patron of the co-op last year, told the Wrexham Herald: “Before this organisation was formed, we were at a precipice where music could have died in schools for children from my background. Only the very rich could have afforded it but this group particularly has made sure that that isn’t the case and that’s benefited so many children and young people in North Wales.
“Music opens up a world to people that they wouldn’t have known about, a world that’ll live with them for the rest of their lives and I’m incredibly proud to be the patron of this wonderful organisation that is now a real national treasure.”
The Wrexham Business Professionals event, from 8.30am – 10.15 am on 19 March, is free to attend.
The anniversary concert is on 12 June in St Asaph Cathedral, Denbighshire.
