The Sound of Music...
We all have things that we love, things that we don’t think we could ever function properly without – things that make our lives better.
I’m pretty confident that one of those things is the same for almost everyone in the world – music.
Music has the ability to change our mood, to spark memories we didn’t know we had, to take us on a journey.
Music also brings people together in many different ways: it provides them with opportunities to connect, to meet people with shared interests and cooperate to produce something impressive, uplifting, or just downright special.
The best recent example I can give you is the concert at St Giles’ Church, Wrexham, which took place on Monday 23rd December.
This was the Wrexham County Youth Orchestra’s annual concert, when over 50 young people came together to present an evening of fantastic classical music and carols.
The fact that it came just days before Christmas made it even more special, with everyone’s already-festive mood being boosted by pieces such as the Skater’s Waltz by Waldteufel. The concert was the end result of a 4-day music course, performed by a group of brilliant young musicians who had never played together as a whole orchestra before.
The two things they all had in common were that they possessed an undeniable talent for music, and that they are or had been taught by the Wrexham County Music Service’s inspiring tutors.
The concert wasn’t just about bringing those young musicians together – it was also about providing a packed church with the opportunity to listen to uplifting pieces such as Sleigh Ride and belt out carols including ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’. It was a brilliant night and showed the power of music to bring together people of all ages.
It’s true that you could attend the carol concerts of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra or a national orchestra, but that it just the point: those world-class musicians entertaining thousands had a starting point – they didn’t just make it to the ranks of the symphony orchestra in the blink of an eye.
They no doubt had the chance to learn the violin or trumpet at school or joined a local orchestra, had lessons and were guided to enjoy and improve. That’s exactly the stage those talented young musicians of Wrexham are at now. Some may want to make a career from their music, while others might continue to play for leisure or in local concerts. The important factor is that they have been given the vital opportunity to explore music, to develop their skills and work with others who share their interest.
None of this would be possible without the Wrexham County Music Service, and it’s clear that many people agree: over 1000 signed the recent petition against the cuts planned for the Service.
Music is not just about humming a few tunes or learning the odd piece – it’s much more important and powerful than that. Everyone should have access to music, to learn or to listen. As the concert showed, music is special.
