A group of primary schools from the Cardiff area have continued their planning and preparation for an exciting project with Glamorgan Cricket by visiting the Club’s headquarters this week to listen to, and work with, musicians from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
The pilot project between Glamorgan Cricket and BBC NOW has involved 300 pupils and over a dozen staff from the Year 5 classes at Birchgrove PS, Kitchener PS, Ninian Park PS, Pencaerau PS, St. Alban’s PS and Ysgol Pencae.
During the course of the past six months, the pupils from these schools have visited Sophia Gardens for a match-day experience, as well as having an initial session with members of BBC NOW.
The past week has seen the pupils engage in further musical activity, besides having another series of skills drills sessions in the National Cricket Centre as they continue their work in creating a song or a piece of music which will be played at a match at Glamorgan’s headquarters during 2023.
“It’s a great project,” said Andrew Hignell, the Club’s Heritage and Education Co-ordinator, “and it’s been fantastic to welcome the children back to Sophia Gardens after their match-day visit last summer and their first music workshop with BBC NOW.
“The children were really enthusiastic and remembered so much about cricket from their previous visit. This bodes well for the next part of the project as the schools put the finishing touches to their musical creations.
“The project spanning 2022 and 2023 has been a pilot with BBC NOW and we look forward to expanding the scheme to include more schools later in the year as we broaden our programme of inspiring learning packages on offer here at Glamorgan Cricket, and add the expressive arts and music to our existing themes of safe play, health and well-being, nutrition, playing as a team, leadership, numeracy and literacy.”
Beatrice Carey from BBC NOW added: “We have loved having the opportunity to build stronger relationships with the schools who are close to our concert hall and the cricket stadium.
“The students have given so much energy and enthusiasm and definitely have a favourite instrument, The Tuba! We look forward to making more music with local schools in the years to come.”