Berkshire Music Trust relocates Newbury Music Centre to Kennet School
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We are delighted to announce the relocation and renaming of Newbury Music Centre. The newly named ‘West Berkshire Music Centre’ will operate out of the Kennet School site – a school in which we have a long-standing relationship with.
“West Berkshire Music Centre will be a wonderful hub for young people to come together to make music. Our ensembles and lessons provide much-needed spaces for young people to develop their skills and express themselves through music. We could not be happier that our new home will be Kennet School, a school that we have enjoyed a wonderful relationship with over the years.” – Ella Foster (Senior Leader – Partnerships, Progression & Development).
The West Berkshire Music Centre will provide a wonderful service to the local community. With existing ensembles relocating, we are also launching our Soundstage programme, which supports local musicians on their popular music journey. Activities taking place after-school and on Saturdays, will include one-to-one and small group instrumental and vocal lessons, ensembles and choirs for children and adults, regular performances, all of which create a fantastic community for families to be part of.
“At Kennet we are passionate about music education, and we are delighted to be chosen to host ‘West Berkshire Music Centre’ here. Berkshire Music Trust have always had an excellent relationship with us at Kennet School and we know this partnership will take that one step further. We look forward to welcoming musicians from across West Berkshire to Kennet to enjoy music making. This arrangement will be of huge benefit to Kennet pupils and the wider community.” – Ms Rigg, Headteacher, Kennet School
As well as being our new hosts, Kennet School are delighted to announce that they will be the Lead School for Music in West Berkshire, as of September 2024. The National Plan for Music set out ambitious plans for both Music Hubs and Schools to bring music to all, including working with schools such as Kennet to share best practice in their area. Lead Schools for Music have been identified for their consistent high-quality music provision and desire to raise the profile of Music education in their area.
Berkshire Music Trust thanks St. Barthomolew’s School, Newbury, for hosting the formerly named Newbury Music Centre for over a decade. We will continue to offer peripatetic lessons to those students learning instruments and singing with us at the school, as we do for 100’s of other schools across Berkshire.
As a Music charity, Berkshire Music Trust are delighted to be able to offer bursaries to students in West Berkshire through the generous ongoing support of the Greenham Trust. We also continue to invite individuals, organisations, charities and foundations to support our young people in whatever way you are able.
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