A ground-breaking project is getting children and adults to put emotions aroused by music into art and poetry.
Among those leading the workshops is a top class harpist who has played for Prince Charles, an award-winning poet and an artist described by Sir Kyffin Williams as the best abstract artist in Wales.
The bilingual artists are touring 20 primary schools in rural Denbighshire and giving classes in Welsh and English.
The project is part of the North Wales International Music Festival’s community touring programme, working in conjunction with the festival’s resident ensemble, Ensemble Cymru.
It has received £7,760 in funding from the rural regeneration agency, Cadwyn Clwyd. Meanwhile, Denbighshire County Council contributed £3,000 and the Academi gave £500.
The agency’s money comes from the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 which is financed by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).
The children are being urged to explore their emotions by responding to live music through visual art and poetry and hopefully spark an interest in the arts which will last the rest of their lives.
The three artists are poet Aled Lewis Evans, born in Machynlleth and now living in Rhosllanerchrugog, Wrexham; Ensemble Cymru harpist Einir Wyn Hughes, from Bontnewydd; and Bala-born artist Catrin Williams, who now lives in Pwllheli and has taken part in workshops for school children all over the country.
Ann Atkinson, the Artistic Director of the North Wales International Music Festival, in St Asaph, went to see one of the workshops at Ysgol Bryn Clwyd, in Llandyrnog.
She said: “I thought it would be a good idea to have a cross-art form project, working in conjunction with Ensemble Cymru, and I was very lucky that Cadwyn Clwyd also thought it was a good idea.
“The music is the starting point for everything – it inspires the words and images. Bringing the three elements together has worked even better than I imagined it could.
“The success of the project has a great deal to do with the wonderful delivery of the people concerned – all three of them are inspiring.
“I am really thrilled with it and more importantly the children love it. They are coming up with beautiful ideas and every school is different.
“Einir has chosen great pieces of music – some are fairly slow pieces in a minor key and then she’ll take them on a trip to America with some jazz.
“For that, she uses the harp in a very different way with the tapping and the guitar effects.
“Aled will then go through some ideas with them – about things like similes that they can use in their writing.
“The older ones can write a poem if they want or a story, whatever they’ve been inspired to do.
“Then they’ll listen to the Santa Fe Suite by Professor William Matthias, the founder of the festival.
“It has three movements and it tells the story of his trip to Santa Fe and the things that influenced him.
“Reaching out to the community in this way is a really important part of the festival’s mission.
According to Linda Bennett, the Assistant Head of Ysgol Bryn Clwyd, it is an “amazing project”.
She said: “Einir was so enthused with what she was doing and so interactive with the children. The children were just enthralled.
“It is important to instill an interest in the arts as something to cherish. It wasn’t a chore, it was sheer enjoyment.”
Year Five pupil Nia Colclough, 10, agreed and added: “The harp is really good and it was nice because she told us what she was going to play.
“After that we did some writing and I enjoyed it. I have never heard a harp before and I want to learn how to play it now.”
That was music to the years of harpist Einir Wyn Hughes who said: “I get a great deal of pleasure out of projects like this.
“I enjoy introducing the harp to children who may not have seen or heard a harp before in their lives.
“They respond brilliantly to what I play and they come up with some fantastic ideas. Their imaginations have no boundaries.”
Poet and author Aled Lewis Evans said: “The reaction of children is always fresh and always different.
“The idea with this project is to encourage them to go on their own journey having heard the music.
“There are always some very talented children, you can spot them immediately, who enjoy writing.
“Children have an innate creativity and we aim to give them the freedom to express themselves.
Gwilym Evans, chair of the school governors, was also enchanted.
He said: “I has been a very interesting project, I thought it was an excellent idea to combine the music of the harp with the writing work and the children thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Helen Roberts, from Cadwyn Clwyd, said: “This is a way of bringing music and art to children who might otherwise not be able to access events and festivals held in the community.”
