Pitch perfect primary pupils are to perform at a gala concert in St Asaph Cathedral after impressing judges with their singing skills.
The youngsters at Ysgol Melyd in Meliden near Prestatyn won a county-wide singing competition organised by the Denbighshire Music Cooperative.
Children were encouraged to learn and perform a brand new song titled Sound of Denbighshire, with schools asked to submit their entries on video.
Judges chose Ysgol Melyd as the winner, with the school picking up a package of prizes.
They include new musical instruments for the school, a visit to the school by the cooperative’s in-house band, Make Some Noise, for a live show, and a professional recording of the youngsters’ version of the song.
But the highlight of the prize package will be the opportunity for Ysgol Melyd to perform the song at the music cooperative’s 10th anniversary concert at the cathedral on Thursday, June 12.
The concert will be a celebration of the work of the music cooperative over the last decade.
The group’s head of service Heather Powell said Ysgol Melyd was a great addition to the concert’s line-up.
Heather said the singing competition was created by Wyn Pearson, the cooperative’s artistic lead, and had been a huge success.
She said: “The song competition was put together by Wyn and it went out to all primary schools in Denbighshire.
“We gave them the words to the song, and the schools were invited to enter their own version of the song. We had loads of entries.
“Ysgol Melyd won based on the quality of their entry and the fact they did it bilingually, which for an English medium school was fantastic.
“They worked really hard, it was in tune, it was great, they made a lot of effort and their enthusiasm was brilliant.
“When we told them they had won, their reaction was fantastic.
“We were really pleased with the competition and the quality of the entries – it was a nice project ahead of our gala concert.”
Heather said the gala concert was set to be a memorable occasion.
She said: “The tickets are flying for the concert. It’s going to be a really big event.
“It is bringing everything together we have done really over the last 10 years and it will be a superb celebration.
“All of our groups and ensembles will be there, our sign language choir is coming over, it’s going to be a really good night, and it will be lovely to have Ysgol Melyd there too.”
Ysgol Melyd’s deputy headteacher Lucy Lea organised the school’s entry to the competition.
She said: “We were unbelievably happy to win, I am not often speechless, but I was when we were told we had won the whole competition.
“The whole school took part and we were all so happy when we heard and we are so pleased with all the prizes.
“The children are very excited about the Make Some Noise concert coming here, that’s something to really look forward to.
“And they all like the idea of a professional recording of their performance because they think they’re all going to be famous on YouTube!
“I’m looking forward to the children performing at the cathedral because that will be an amazing experience.”
Music-loving youngsters at the school were equally thrilled to have won the competition, and were looking forward to enjoying the prizes.
Seven-year-old Bella, a Taylor Swift fan, said: “I’ve really liked singing the song in assembly, it’s one of my favourite songs ever, it’s really good and I remember most of the words now.”
Noah, seven, said he really liked music, especially the band Imagine Dragons, and said he enjoyed taking part in the song competition.
Evan, 11, said: “I enjoyed singing the song about Denbighshire, it was good fun and it was good to win the competition.”
Harrison, nine, said: “The best part about the whole thing was singing the song, it was good to do something different.
“It’s exciting to know we’ve won the competition.”
Wyn Pearson thanked all the schools which took part in the competition and for their support for the music cooperative over the last decade.
He said: “We’re proud to be celebrating our 10th anniversary this year and we would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every school for their continued support.
“This fun and engaging competition invited all primary schools in the county to showcase the musical talents of their students.
“Children were encouraged to learn and perform Sound of Denbighshire, and bring their energy, enthusiasm, and creativity to the stage.
“The competition encouraged students to work together, practise their performance skills, and celebrate the power of music with an overarching goal to inspire joy and collaboration among the children.”
The music cooperative’s chairman Cllr Mark Young said the competition was an ideal way to celebrate the group’s 10th anniversary.
He said: “Being a crucial part of the community is key to the cooperative’s success over the last decade and competitions like this allows young people in our communities to enjoy the magic of music.
“Ysgol Melyd were worthy winners of the competition and it will be a delight to see the children take to the stage at the cathedral on June 12.”
The cooperative is an award-winning, not-for-profit organisation providing quality music tuition with two sister cooperatives in Denbighshire and Wrexham.
It was formed in 2015 by Heather Powell after she and other music tutors in Denbighshire were made redundant due to budget cuts.
The cooperative expanded into Wrexham in 2018 and now works with more than 100 primary schools and 18 high schools in the two counties while providing work for more than 70 freelance music tutors.
The gala concert, starting at 7pm, is being sponsored by the arts-loving care organisation, Pendine Park, via the Pendine Arts and Community Trust which supports arts and community activities.
Renowned royal composer Professor Paul Mealor, the music cooperative’s patron, will attend to make a speech and the concert will be hosted by popular tenor Rhys Meirion who will also be singing on the night.
Councillor Julie Matthews, Deputy Leader of the Council and County Councillor for the Prestatyn Meliden Ward said:
“Music is such an important tool for young people, it really helps them express themselves artistically and creatively.
“It is so great to see that Ysgol Melyd have won this competition, which will see them perform at the 10th anniversary concert in June.
“Da iawn Ysgol Melyd!”
