Young musicians in Pembrokeshire recently enjoyed a day rehearsing music with professional musicians from the Band of the Welsh Guards, before performing alongside them in a special evening concert at Haverfordwest High VC School.
56 pupils from nine schools took part in the event, practising a variety of popular pieces and new repertoire under the direction of Bandmaster WO2 Michael Mcgowen, who made the sessions a fun and educational experience. The day also included a presentation from LCpl Ben Harries about life as a serving musician in the Army.
The pupils’ hard work culminated in an evening concert that was well attended by family and friends, and a perfect test for the new school hall and its high-tech acoustics. The pupils joined the professionals for the first half before taking front row seats for the second half and enjoyed a varied programme from the Band of the Welsh Guards.
Former Pembrokeshire Music Service pupil LCpl Gareth Trott, who helped organise the event, said: “The Band of the Welsh Guards were thrilled to work with and share the stage with musicians from Pembrokeshire Music Service. I was personally very proud of what they achieved with the young musicians, having been a product of the music service myself. It brought back a lot of fond memories and I’m truly proud of the service and their continued devotion to providing great musical tuition for students across Pembrokeshire. What a fantastic day we had.”
Pembrokeshire Music Service teacher Colin Barrett, who coordinated the event, said “This was just a brilliant day. When Gareth first contacted me in June and asked if we would be interested on having a visit from the Welsh Guards, I almost bit his hand off! What a treat it was for our pupils. This will be an experience that they will never forget and hopefully inspire them to practise more and improve their own playing and musicianship.”
This is one of many musical events delivered by Pembrokeshire Music Service this year. You can follow them on Facebook @PembsMusicService and Twitter @Music Pembs.
