New community music centre to launch at Maidenhead school in January

A new community music centre is set to launch at Newlands Girls’ School this January.

The Berkshire Music Trust (BMT) and Slough Music Service has announced the new Maidenhead Space to Thrive will open at the school in Farm Road on Saturday, January 10.

The launch event will be a free, family-friendly celebration, featuring music, workshops and opportunities to get involved.

Deputy mayor Cllr Sian Martin will be on hand to carry out the ribbon-cutting on the day.

The project has been established to make ‘make music accessible to everyone’ and the space offers inclusive and informal community-led opportunities.

Created in partnership with a local steering group and youth event producers, the Space to Thrive programme ‘reflects the voices, interests and needs of the Maidenhead community’, organisers said.

The centre will offer a range of activities including intergenerational jam sessions, community drumming groups, DJ workshops, chill jam for teenagers, monthly global music nights and a community jazz collective.

Specialist sessions will support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

There will also be music-for-mental-health initiatives, designed to promote confidence, creativity and connection.

The launch event will include live performances from the Slough Youth Orchestra, Tankata Percussion, Newlands’ Swing Band, Berkshire Music Trust’s Initial Band and Let’s Play Band, and Slough Youth Choir.

Gusts will enjoy a range of free workshops, including drumming with Tankata Percussion, Scratch Choir with Jamie Read and Bex Richardson, Djing with Sync-Quest and there will also be have-a-go instrument sessions with a variety of instruments available to try.

Jamie Read, partnership and inclusion manager at Berkshire Music Trust, said: “The Space to Thrive project has been created as a deepening of BMT's commitment to being a fully inclusive music organisation.

“Through our existing work we've been chipping away at the barriers which stop people from engaging in music making.

“It's also a great to chance to work with our colleagues at Slough Music Service in a really interactive partnership, so that we can support and learn from one another.”

Newlands is ‘one of the Berkshire Music Hub’s lead schools for music’, Mr Read said.

He added: “Their fantastic team have really welcomed us, and the facilities within their music and drama blocks are ideal for the project.

“The SEND Beat classes will be led by our inclusive music specialists, with one class being aimed at children and one at young adults.

“Using our wonderful adaptive technology through Berkshire Music Trust's inclusive musical instrument library, children and young people will be able to have meaningful, specialised music experiences that are built to celebrate their abilities and creativity.

“We've set out to make this project as inclusive as possible from the start, from engaging locals in our community advisory board through to employing local young musicians to give them a voice in the process, and I really hope that everyone will feel welcome to come and give the activities a try.”

Jo Capon, headteacher at Newlands Girls’ School, said: “All of us here at Newlands Girls’ are delighted to support the launch of Maidenhead’s Space to Thrive initiative and to play a part in bringing this exciting community project to life.

“We are thrilled that our school has been chosen as one of the spaces that will be used as part of the programme, and we are proud to contribute to a project that offers such meaningful benefit to the local community.

“We are especially proud that our very own Newlands Swing Band will be performing as part of the launch event.

“We look forward to the ongoing collaboration and to seeing the Space to Thrive project continue to benefit people across Maidenhead.”

W The school has also recently refreshed its brand identity with a new logo, which draws inspiration from Maidenhead Bridge.