O
METHWOLD ARTS
LOGO OPTION 3 PROGRAMME
An exciting new enterprise is offering young people in rural areas an opportunity enjoy music and drama. TIM SLATER hangs out with the students and tutors at Methwold Arts Programme…
the UK’s more isolated rural communities there are fairly limited opportunities to find a decent local guitar teacher or see much in the way of live music. The Methwold Arts
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Programme (MAP) is an exciting new project that is addressing the
MAP’s main man: Eugene Pryor
issue with a new nationally backed initiative that invites local youngsters to participate in its program of music and arts coaching. Based at Methwold High School, on the fringes of the beautiful Thetford Forest in Norfolk, MAP was founded in 2010 by its Project Director Eugene Pryor (inset)
or many young people growing up in some of
- a qualified guitar teacher, former professional musician and accomplished martial arts expert, no less - and its goal is to provide local youth with a mentoring program that offers one-to-one coaching in music and performance from fully qualified instructors. MAP encourage the students to collaborate in their own musical projects with the goal of eventually putting on a monthly showcase in front of their fellow students, friends and family. As Eugene Pryor explains, part of the idea behind MAP’s launch came as a direct result of the lack of available facilities for young musicians outside the normal school curriculum. “The younger people in this community expressed a strong wish to have access to practising and performing facilities that would enable them to develop their personal interests within this field outside of normal school. MAP offers underprivileged or deprived youngsters in this community the opportunity to access quality
instruction in the arts,” Eugene explains. “We’re providing a facility and staff to enable them to actually have some fun! The youngsters have an enthusiasm for music and an enthusiasm for the arts and they love it! They are absolutely on a high! This is the pinnacle of my achievements as a teacher; the bottom line is that I just want them to have fun and enjoy what they do and we are just trying to facilitate that.”
Master class Within a few short months of getting off the ground, a master class by rising UK blues star Oli Brown demonstrated MAP’s commitment to the project and when Playmusic visited the school’s first open evening at the end of last year we witnessed several impressive performances by the students (whose ages range from between 9 to 17 years) at MAP’s venue, which includes a full size stage augmented by professional lighting and sound equipment. “We’ve also got adults coming in to experience what it’s like, so we are drawing on the community as a whole,” Eugene offers as an example of MAP’s aim to engage the wider local music community. “Our nine year old guitarist Ashley’s dad is coming in and they are doing music here together and sharing ideas at home. The stage backdrop has been done by the Art Club, the Photography Club is here tonight shooting the performance, so the whole program comes together when we do a performance!” Tonight’s gig is a powerful reflection of the high
UK blues star Oli Brown delivering a masterclass at MAP in 2010. MAP hope to invite more big names to participate in their events.
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standard of MAP’s approach to mentoring and the genuinely impressive level of talent demonstrated by the students themselves, but Eugene insists that it doesn’t end here. “Our plan is to create a cultural arts environment to develop the young people’s interests and help them gain qualifications in this area, mainly via the Arts Council.” In terms of payback to the school & local community, Methwold Arts Programme is providing a fantastic service for young people. We look forward to watching this exciting new enterprise enjoy continued success. PM
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