Summary Report of the 2026 Project
Congleton Community Choir’s Community Music Project brought together pupils, community singers, and young instrumentalists for a multi-generational singing programme.
A total of 78 Year 5 pupils from three local primary schools; Marlfield’s, St Marys and Marton & District, took part in 4 singing workshops led by Tom Newall. These workshops culminated in a joint performance in Congleton Town Hall on Friday 13 March. The performance included Congleton Community Choir and a 21-piece orchestra made up of Congleton Youth Orchestra and local young professional players. The performance was conducted jointly by Tom Newall and Phoebe Danford-Wright, Brass Tutor in Congleton Youth Orchestra.
The whole project was organised by our Creative Producer, Joe Clarkson, who also wrote a report for Congleton Choral Society's Executive Committee.
The involvement of Congleton Youth Orchestra (CYO) was a particular highlight. The young musicians performed with great preparation and enthusiasm, and the organisation behind them provided excellent support throughout the project. It would be beneficial to include even more CYO players in future alongside professional players.
In total, the project engaged over 140 participants performing to an audience of 180 people. The Community Choir's Past Events page has a record of the the Community Music Project Performance with a link to all the photos.
The project was generously supported through contributions from:
- Three anonymous donors
- Congleton Inclosure Trust
- Congleton Rotary Club
- Concert bucket collection
- Congleton Choral Society donation
These contributions combined to a total income of £9,873.98. The total project expenditure was £8,507, resulting in an underspend of £1,330 which will contribute to next year’s Community Music Project.Survey
We sent out a short survey to the schools that participated. Here is a brief summary:- Schools rated the project 5/5 for supporting both the music curriculum and the STEM topic of Earth.
- Workshops led by Tom Newall were described as “fantastic” and provided valuable CPD for staff.
- A majority of children participating were hearing a live orchestra for the first time.
- Schools expressed a clear desire for the project to continue annually
"Just wanted to drop a quick email in to say how much my class really enjoyed our session with Tom last Monday. He was vibrant and fun and kept the children constantly working whilst also being
thoroughly enjoyable."
Marton and District Primary School Teacher
Future
Looking ahead, it would be valuable to build additional time into future workshops to enable participating pupils to perform the pieces to the rest of their school. This would significantly extend the reach and impact of the project, allowing the whole school to benefit from the pupils’ learning. It would be an added bonus if we can get a musician or two in there too.You can support this valuable project with an on-line donation here (and email our Treasurer, Pam Upchurch: . to allocate your donation to the project). Alternatively, email our Treasurer for other ways to donate.
