Codi'r To sing their new anthem, composed by Gai Toms & the children
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Codi'r To is a community regeneration project that brings the world-renowned El Sistema teaching method to two schools (Ysgol Maesincla in Caernarfon and Ysgol Glancegin in Bangor) in North Wales.
Professional music tutors work in the schools, leading activities and lessons and giving children the opportunity to learn to play brass and percussion instruments. The tutors also make connections with the children's families and with the wider neighbourhood surrounding the schools, bringing live music to the community and providing opportunities for the pupils to perform in public.
The aim of Codi'r To is to transform lives through music. It is a community development project that aims to improve the lives of individuals and families through its work in primary schools and the new experiences it provides via its music tutoring.
The children take part in weekly Codi’r To sessions. Starting at nursery school, there is an opportunity for the pupils to sing, use their imagination and move to the music. In Year 3, the pupils learn to play a musical instrument and be part of an instrumental ensemble and the samba band.
There is also the opportunity for former Ysgol Maesincla pupils to take part in the Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen Codi’r To samba band and for former Glancegin pupils enjoy the after-school band.
Codi’r To tutors encourage pupils to believe in their own abilities and to recognise their own potential and work to raise levels of confidence, aspiration, pride and happiness.
Pupils develop life skills such as problem solving, creativity, decision making, self-discipline, leadership skills and perseverance. They foster social skills, co-operation, group work, respect for others, improve their communication skills and make new friends.
Codi’r To supports the schools it works in in raising educational levels of attainment, improving its pupils‘ focus, listening skills, ability to follow instructions, language development, numeracy, attendance and educational outcomes.
The Codi’r To team was inspired to set up its programme both by the El Sistema programme in Venezuela but also by more local programmes that use similar methods, such as Big Noise in Scotland and In Harmony in England.
The Codi‘r To project itself is supported by a steering group comprised of members representing arts, community and education interests in Gwynedd and who came together because they wanted to apply the distinctive El Sistema approach to a Welsh cultural context. One example of this adaption to local surroundings is the fact that the project is delivered primarily through the medium of the Welsh language and culture and, as such, is one of only a handful of projects delivered in a minority language.
As part of a drive to provide evidence of the extent to which the project achieves its aims and objectives and in order to assess the impact it has on young people, the participant schools and the community, Codi'r To has been involved in a process of evaluation with Bangor University. If you would like to find out more about this project, then you can access the official report by clicking here.
In November 2014, Sistema Cymru – Codi'r To was added to the Register of Charities. The project is backed by The Arts Council of Wales, Communities First, Gwynedd County Council, Children in Need, North and Mid Wales Reaching Wider Partnership, Widening Access Centre, Bangor University, Steve Morgan Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, People’s Postcode Lottery, Garfield Weston, Big Lottery Fund, Ysgol Maesincla and Ysgol Glancegin.
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