Permanent employment for 17 more musicians and a wider programme of music activity will stem from the transfer of Flintshire Music Service to Theatr Clwyd.
Theatr Clwyd has taken over the role of Flintshire Music Service. Following two years of negotiations, the company has stepped in after Council cuts to non-statutory services threatened the future of music provision for young people in the county.
New revenues streams will arise from the diversification, which will see the theatre use its infrastructure and resources to manage a wide programme of music opportunities across the whole community.
Continuity and opportunity
It is a move that aims to provide secure employment for music teachers, create more paid jobs for musicians, ensure the continuity of music tuition in the county and boost opportunities for creativity in the community.
The newly named Theatr Clwyd Music Service has now relocated to Theatr Clwyd, where it will be able to access the theatre’s extensive making, production and marketing operations. Both the theatre and the music service will leave the Council in April 2021 and sit within a new charitable trust.
Following negotiations with trade unions, staff formerly employed by Flintshire Music Service under education contracts transferred onto the Theatr Clwyd House Agreement under more flexible contracts. These will allow Theatr Clwyd to deliver music services more widely across the community.
Funding for schools-based work will continue to flow from education budgets, but the new contracts will also open the door to offering more music opportunities at commercial rates. Income generated from this work will be used to help subsidise fees for those young people and families who are unable to pay.
As well as the 18 staff being transferred to the new organisation, Theatr Clwyd has also created a further 17 employed positions for professional musicians across a wide range of instruments.
Liam Evans-Ford, Theatr Clwyd’s Executive Director, told AP: “Right across Wales music services are being cut or severely reduced and many music teachers are being given no choice but to work as freelancers on zero hours contracts. The opportunity to create permanent jobs for musicians is one of the unique – and most important – features of the new service.”
Unproven model
Flintshire has regularly provided music lessons to over 2,500 young people in the county, offering over 700 free and subsidised music lessons every week to young people aged 6 to 19.
Its music service has a long history of association with Theatr Clwyd, including concerts on its main stage and, more recently, a new health and wellbeing project, Singing For The Soul, in partnership with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.
Its desire to see the service preserved in a sustainable way reflects its commitment to the survival of music education in Flintshire.
Evans-Ford sees the strong working relationship with the Council as being at the heart of the plans. He said: “The business model we’re adopting makes sense in very many ways. On paper it stacks up financially and offers a very positive way forward for both Theatre Clwyd and the Music Service.
“But its unique approach hasn’t been tried anywhere else and the Council are aware of this. Fortunately they are very creative in their approach to sustaining their non-statutory services and are willing to support us through the start-up phase as we lay down foundations for a sustainable future.”
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