Recycled technology helps marching band make a big noise!
Atherstone youngsters are getting set to make an even bigger noise thanks to the donation of a recycled computer to their marching band!
Atherstone Youth Marching Band is one of twenty community and voluntary organisations to benefit from Warwickshire County Council’s ‘great computer giveaway’.
On Monday 9th July, County Councillors Ray Sweet and Anne Forwood will formally present the free computer to the marching band’s cadets, their youngest members, at their weekly practice venue, St. Mary’s Church in Atherstone.
Atherstone Youth Marching Band started life in August 2002 and, guided by a team of dedicated volunteer staff, has evolved into the band it is today, regularly playing local carnivals and festivals with their renditions of music ranging from wild west themes to the Kaiser Chiefs!
Operating as a non-profit making charity, the band’s main aim is to provide fun, musical education and activities for local people of all ages in Atherstone.
Warwickshire County Council’s North Warwickshire Area Committee had the tough task of deciding which community and voluntary organisations in the borough should benefit from the free computers.
Ken Manger, Chair of Atherstone Youth Marching Band, said: “The cadets will be the main users of the computer and will hopefully use it to experiment with different sounds, just to get used to different time signatures and tempo.
“Our other plan is to possibly use the computer to help the children identify musical notes and understand the concept of reading music. We would then give them certificates at different levels of achievement.”
Councillor Ray Sweet said: “It’s great to be able to give one of the county council’s recycled computers to a group like Atherstone Youth Marching Band.
"We’re helping to put something back into the community via groups like this, and that’s just the sort of thing we want to do more of.”
North Warwickshire Area Committee covers a large rural area of Warwickshire that includes Atherstone, Coleshill and Polesworth. It has responsibility for making some decisions and recommendations about county council services in the area and provides a local view on the big issues affecting the county. The Committee also takes decisions on grants to local organisations.