Centre Stage students raise money for local music charity

The charity was chosen in September, at the start of the school year, and the ladies from the Centre Stage adult DDMIX (Diverse Dance Mix) class kicked things off in October by coming to class wearing a wig. Centre Stage donated half of their regular class fees, and held a collection for Coda on the night, raising £68.70 for the charity.

In November, the school held a “Thriller” themed day, where all of the Performing Arts students attended their regular Saturday morning session in Halloween fancy dress in return for a donation to charity. Zoe Mather, Principal and Artistic Director of Centre Stage, commented, “All of the students absolutely loved dressing up, learning the Thriller dance and taking part in lots of spooky activities – and, best of all, they raised £174.55 in the process.”

Centre Stage’s annual ‘Pure Voice’ concert took place in December. This was a Christmas concert with performances from all of the Centre Stage students who have one-to-one vocal tuition at the school. All proceeds from the entry fee, raffle and refreshments were donated to Coda Music Trust and a total of £242.75 was raised during the evening.

Coda Music Trust is the chosen charity for Centre Stage School of Dance and Performing Arts this year and all the money raised from these activities and other fundraising events across the year, will be accumulated and presented to Coda Music Trust at the end of the academic year in 2017. Coda is a unique, award-winning local charity which uses music as a tool for personal and social change. Believing in the power of music to transform lives, Coda offers help and support through participation and therapy and reaches some of the most vulnerable people in the community, helping everyone through music.

Phil Hallett, CEO of Coda Music Trust, commented “I would like to say an enormous thank you to Centre Stage for choosing Coda Music Trust for its charity. I know that the school has raised incredible amounts for other charities and we are absolutely delighted that we have been chosen to benefit this time around.

“Zoe and I have spoken about any money raised being specifically used for creative music projects in local special education schools. In this way, the Centre Stage students will be directly providing music services for their peers who may have physical disabilities, complex neurological conditions and additional needs such as communication difficulties, learning difficulties and sensory impairments. We know from research and from our own evidence that music is hugely beneficial in this environment and we look forward to working with Centre Stage and a number of local special education schools to provide this service.”