Young Wimbledon Drummer Wins Scholarship

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Local schoolboy gets Mayor's music award

Wimbledon pupil Mthabisi Makanza is one of 70 talented young Londoners are to be awarded four-year music scholarships to help them develop their skills as musicians.

Worth a total of £420,000, the Mayor's Music Scholarships will see the youngsters being given an extensive programme of music tuition and support that they might not otherwise be able to afford.

Established by the Mayor's Music Fund to help talented children from disadvantaged families fulfil their musical potential, it brings the total to benefit from the scholarship scheme to 230.

As Mayor's Music Scholars they get over two hours of learning, music-making and other developmental activities every week, plus lots of opportunities to perform and to attend concerts and live gigs. Crucially, each child has a personal mentor, who is the link between the child and parent, school and teacher, and the fund.

Mthabisi, aged nine, who attends Pelham Primary School in Wimbledon, is learning drums and percusion with the Merton Music Foundation.

Ellie Tapping (pictured right), who has also won an award, is another Merton Music Foundation pupil. Nine-year-old Ellie is learning the violin and attends William Morris primary in Mitcham.

Mayor's Music Fund Chief Executive Ginny Greenwood said: "The Mayor's Music Fund is proud to be doing its bit by ensuring thousands of children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are given the opportunity to benefit from music provision of the highest standard, with the plethora of progression routes this opens up for them."

October 4, 2013