Staff Writer Niamh Cunningham provides details on Ed Sheeran’s visit to Cardiff aimed at supporting youth music education.
On Thursday 9 January, Ed Sheeran completed a short tour of Cardiff to launch his new foundation, The Ed Sheeran Foundation. He stopped off at three different locations to surprise young people, providing support for four Cardiff-based organisations in total.
He began the surprise tour at Fitzalan High School as a special guest appearance in their assembly. He was accompanied by Amy Wadge, his longtime songwriting partner. The event featured performances by pupils and Only Boys Aloud who have previously worked with Amy, and the school, during a song writing project in 2020.
The excitement of the students reached its peak when Sheeran performed two songs on stage and opened himself up for questions in a lively Q&A.
He proceeded to Eastmoors Youth Centre in Splott, where he met with students of Ministry of Life (MOL) Education – an alternative provision of informal music and media opportunities for those who have moved away from mainstream education.
Together they discussed the barriers young people face when trying to engage with music education, after which Sheeran joined in with 35 young people during a music session.
The MOL Education students were visibly shocked and excited by Sheeran’s sudden appearance. As one of them, Ryan, said “I can’t believe it. That’s really Ed Sheeran in Eastmoors. I’m going to be telling my grandkids about this when I’m older”.
The final stop was Cardiff Youth Service’s Grassroots project where Sheeran and his team met with members and participants of Sound Progression, a local youth music charity working in partnership with Cardiff Youth Service who provide free music education across the city.
Both Sheeran and Wadge received a guided tour of a number of music studios and watched impromptu performances from fifteen incredible young musicians.
Sound Progression’s founder Paul Lyons said: “As each door was opened Ed was greeted by surprised young people who were busy creating music and weren’t expecting to see him. The shock on their faces was gold dust”.
A 15-year-old rapper from Splott, added: “It was amazing to meet one of my idols and share my music with him. This experience has inspired me to keep going.”
That is essentially what Sheeran’s foundation is all about. The Ed Sheeran [ES] Foundation is a UK-wide project that addresses inequalities in music education and aims to inspire young people to delve into their passion for music. It supports state schools and grassroot music organisations in underserved areas, increasing the inclusivity and accessibility of music.
So far, the foundation is positively impacting 12,000 children by providing performance opportunities, instruments and pathways into the music industry according to Cardiff News Room.
The Cardiff News Room press release stated that when asked about the initiative, Sheeran said: “Music education has shaped who I am. I’ve always enjoyed playing music, and it’s led to some of the best moments of my life… The Ed Sheeran Foundation is about breaking down barriers and opening doors to creativity”.
There are many ways that music can impact young people. The Children’s Society says that music is a valuable form of self-expression, allowing young children to explore their identities, improve self-esteem and develop their emotional resilience. In fact, 9 in 10 of the Youth Music Network reported in 2022 that music-making helped children build resilience during the pandemic when writing about World Mental Health Day.
The visit celebrated the official launch of the foundation, but was more than just a gesture of goodwill since the four Cardiff-based organisations received funding as part of the first wave of grants. Beneficiaries also included the Aloud Charity, and Ministry of Life Education received a significant multi-year grant awarded to Sound Progression.
Carole Blade, Company Manager of Sound Progression, expressed her gratitude as reported in the Cardiff News Room press release: “We are thrilled to be the principal Welsh partner of the Ed Sheeran Foundation. Their support will allow us to expand our city-centre open-access provision to include weekend sessions at Grassroots and further develop our regarded performance programme. Securing three years of funding not only provides stability but also enables us to plan and grow our offerings in collaboration with the wider music sector beyond Wales”.
MOL Education is also set to significantly benefit from the foundation funding. It is known for hosting the annual Cardiff Music Conference and the support will likely take the event to new heights. The organisation already plans to include exciting industry speakers, workshops and networking opportunities for young musicians.
Zippy, the Director of MOL Education said “we are so grateful to have been contacted by the ES Foundation and for them to offer support for our organisation. They asked us what we wanted and we said that for Ed to meet the young people would be more than any amount of money. They listened and low and behold he is here, jamming with our students. This means the world to us and it will inspire people for years to come. We will not forget this day in a hurry” as address in the Cardiff News Room press release.
The Aloud Charity were also mentioned in the Cardiff News Room press release, stating: “Offering exciting and unique opportunities is part of our promise at Aloud, so an experience of this scale is really special for our members.”
Cllr Peter Bradbury, the Cabinet Member for Tackling Poverty, Equality and Supporting Young People, gave a kind concluding statement. He said: “Ed is a music icon and his surprise visit and the foundation’s launch will leave a legacy in Cardiff, providing the city’s young people and the local youth music scene with inspiration for a bright musical future” as sourced from the Cardiff News Room press release.
The short tour from Sheeran was incredibly well received and there is an overwhelming sense of gratitude from those benefitting from the Ed Sheeran Foundation. It is hopeful that the artist’s support will encourage young people to engage with music in new and innovative ways, inspiring them to delve into their musical passions.
