Reminiscing our Welsh Language Music Day celebrations!
Over the last month, the beatboxer, rapper, and versatile producer Mr Phormula (or Ed Holden) has been visiting several schools within the ‘Gwynt y Môr’ cluster, in the northwest of Flintshire, to run Welsh and bilingual workshops in an effort to inspire the next generation of Welsh ‘hip-hop’ artists.
These interactive sessions focused on developing creative skills and ensured that Welsh-medium and English-medium school children in the area experience Welsh language activities full of fun and energy, which will influence their involvement with the language in the years to come. It was fantastic to see the children in every school enjoying creating and engaging with Welsh music in a fresh, modern way.
Talking about his experience in the Welsh music scene, Ed gave the students a unique insight into how he uses sound systems and technology to create popular songs, before working with the students to create their own unique bilingual rap. This demonstrated to them the endless possibilities of the Welsh language and that music is a tool to connect with their culture and language.
On Thursday, February 6th, the schools had a special opportunity to come together to celebrate Welsh Language Music Day by showcasing the work created with Ed by performing their raps in front of the other schools. Mr Phormula also performed live, playing games with the children from the stage. A chance for everyone to enjoy the power of music together.
We would like to sincerely thank the Gwynt y Môr Fund for funding this special project, and Ed Holden (Mr Phormula) for running the workshops and that unforgettable live performance.
Ed Holden was asked after one of the workshops (Mr Phormula):
Why did you join the Welsh music scene?
“It kind of fell into my life really, I met a guy at college, and he showed me how he rapped in both English and Welsh, and that blew my mind, I’d never heard rap in Welsh before. This inspired me to do the same, and then I discovered the Welsh music scene, and that inspired me to start my career.”
How will you celebrate Welsh Music Day this year?
“I’ve got a really interesting event with Menter iaith Fflint a Wrecsam which is going to be fantastic. The schools we’ve visited to run workshops are coming together, and everyone will perform, it’s going to be great.”
How important is it to rap in Welsh?
“It’s all about representation, and I find that if you’ve got a skill or some interesting identity, it’s important to express that through music. I listen to Welsh music all year round, so it’s great that we have Welsh Music Day, but I also think it’s important to have Welsh music anyway.”
Open the links below to hear the awesome raps created by schools within the ‘Gwynt y Môr’ cluster collaboratively with Mr Phormula.
Ysgol Gronant & Ysgol Trelogan
Ysgol Mornant a Ysgol Bryn Garth
Ysgol Bryn Pennant & Ysgol Trelawnyd
A big thankyou to the Gwynt y Môr Fund for funding this special project with Mr Phormula 🙂