At the weekend, Manchester City footballer and piano player Nathan Aké surprised a Manchester-based community venue with a special donation of a digital piano.
Celebrating International Piano Day on Saturday 29th March, Band on the Wall, a not-for-profit youth music organisation, received a brand new Casio PX-S7000 digital piano, on behalf of Nathan and Casio Music UK. Members got to try it out immediately during the Saturday Music Club session.
The gift is part of a project set up by Nathan Ake and Casio Music UK called ‘Playing For Change’. Set up a year ago in partnership, the project aims to increase the access of the provision of music education around the country. This first-of-a-kind initiative has so far seen 12 CDP-S110 digital Casio pianos donated to disadvantaged schools around the UK experiencing lack of funding in relation to music provision, with more schools due to receive them.
Nathan learnt piano during the first Covid-19 lockdown and testifies to the benefits it brings, such as improved mental wellbeing, mental health, physical health, more focus time and much more. Like Casio, Nathan feels passionately that all children should have access to the benefits of music education. For International Piano Day this year, Nathan donated the brand new, professional range PX-S7000 Casio piano to Band on the Wall, so that it gives even more young people the opportunity to learn.
Manchester City FC footballer and piano player, Nathan Aké, said: “To celebrate International Piano Day, Playing For Change is very excited to be donating a piano to Band on the Wall. I hope you guys enjoy the piano as much as I do and keep learning and seeing the benefits of it – enjoy!”
Band on the Wall, a legendary venue at the heart of Manchester, hosts a range of community events, including its Saturday Music Club, a fun, inclusive learning programme where young people can discover music and develop their skills, which is generously funded by the Oglesby Charitable Trust. Young people are taught piano during these sessions and have formed bands to create their own music. To have such a brilliant instrument readily available will make a huge impact on participants.
Alongside this, the venue has a long partnership with Manchester College, so Nathan’s donation will be used to help deliver their music courses, providing more young people with an opportunity to study music. Band on the Wall even runs a weekly youth band, in partnership with local charity Community Arts Northwest, for individuals who have experienced forced migration through the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) Many members of this group are keen pianists and will love playing Nathan’s piano.
Alice McIlwraith, Head of Learning and Participation at Band on the Wall added, “We aim to provide high quality, inclusive and engaging music education to young people across Greater Manchester that is accessible, affordable and without barriers. We’re very proud about the number of brilliant young musicians we get to work with each week in our education spaces, and to have this incredible donation and support from Casio and Nathan means that we are able to continue and grow our activities. We are hugely grateful for this donation and the impact it will have on our organisation!”
Neil Evans, Head of Casio EMI, commented: “It’s exciting for us to support Band on the Wall with a gift of a brand new Privia piano. We’re hoping it’s used often and inspires people into learning the piano and increasing their access to the joys of music, which is at the core of Playing For Change.”
This generous donation comes at a crucial time as recent statistics indicate that child poverty rates in Manchester have risen in the past few years. According to data from the End Child Poverty Coalition, 44.7% of children and young people in Manchester were living in poverty as of June 2023. This marks an increase from the 42% reported in 2021. Additionally, the Social Mobility Commission’s report from September 2023 identified Greater Manchester as one of the UK’s child poverty hotspots, highlighting the region’s significant challenges and the need for extra funding.
Historically, access to music education has been reserved for children growing up in affluent families. Therefore, in the short term, poorer children miss the benefits music lessons provide – cultivating social skills, physical skills, discipline and patience, boosting confidence, improvement to other academic skills, and much more. In the long term, it denies them the chance to pursue musical careers. This unique collaboration between Nathan Aké and Casio, will provide even more opportunities for disadvantaged young people to unlock potential that only music can offer. For more information, please visit casio.co.uk/emi.
