Happy New Year!
Welcome to the Spring Term at Coda. We hope you all had a relaxing festive break. All lessons, courses and groups start back today, Monday 9th January (with a couple of exceptions).
A reminder that there will be no Beautiful Sounds on Thursdays until after half term.
Also, a reminder that Chris Hopgood will be leading both Tuesday’s Beautiful Sounds sessions and Rusty Rockers until half term. Stuart is recuperating and, all being well, on course to return to Coda in February as planned.
If you are looking for something new to do in 2023, we still have two places available on our Beginners Piano Course. Be quick, though, as it starts tomorrow! Full details are below.
BEGINNERS PIANO
Tuesdays 7.30 – 8.30pm
Starting Tuesday 10th January
in The Piano Room, Coda Music Centre
Cost £100 for 10 week course
Our new adult (16+) ‘Piano For Beginners’ course starts this week.
Sessions will take place on a Tuesday evening from 7.30 – 8.30pm, starting Tuesday 10th January and will be led by Vivienne Kirk.
Adult Beginners Piano is a 10-week course specifically designed for absolute beginners with no prior knowledge of music. The sessions introduce the basics of playing the piano and the foundations for learning to read music and understanding the theory of music.
If you’d like to join the course, get in touch ASAP on 01425 276161 or email contact@coda.org.uk
ROADWORKS (AGAIN!)
Unfortunately, a further five weeks of roadworks are planned on the A35 in Hinton Admiral, starting today.
Essential maintenance will be taking place in Lyndhurst Road, near the Cat and Fiddle pub, with temporary traffic lights in place at the junction with Ringwood Road until (approximately) 20th February.
Drivers will be unable to turn right onto the A35 eastbound from the Walkford section of Ringwood Road and unable to turn right onto the A35 westbound from the Bransgore side of Ringwood Road. Two small diversions will be in place.
If this is your usual route, it may be worth considering approaching Coda via Highcliffe instead.
In addition, if you are travelling from Poole or Bournemouth, temporary four-way traffic lights are causing long delays at Iford Roundabout and a lane closure further along the A35 in Barrack Road is causing further congestion!
Please ensure you allow extra time for travelling to the music centre, as this will almost certainly result in prolonged journeys and travel disruption.
We are so sorry for the inconvenience and will keep you updated of any changes to the situation. It is, yet again, incredibly frustrating for us all but we thank you for your patience whilst these works are completed.
POTHOLES
Our apologies also for the current state of the driveway and the potholes. Please take extra care and drive really slowly on site until the weather improves and we are able to make repairs. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to fill the potholes whilst it is this wet.
CREATIVE WELLBEING STUDIO CROWDFUNDER – WE DID IT!
At the close of our Crowdfunder campaign, on 26th December 2022, we successfully raised £20,040 (plus an estimated £2447.50 in Gift Aid).
Enormous thanks to our 43 supporters, who donated and helped us to achieve our fundraising target of £10,000 in just 56 days, which has now been match-funded by Sovereign Housing taking us to over £20,000.
This new Creative Wellbeing Studio is a key element of our larger capital development project for 2023 and will specifically support the wellbeing of local people through creativity, craft and art therapy.
GRAND PRIZE WINNER
Huge congratulations to Isabelle who (via dad Martin) won the Coda Grand Prize Draw just before Christmas – and is now the lucky owner of the Squier Stratocaster pack.
It’s the perfect prize for Isabelle, as she has recently started guitar lessons and now has everything she needs to start rocking straight away!
Thank you to everyone who entered the prize draw – we raised a fantastic £260 towards our bursary scheme, which provides support for those in financial need to access Coda’s music services.
EUROPEAN FINGERSTYLE GUITAR COMPETITION
Towards the end of last year our super-talented guitar tutor, Jonny Vernam, competed in the European Fingerstyle Guitar Competition in Exeter.
It was a truly international affair with guitarists from Italy, Latvia, Poland and the USA, as well as the UK, all competing for the title. Congratulations to Jonny, who made it into the semi finals!
Jonny is already planning his return to the competition in 2023, commenting: “I learnt a lot from the experience and I’ll come back stronger and wiser next year – ready to try again!”
TRINITY EXAMS
For anyone wishing to participate in Trinity Exams in the Spring Term, a reminder that the closing date for entries is the 26th January.
The exams will take place on 25th & 26th March.
CLUB CREATE
Club Create returns on Friday 16th January. These drop-in sessions are fun and active workshops for learning disabled adults, with an emphasis on hands on making for anyone who loves to draw, stick, paint and create!
Offered by Coda’s partner charity hArt, Club Create arts and crafts sessions are led by art facilitator Karen Blake. Sessions take place in the Coda Café on a Friday morning from 10.30am to 12pm and run each week throughout term time.
If you are interested, please get in touch. It is important for us to have an idea of numbers so that we provide sufficient art and craft resources, so please book ahead if you would like to attend.
Contact us on contact@hart.works or telephone 07999 492808 if you would like to take part.
We look forward to welcoming you all back.
