Music school that had thousands of pounds worth of instruments stolen receives massive grant

By Toby Porter

A music school which had thousands of pounds worth of equipment and instruments stolen by a practised burglar has received a massive grant to emerge from lockdown.

World Heart Beat Music Academy is to receive £67,514 from the second round of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund.

It is designed to fund every day music learning and tuition for the academy’s young people as well as funding its busy live-streamed and face to face concert programme as doors begin to open up once more

World Heart Beat Music Academy in Kimber Road, Wandsworth, has been giving online music learning and live-streaming concerts to help keep its students, many from disadvantaged backgrounds and on bursary support, optimistic during lockdown.

The much-needed funding will help get the academy back on track with plans to reopen with face-to-face music learning and to resume its full concert programme potential, after cameras and recording equipment and a valuable saxophone were stolen last month.

Sahana Gero, MBE, Founder and Artistic Director said: “We are delighted to have been awarded funding from this latest round of the Culture Recovery Fund grants programme.

“Since lockdown World Heart Beat Music Academy has provided an important lifeline to all of our students, many of whom live in challenging conditions.

“We have been running our tuition and talent development programme online, as well as staging a busy live-streamed concert programme.

“The successful delivery of our Covid programmes has shown appetite amongst students to continue developing their passion, particularly at a time when their wider education has been disrupted.

“Funding at this critical moment will enable us to keep our much-needed programme in place, allowing a gradual transition from an online to a hybrid or in person provision as the world begins to re-open.”

Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said: “Investing in a thriving cultural sector at the heart of communities is a vital part of helping the whole country to recover from the pandemic.

“These grants will help to re-open theatres, concert halls, and museums and will give artists and companies the opportunity to begin making new work.

“We are grateful to the Government for this support and for recognising the paramount importance of culture to our sense of belonging and identity as individuals and as a society.”

The funding is from a £400 million pot which was held back last year to ensure the Culture Recovery Fund could continue to help organisations in need as the public health picture changed.

The funding has been awarded by Arts Council England, as well as Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute.