Cornerstones Corner - Anna Williams, ‘It’s Never Too Late’ Project

….Back in the summer of 2021 we launched Cornerstones, an exciting new development programme for fresh thinking and passionate individuals looking to start a career in community music. 

One year on and with the project successfully wrapped up, we’ve been catching up with our inaugural intake of brilliant Project Leaders to find out more about their projects, experiences, and accomplishments.

Kickstarting our look at Cornerstones, we spoke with Anna Williams about It's Never Too Late, a beginner’s programme of five weekly workshops through February/March which sought to give individuals the opportunity to either pick-up or rekindle an interest in music. Whether playing an instrument, singing live or performing together as a part of a group, the project proved to be a huge success for all involved.

“I feel much more confident in my ability to generate a project and get through to people,” explains Anna. “I worked hard to connect and converse with people on the project’s key message, that ‘It’s Never Too Late’ to get involved with music. People really understood this which makes me want to take the concept and use it again.”

Like other Project Leaders on Cornerstones, Anna experienced several challenges which she had to overcome as her project was forced to change on more than one occasion due to unforeseen circumstances.

“My partner organisation pulled out last minute – the Monday before the project was due to start on that very Thursday, so I had to advertise it out to contacts I knew and open it up to the public very quickly. I was lucky in a sense that I then gained some very dedicated participants afterwards. It made me wish I had opened it out sooner.”

Along with the more typical issues that beset the makings of any new project, the unpredictable nature of a global pandemic provided a whole new set of hurdles for our Project Leaders to navigate.

“It became a real learning curve on how to deal with uncertainty, effectively,” explains Anna. “I was off with Covid one week and one of my tutors was ill for another – however I trusted that everything would work out and the session would run fine without me, and it did! They were great and I could see from the footage that the team really enjoyed it. This taught me to not be afraid of change and in fact, to expect it in more ways than one.”

So now that Cornerstones has come to a close, what’s next for Anna?

“I would be really interested in becoming a freelance community music tutor. I have already set the wheels in motion for this and have really enjoyed being a part of Community Music Wales. I hope to continually develop a relationship with the colleagues and freelancers that work there. I would also like to explore different client groups – perhaps widen the search for ‘It’s Never Too Late’ to other neighbouring areas around Cardiff. I think the core of the project spoke to many people and I would like to expand this out even further.”

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….Yn ôl yn haf 2021 fe wnaethom lansio Cornerstones, rhaglen ddatblygu newydd gyffrous ar gyfer unigolion ffres ac angerddol sydd am ddechrau gyrfa mewn cerddoriaeth gymunedol.

Flwyddyn yn ddiweddarach a gyda’r prosiect wedi dod i ben yn llwyddiannus, rydym wedi bod yn dal i fyny â’n derbyniad cyntaf o Arweinwyr Prosiect gwych i ddarganfod mwy am eu prosiectau, eu profiadau a’u cyflawniadau.

I gychwyn ein golwg ar Cornerstones, buom yn siarad ag Anna Williams am It's Never Too Late, rhaglen i ddechreuwyr o bum gweithdy wythnosol trwy Chwefror/Mawrth a oedd yn ceisio rhoi cyfle i unigolion naill ai godi neu ailgynnau diddordeb mewn cerddoriaeth. Boed yn chwarae offeryn, canu’n fyw neu berfformio gyda’ch gilydd fel rhan o grŵp, bu’r prosiect yn llwyddiant ysgubol i bawb a gymerodd ran.

“Rwy’n teimlo’n llawer mwy hyderus yn fy ngallu i gynhyrchu prosiect a dod drwodd i bobl,” eglura Anna. “Gweithiais yn galed i gysylltu a sgwrsio â phobl ar neges allweddol y prosiect, sef ‘Nid yw Byth yn Rhy Hwyr’ i ymwneud â cherddoriaeth. Roedd pobl wir yn deall hyn sy’n gwneud i mi fod eisiau cymryd y cysyniad a’i ddefnyddio eto.”

Fel Arweinwyr Prosiect eraill ar Cornerstones, profodd Anna sawl her y bu’n rhaid iddi eu goresgyn wrth i’w phrosiect gael ei orfodi i newid fwy nag un achlysur oherwydd amgylchiadau annisgwyl.

“Tynnodd fy sefydliad partner allan y funud olaf – y dydd Llun cyn i’r prosiect ddechrau ar y dydd Iau hwnnw, felly bu’n rhaid i mi ei hysbysebu i gysylltiadau roeddwn i’n eu hadnabod a’i agor i’r cyhoedd yn gyflym iawn. Roeddwn i'n ffodus i mi gael rhai cyfranogwyr ymroddedig iawn wedyn. Gwnaeth i mi ddymuno pe bawn wedi ei agor yn gynt.”

Ynghyd â’r materion mwy nodweddiadol sy’n effeithio ar wneuthuriad unrhyw brosiect newydd, roedd natur anrhagweladwy pandemig byd-eang wedi darparu set newydd o rwystrau i’n Harweinwyr Prosiect eu llywio.

“Daeth yn gromlin ddysgu go iawn ar sut i ddelio ag ansicrwydd, yn effeithiol,” eglura Anna. “Roeddwn i ffwrdd gyda Covid un wythnos ac roedd un o fy nhiwtoriaid yn sâl am un arall - fodd bynnag roeddwn yn ymddiried y byddai popeth yn gweithio allan a byddai'r sesiwn yn rhedeg yn iawn hebddo i, ac fe wnaeth! Roedden nhw'n wych ac roeddwn i'n gallu gweld o'r ffilm bod y tîm wedi mwynhau'n fawr. Dysgodd hyn i mi beidio ag ofni newid ac mewn gwirionedd, i ddisgwyl hynny mewn mwy nag un ffordd.”

Felly nawr bod Cornerstones wedi dod i ben, beth sydd nesaf i Anna?

“Byddai gen i ddiddordeb mawr mewn bod yn diwtor cerddoriaeth gymunedol llawrydd. Rwyf eisoes wedi rhoi’r olwynion ar waith ar gyfer hyn ac wedi mwynhau bod yn rhan o Gerdd Gymunedol Cymru yn fawr. Rwy’n gobeithio datblygu perthynas yn barhaus â’r cydweithwyr a’r gweithwyr llawrydd sy’n gweithio yno. Hoffwn hefyd archwilio gwahanol grwpiau cleientiaid – efallai ehangu’r chwilio am ‘It’s Never Too Late’ i ardaloedd cyfagos eraill o amgylch Caerdydd. Rwy’n meddwl bod craidd y prosiect wedi siarad â llawer o bobl a hoffwn ehangu hyn ymhellach.”….

““I feel much more confident in my ability to generate a project and get through to people.””