Community Music Wales | Cerdd Gymunedol Cymru

What Community Music Wales | Cerdd Gymunedol Cymru does

Community Music Wales (Cerdd Gymunedol Cymru) is a national arts charity registered in Wales in 1991 and operating under its current name since 1992. The organisation delivers participatory music workshops, training, and mentoring across Wales from offices in Merthyr Tydfil (headquarters), Caerphilly, and Bethesda/Gwynedd, with services delivered bilingually in Welsh and English. Its programme portfolio spans youth music (RiFF), identity and heritage projects (Ffordd Sain along the A470, Aber i Aber along Welsh coasts), mental health and wellbeing initiatives (Calonnau Cerddorol, Iachau Cerddoriaeth, Resonance, Kulture House Cymru, Forget Me Knot), talent incubation (Cornerstones Foundation), and the long-running Community Music Tutor Training Course that has trained over 10,000 musicians since 1992.

The core technology stack is modest: a Squarespace-hosted bilingual website, social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, X/Twitter), a SoundCloud presence for project audio, and embedded Google Maps for interactive project showcases such as the Ffordd Sain Sound Map and Aber i Aber map. There is no proprietary software product, no app, no public API, and no documented AI or machine learning capability.

The business model is that of a registered charity. The vast majority of revenue is grant income from Arts Council of Wales, the National Lottery Community Fund, Taith (Welsh Government international exchange programme), BBC Children in Need, the Rayne Foundation, Postcode Community Trust, the Ashley Family Foundation, the Millennium Stadium Charitable Trust, and local councils (Merthyr, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Gwynedd), supplemented by donations. Programmes are offered free to participants. Distribution is via direct delivery in community settings and through partnerships with mental health providers, youth services, heritage organisations, and local councils across Wales, plus an international exchange programme reaching Italy, Australia, Portugal, Ireland, and Finland.

Name

Community Music Wales | Cerdd Gymunedol Cymru

Legal name

Community Music Wales (Cerdd Gymunedol Cymru)

Website

https://communitymusicwales.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Community Music Wales is a bilingual Welsh national arts charity delivering participatory music workshops, training, and mentoring programmes across Wales, funded primarily through public and charitable grants to serve disadvantaged communities, young people, and mental health service users free of charge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts Services

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Musical Groups and Artists (71113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Instruction (Instrumental & Vocal) (EDAMAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Music Therapy (Educational/Developmental Programs) (EDAMANAK), Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH), Music (Instruments, Voice, Music Theory) (EDAAAGAC)

Keywords

• Community music programs
• Music tutor training
• Participatory music workshops
• Youth music education
• Music therapy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Merthyr Tydfil

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Funding and Grants: As a registered charity established in 1992, Community Music Wales operates primarily through funding from Arts Council of Wales, National Lottery Community Fund, and various charitable trusts. They also receive donations from supporters and engage in grant-funded project work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Community Music Wales is a registered national arts charity that delivers participatory music workshops, projects and training programmes across Wales. Its core activities include bilingual (Welsh/English) community workshops for disadvantaged groups, youth music programmes, music and mental health projects, and a flagship Community Music Tutor Training Course that has trained more than 10,000 musicians since 1992. The organisation operates from offices in Merthyr Tydfil and Gwynedd and partners with local councils, mental health services, schools and cultural organisations to deliver its programmes.

Product overview

Community Music Wales operates as a national arts charity delivering a portfolio of participatory music programmes, training, and mentoring services across Wales. The organisation functions as a unified offering built around its core mission of making music participation accessible to everyone. The main programmes include RiFF (a bilingual youth music initiative launched in 2021), Aber i Aber (coastal communities project), Ffordd Sain (A470 road-based identity project), and Resonance/Kulture House Cymru (peer-to-peer mental health music collective). Supporting these are specialist mental health projects such as Calonnau Cerddorol and Iachau Cerddoriaeth, as well as the Cornerstones Foundation talent development programme. The Community Music Tutor Training Course is the organisation's flagship training product (delivered since 1992) offering courses from 5-day introductions to 16-week full programmes plus continuing professional development. Additional short-format offerings include Rock School/Ysgol Roc workshops, TUDFULELE! ukulele sessions, and Peer Tutoring in The Arts. Projects are delivered bilingually in Welsh and English from offices in Merthyr Tydfil (South) and Bethesda/Gwynedd (North), in partnership with a wide network of community organisations, mental health services, schools, and local councils.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Community Music Tutor Training Course: Training programme for musicians and organisations delivered successfully since 1992, covering principles of community music and skills needed to deliver high quality, effective workshops.
• RiFF
• Ffordd Sain
• Aber i Aber
• Dau Enaid, Un Taith (Two Souls, One Journey)
• Calonnau Cerddorol
• Iachau Cerddoriaeth (Music Healing)
• Resonance
• Kulture House Cymru

Products and services

• RiFF (The Next Generation of Youth Music) Bilingual youth music programme for young people in Wales, offering songwriting, band skills, performance and exploration of rock, rap, folk, electronic and other genres in inclusive, supportive workshop environments led by active Welsh musicians.
• Aber i Aber (Mouth to Mouth) Participatory project exploring Welsh identity in estuary towns and coastal communities across Wales, working with 10 diverse communities to produce original music, videos and creative outputs through bilingual community workshops.
• Ffordd Sain (Sound Way / Sound Road) Participatory music project engaging communities along the A470 road in Wales to explore Welsh identity through songwriting, performance, animation and video making, resulting in an interactive Sound Map of community-created content.
• Calonnau Cerddorol (Musical Hearts) Community music and mental health project offering group workshops, one-to-one sessions, songwriting, recording and community performances for people with mental health challenges, including older residents, in partnership with Welsh mental health providers.
• Iachau Cerddoriaeth (Music Healing) Year-long participatory music project supporting young people across North Wales living with severe mental health conditions through songwriting, music creation, recording sessions and live performances delivered bilingually.
• Resonance: Peer-to-Peer Music Collective Peer-to-peer music collective enabling people with experience of mental health challenges to create, rehearse and perform music together over a 16-week programme, with studio recording and live performance outcomes and an associated Community Music in Mental Health Settings (CMiMHS) training course.
• Community Music Tutor Training Course Flagship training programme offering 5-day introductory courses, a 16-week full community music course and CPD sessions covering workshop skills, ice-breaking, songwriting and working with specific needs, including specialist Community Music in Mental Health Settings training.
• Cornerstones Foundation Talent development and mentorship programme providing funding and support for emerging community music practitioners to design and deliver their own community music projects.
• Forget Me Knot Well Being Project Weekly music workshop project in Aberdare delivering mental and physical well-being support for people affected by dementia, Alzheimer's and memory/brain trauma through group music sessions.
• Dau Enaid, Un Taith (Two Souls, One Journey) International exchange programme enabling CMW staff and early-career musicians/tutors to share community music best practice with partner organisations in Italy, Australia, Portugal, Ireland and Finland, with reciprocal visits to Wales.
• Rock School / Ysgol Roc Short-format multi-day music workshop programme teaching singing, electric guitar, bass guitar and drums, delivered free of charge by professional musicians at community venues.
• Peer Tutoring in The Arts Free three-day course for young people aged 16-25 to learn to lead peer arts sessions and design projects in their chosen art-form, delivered in partnership with Rhondda Cynon Taf Council.
• TUDFULELE! Free Ukulele Starter Sessions Free weekly ukulele starter sessions held on Tuesday evenings at Canolfan Soar in Merthyr Tydfil, with separate junior (8+) and adult groups, in partnership with Merthyr Tydfil College.
• Kulture House Cymru Initiative of Community Music Wales that houses the Resonance peer-to-peer music collective and other mental-health-focused community music programmes, delivered in partnership with Ty Canna and funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10,000 musicians trained since 1992
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• TAPE Community Music and FilmminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Conwy-based arts organization partnering for Aber i Aber project creating films and soundtracks about local myths and legends with mental health community participants.
• Conwy MindminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Mental health charity in North Wales partnering for Aber i Aber Conwy project exploring coastal myths and stories.
• MwldanminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Cardigan arts centre partnering for bilingual songwriting mentorship programme Aberteifi for musicians aged 18+.
• Aberjazz FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Five-day world music festival in Fishguard partnering for inclusive music experiences and workshops in Abergwaun.
• Ty SiamascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Iconic folk music centre in Dolgellau, North Wales. Partner for Tradd-OD storytelling and sound project and Ffordd Sain sound engineering workshops.
• Mycelium Storytelling HubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Storytelling organization part of Beyond the Border International Storytelling Festival. Partner for Tradd-OD project creating immersive sonic retellings of local Welsh legends.
• Cathays Community CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Community centre in Cardiff partnering for The Aqua Project with adults with learning disabilities attending Inclusive Day Provision programme.
• Immaginaria Coop Sociale OnluscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Italian community arts organization in Procida. CMW staff and tutors participated in international exchange learning community music practices with partners from Georgia, Poland, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Serbia.
• AlbergAR-TE associação culturalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Portuguese arts organization in Albergaria-a-Velha hosting community orchestra project 'Orquestra (In)Quieta' and annual arts festival.
• Creative Lives: EdenderryminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Irish community arts organization in County Offaly. CMW participated in drop-in community music workshops and taught Welsh language songs.
• Kukunori ryminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Award-winning Finnish culture and mental health association in Helsinki. CMW learned about their 'Culturehouse' peer support and creative activities model.
• Gary 'Ragsy' RylandminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Welsh singer-songwriter who founded Forget Me Knot Well Being Project, supporting those with dementia, Alzheimer's, and memory/brain trauma through music.
• Ty CannacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Mental health support organization and user-led resource centre in Cardiff. Partner for Calonnau Cerddorol music and mental health project, and ongoing weekly music workshops through Cardiff Council's Mental Health Outreach programme.
• Arts Council of WalescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Welsh Government's arts funding body. Major funder and supporter of mental health and wellbeing programs including Calonnau Cerddorol through their Mental Health and Wellbeing Programme, and Create Lottery funding for Ffordd Sain and Aber i Aber projects.
• AdferiadminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Recovery organization one of six partners for Iachau Cerddoriaeth project engaging young people with mental health challenges.
• Kim InspireminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Mental health charity partnering for Iachau Cerddoriaeth project and Aber i Aber Holywell songwriting project.
• GisdaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Youth homelessness charity in Caernarfon partnering for Aber i Aber project where young people created films and music about living near water.
• Living LevelscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership for Aber Hafren sound recording project exploring acoustic environments of Welsh estuaries as part of Aber i Aber coastal communities project.
• Oasis CardiffminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Refugee support organization partnering for Ffordd Sain Refugee Week project exploring Welsh landscape and culture.
• Cardiff Council Mental Health Outreach ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Ongoing partnership delivering weekly music workshops at Ty Canna for people with mental health challenges.
• Merthyr CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Local council funder and partner for RiFF youth music project.
• RCT CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Rhondda Cynon Taf local council funder and partner for RiFF youth music project.
• Gwynedd CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021North Wales local council funder and partner for RiFF youth music project.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sound Connections: London-based community music charity delivering participatory music programmes, training, and workforce development for musicians. Directly comparable training programme and community music delivery model, though London-focused.
• Live Music Now: UK-wide charity delivering live music workshops and performances in community, healthcare, and care settings for people with limited access to music. Highly comparable as a participatory community music charity working with disadvantaged groups, though broader UK-wide rather than Wales-specific.
• Drake Music: UK charity pioneering music, disability, and technology, delivering inclusive music-making opportunities for disabled people. Strong overlap with CMW's Aqua Project and inclusive music workshops for people with learning disabilities.
• Nordoff Robbins: UK charity delivering music therapy services and training for people with disabilities, mental health conditions, and life-limiting illness. Comparable mental health music programming (e.g., Calonnau Cerddorol, Iachau Cerddoriaeth) though more clinically-focused.
• Sing Up: UK charity dedicated to singing-based music education and engagement, particularly for children and young people. Comparable as a participatory music-focused charity delivering inclusive programmes across the UK, with similar funder-driven model.
• Key Changes: UK charity using music-making to support mental health recovery and wellbeing, particularly for young men. Comparable mental health music programming model to CMW's Calonnau Cerddorol and Resonance projects.
• TAPE Community Music and Film: Conwy-based community music and film charity that is an existing partner of CMW, delivering participatory music and creative media programmes in North Wales. Closest geographic and operational peer.

Regional players

• Music Generation: Ireland's national music education programme delivering participatory music-making opportunities for children and young people. Highly comparable as a national community music charity, but operates in Ireland rather than Wales.
• Sistema Scotland: Scottish charity delivering intensive community-based music education programmes for children in disadvantaged areas. Comparable as a community music education charity targeting inclusion, but Scotland-specific.

Broad incumbents

• Youth Music: UK-wide charity funding and supporting music-making opportunities for children and young people aged 0-25, including grants to organizations like CMW. Acts as both a sector funder and adjacent peer in youth music delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CMW_CGC
• Facebookfacebook.com/CommunityMusicWales
• Instagraminstagram.com/cmw_cgc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-music-wales

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Music Wales | Cerdd Gymunedol Cymru