A teenager with autism who discovered a passion for drumming after taking up lessons just a few months ago has had his life transformed by music.
Max Thompson, 14, from Ruthin, is one of three sensational young drummers who won a hat-trick of awards from Denbighshire Music Cooperative.
He received the organisation’s Special Recognition Award after a remarkable solo performance at the cooperative’s 10th anniversary concert in St Asaph Cathedral.
His proud mum, Kelly Thompson, said the whole family were bowled over by his dynamic rendition of the hit Mark Ronson number, Uptown Funk, which brought the house down.
During the evening Max, along with Lloyd Powell, 14, and Tommy Pigott, nine, scooped the cooperative’s top trophies for their outstanding musical achievements over the last year.
The awards were sponsored by Pendine Park care organisation through its Pendine Arts and Community Trust (PACT), who were also the concert’s headline sponsor.
PACT was established by Pendine Park owners Mario Kreft MBE and his wife, Gill, wh live in Denbigh, to support cultural and community initiatives across the region, who are celebrating a big birthday of their own – Pendine’s 40th anniversary.
Each of the winners was presented with a gleaming silver cup engraved with their name, a year’s worth of funding for music lessons with the cooperative along with a cash prize of £100.
According to Mario, he was thrilled to see three such gifted young musicians gain recognition.
He said: “You do not get to be this good without putting in hours of practice and these three young learners have clearly put in many hours honing their craft.
“We hope the funding for a year’s worth of lessons will help them further their passion for the drums and for music as a whole. Well done to all three, they are worthy winners.
“We felt that it was particularly appropriate for us to be supporting the concert and the awards because our intergenerational approach is central to our ethos at Pendine.”
The annual accolades honour students who have impressed the judges by the improvement in their musical skills over the previous year and coincidentally this year the three winners were drummers.
Max’s tutor, Matty Roberts, a percussion teacher and asset manager with the cooperative, has been “astounded” by the speed with which Max has taken to the drums.
He said: “Max has attended lessons once a week since November. I have been amazed at his natural ability and sense of timing. He has shown great determination and focus, and his confidence has soared. We are all hugely proud of him.”
Max attends Ysgol Plas Brondyffryn, Denbigh, which is the North Wales regional centre of excellence for teaching children on the autistic spectrum, where his teacher, Adele Thomas, had recognised Max’s natural affinity with music.
His mum, Kelly, said: “She had often said to us how much Max enjoys music classes but we did not fully realise exactly how much until we saw a video of him playing the drums.
“It was just fantastic and that’s when we decided to ask him if he wanted extra music lessons.
“He immediately said yes and that he wanted to play the drums. He was so excited. To be honest it was really emotional for us as a family.
“Because of his autism Max does not often show excitement but when it comes to the drums he is 100 per cent engaged. It is so inspiring.
“We are exceptionally thankful to his tutor Matty and everyone at the cooperative who has helped make this happen.
“It has changed Max’s whole outlook on life, given him a new focus and so much more confidence.”
Kelly, along with Max’s dad, Peter, his older brother, Jake, 15, and sister Sophie, 10, all went to cheer him on at the anniversary concert where he was presented with the trophy by Cllr Mark Young, chair of the music cooperative.
She said: “It was such a thrill for us all and so uplifting to see Max so passionate about his music. Due to his autism Max often struggles to express himself and what he thinks about things.
“You can ask him how his day went and don’t always get much of an answer but on a Thursday after his drum lesson he’ll come home talking about it non-stop. It’s refreshing and fantastic to hear him so enthused.”
Lloyd Powell, the secondary schools prize, was “beyond delighted” after receiving the prize from Geraint Davies, Denbighshire County Council’s head of education.
He said: “I’ve been playing drums for about five years and I just love it but I never expected to win a prize like this. The funding will be a big help with my future lessons and help me develop my skills further.”
A pupil of Ysgol Brynhyfryd, Ruthin, he is a keen drummer with the school’s Ambrose Pop band, and a member of the Tri County Fusion Band which includes talented young musicians from the three counties of Denbighshire, Wrexham and Flintshire.
Lloyd’s mum, Heather Powell, the founder and director of Denbighshire Music Cooperative, says she is hugely proud of Lloyd whose playing has improved year on year.
“He’s a bit like me, he’s clearly got music in his blood,” she said.
The secondary school award is named in honour of John Pearson, music-loving father of Wyn Pearson, the cooperative’s artistic lead who is a founders of its in-house band, Make Some Noise.
The winner of the primary school music learner award, Tommy Pigott, is a pupil of Ysgol Bro Cinmeirch, Llanrhaeadr.
He has been playing drums for about 18 months, taking weekly lessons with Denbighshire Music Cooperative tutor Ben Neal.
Tommy also enjoys playing with the cooperative’s Junior Percussion Ensemble, which performed at the anniversary concert.
He lives in Llanrhaeadr with his parents Rachel and Ben Pigott, and elder brother Henry, 14, who is also a keen music student.
Rachel said: “. He knew he would be performing with the ensemble on the night but then for him to receive an award as well was just fantastic.”
Tommy was presented with the Gwenda Porteous Trophy, named after the former deputy headmistress of Ysgol Llywelyn, Rhyl by Mario Kreft.
