A sold out Haverhill Music Hub showcase highlights the success and growth of the town’s music scene.
The hub is on Piperell Way, in the same building as DB Sheetmetals. It offers lessons in guitar, piano, and drums. They teach other instruments if requested. The hub features two rehearsal rooms and three teaching studios. A recording studio and waiting room are also available.
The hub has grown since Tony Mumford started it. He now plans to create more teaching space. The hub band, The Tangents, played at the showcase.
Tony started it for himself as a drum tutor. More rooms became available later, so he planned to hire another tutor. Now, he has five tutors. They need more space because of student growth, so they use recording studios for lessons.
The hub has 130 students each week. Tony thought they would have 50 students. All studios operate at full capacity. He ideally needs two more tutors and another studio.
Showcase participants range from ages six to 81. The hub started a group specifically for retired people. The number of older participants may increase over time.
The Arts Centre waives fees for the showcases. Audience members can donate money to the hub. Ten-year-old Olivia Bellamy played Let it Be, a song originally performed by The Beatles.
Tony wants to offer students a chance to perform, understanding the importance of performance experience. You could be talented, but unseen. The goal is to help them perform early in their musical journeys.
Fourteen-year-old Christopher Edwards performed with his band, Bitter Sweet. They were among the acts at the Haverhill Music Hub Showcase. He did similar shows at schools previously, having them perform at assemblies to help them gain confidence. He aims to put them in that position early.
The showcase has grown significantly. The first show had about 100 people and used a cabaret-style format. The Fifth Flaw, from Haverhill, Stradishall, and Cambridge, regularly performs.
He was surprised by how many attendees were not related to the hub. Many people came back to see what was happening. “It was like pulling in normal punters,” Tony said. Seven-year-old Roman Hunt was the youngest performer.
Tony wants to improve Haverhill’s music scene by offering musicians performance opportunities. He comes from Sudbury and believes it has a strong music presence. Oliver Willetts performed Trooper at the showcase, a song originally performed by Iron Maiden.
When he moved to Haverhill, he wondered about the local music scene. He noticed people lacked the facilities to learn and practice. He thinks it’s great to have that now, as it can help get the music scene started.