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A 12-year-old school student had a huge surprise when she was taken to Redford Barracks and presented with a professional recording made by Army musicians of her rap inspired by the Windrush generation. Leila McPhate, from Larbert High School in Stenhousemuir, wrote The World Is A Dark Place as her entry for Never Such Innocence, an international arts competition to give children and young people a voice on conflict. Leila, who has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), had learned at school how people from the Caribbean were invited to the UK to help it rebuild after WWII but frequently faced injustice and discrimination. After seeing the black British artist Dave on the Brit Awards she decided to address the issue with a rap. The Army was among the supporters of the 2019/20 competition and Leila’s song caught the eye of Lieutenant Colonel Wendy Faux, the Army’s head of arts, who led the team behind this year’s three-week Army@TheVirtualFringe event. She was so impressed that she arranged for the Countess of Wessex’s String Orchestra to create a new soundtrack for her rap. Leila was invited to the barracks where Colour Sergeant Richard Kerr, Musician Brittany Johnnie and Corporal Scott MacFarlane of the Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland presented her with flowers and a copy of the music on behalf of the Army. Wendy said: “Army@TheVirtualFringe has shone a light on many issues including racism and equality. We have also been trying to support young and emerging talent. So working with Leila has been a perfect way to round off the event. “The contribution of people from Commonwealth nations in Africa and the Caribbean to the Army and to civilian life has been immense but is often overlooked, along with the discrimination so many of them experienced. “The fact that young people like Leila are determined to use their talents to demand a better world gives real hope for the future. “We are really proud to have been able to bring her together with some s

Pupil hears her rap recorded by the army

Music | News
A RAP written by a 12-year-old school pupil and inspired by the Windrush generation has been recorded by army musicians. Leila McPhate, from Larbert High School...

Benedetti hits No 1 with Elgar

Music | News
SCOTTISH violinist Nicola Benedetti has taken the number one slot in the official classical artist chart with her Edward Elgar record. The physical disc was...

Folk musician Karen Tweed publishes sketchbook

Music | News | Visual Arts
PIANO accordionist Karen Tweed has published her first book of sketches. Tweed trained as a graphic artist in the early 1980s before focusing on music...

Online concert for ‘Folk In Crisis’

Music | News
ACCORDIONIST and shinty star Gary Innes will perform in an online concert tomorrow night to raise money for Folk In Crisis, a fund that supports...

Two pupils share St Mary’s Music School prize

Education | Music | News
TWO pupils from St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh have been awarded the Directors’ Recital Prize jointly for the first time in the award's 20-year...

Swedish musician’s search for Scottish Heritage

Music | Performing Arts
Who do you think you are? A question many of us like to ask, but few really know the answer to. While tall tales from...
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