Groundbreaking Polygiene BioMaster™ technology will be hitting the music rooms of Welsh schools this year. In 2022 Warwick Music won a tender from the Welsh Government to manufacture a new type of recorder – the pCorder. As school recorders are shared among multiple users, the Welsh government wanted a way to provide antimicrobial recorders that reduce microbial growth.
To tackle this problem, Warwick Music has joined forces with innovative technology creatives Polygiene and is manufacturing the pCorder with Polygiene BioMaster™ incorporated into the plastic body of the instrument. As part of the pMusic Cymru Consortium, the instruments are injection moulded in England and are assembled in Wales, promoting work locally for people with disabilities or who are challenged socially.
Polygiene BioMaster™ – Antimicrobial technology for the 21st century
While the pCorder may be similar to the recorder we all know and love from childhood, the inclusion of Polygiene BioMaster™ is innovative. Polygiene BioMaster™ is an effective antimicrobial which can be added to plastics, textiles, paper, paint, or coatings at any stage of the manufacturing process. Because it isn’t damaged by heat (such as the high temperatures used in injection molding), it can be integrated into the material as an additive, delivering powerful antimicrobial protection for the product’s lifetime. That’s a perfect solution if you have musical instruments being used by lots of children.
Warwick Music has already supplied the 53,000 instruments to schools in Wales. “We have been delighted to support the Welsh Government’s ambition for all primary school pupils to access music,” explains Steve Greenall, CEO of Warwick Music. “Recorders are a great way to introduce children to playing musical instruments, and pCorders made with Polygiene BioMaster™ antimicrobial technology will reduce microbial growth on instruments shared between children in schools. That means they can discover the joys of telling a story through music and go on to be inspired,” he adds.
pCorder instruments will be available from music retailers in the UK from April 2023.
Polygiene will also be supporting Warwick Music on Make Music Day on Wednesday, 21st June, across social media channels, encouraging people to get together and create music.