A MUSIC festival will celebrate the singing talents of youngsters from some of Wiltshire's smallest schools.

The Wiltshire's Small Schools Music Festival will showcase the vocal talents of primary school pupils with a series of concerts featuring music from around the world.

All the pupils taking part in the concerts attend rural schools with fewer than 100 pupils and the festival is the culmination of a year-long project run by Wiltshire County Council to develop youngsters' musical abilities.

A total of 15 schools are taking part including Lacock, Avebury, Langley Fitzurse, Maud Heath and Oaksey.

Lynn Evans, headteacher at Langley Fitzurse primary school, said the exciting project gave pupils a chance to meet their peers in other schools and benefit from expert music teaching.

"This is the third time they've done it, and we've taken part from the beginning. The first one was such a success we decided to do it again," she said.

Children from years 5 and 6 have learned a series of songs from around the world, and pupils from different schools have joined up for half day singing sessions. However, all the schools will meet for the first time when they rehearse at the Wiltshire Music Centre in Bradford on Avon on the afternoon before the concerts.

Pupils at Langley Fitzurse have also made African masks with pupils from Lacock Primary School, as part of a design and technology day, and they will be wearing them in a dance during the evening of the concert.

The concerts will be held for parents and school staff at the Wiltshire Music Centre between June 23 and July 2.

Valerie Hayward, head of Wiltshire's music service, said: "This series of concerts will be a fitting celebration of a year-long project that has brought together more than 1,000 children."