Sergio Camello joins music charity and plans Vallecas school

Rayo Vallecano forward Sergio Camello has joined the charity Action for Music and wants to help establish a music school in Vallecas next year, he told the Guardian in an interview published on Thursday. The project remains an ambition rather than a confirmed opening, with Camello saying he is learning about the organisation as he becomes involved.

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The charity provides children in lower-income neighbourhoods with four hours of music classes each week, covering percussion, string and wind instruments. Camello said families are not charged for the teaching, instruments or space. He identified existing schools in Tetuán and Carabanchel and described his proposed Vallecas project as a way to contribute to the neighbourhood where he plays his club football.

Camello has already taken part in a session with the children, bringing his own developing interest in drumming to the initiative. He said he would like the Vallecas school to have a rock music emphasis and envisages concerts at the end of each year. His aim, as outlined in the interview, is to give children an opportunity to discover an interest, develop confidence and perform in front of their families.

The community work comes during a significant improvement in his scoring record. The Guardian reported that Camello had scored seven goals in seven league appearances, already exceeding his previous top-flight season totals of five, three and three. At the time of the report, only Raphinha had scored more across Europe’s five leading leagues. New Rayo coach Beñat San José has also adjusted the striker’s movement.

Camello attributed his renewed enjoyment of football partly to conversations with friends and his twin brother, Gonzalo. He described trying to play with less pressure and reconnect with the pleasure he felt in the sport as a child. The striker also said he had discussed that approach in therapy, while acknowledging the difficulties that can accompany sudden sporting success and public recognition.

His plans for the school reflect a connection with Vallecas that extends beyond matchdays. Camello described regular contact between Rayo players and local residents, including relationships formed in neighbourhood bars. In explaining his involvement with the charity, he linked the opportunity to help children make music with his wish to give something back to that community.