If you’re keen to sign your child up for ukulele lessons in Swindon, or wherever you live, chances are that you already appreciate the benefits that music can bring to someone’s life.
But it’s incredible the transformative effect these kinds of lessons can have when they’re offered to every pupil in a school.
Classic FM recently highlighted the success of a scheme that does exactly that. Truda White, a headteacher who founded the Music in Secondary Schools Trust, explained that she used this concept to turn around her school in Islington, which was struggling. It now has an Ofsted rating of outstanding.
Sharing comments Ms White made in an interview with the Times, the news provider revealed why learning a musical instrument has such an impact.
“Children learnt to cooperate, concentrate, sit still and cherished their instruments,” she stated. Ms White added: “Music is transformative, playing in an orchestra teaches teamwork, resilience and interdependence.”
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Nicola Benedetti are patrons of the scheme and vocal supporters of children learning to play musical instruments at school. Mr Lloyd Webber recently said that it’s not about making children into professional musicians, but about recognising that music is “an empowering force for kids”.
He has also been highly critical of cuts to the music and arts programmes in schools around the UK.
It seems that there’s much room for improvement in the UK’s schools, after a report by Newsround revealed that many young people aren’t able to have music lessons at school because state schools don’t have enough music supplies.