Guitarist's attempt to get school children involved at West Norfolk Music Centre
A guitarist is banging the drum in schools as part of the West Norfolk Music Centre's attempt to encourage more children to discover and develop an interest in instrumental music and singing.
Guitarist Ed Taylor has more than 40 years of teaching and performance experience, and is travelling around West Norfolk schools for the centre, which has been supplying music teaching for the last four decades.
Ed said: "The psychology of how I work is that I offer schools a mini guitar concert, go in and play all kinds of stuff, and then once they’re interested I give a talk explaining the benefits of the centre and what it can offer."
"I teach the guitar at Downham Academy one day a week, and I've managed to get in there and do presentation's to years seven and eight and there's been a big take up from that.
"I’ve also got it confirmed that I’ll be going to Shouldham Academy and the Nelson Academy in Downham, and there’s a lot more schools that I’ve approached and hope to go to soon."
The centre is based at Springwood High School in Lynn, and has launched a major promotional drive to tie in with the new academic year to get youngsters in local schools to come along and give instrumental music and singing a try.
No previous experience, exams or audition is necessary for entry, just a love of music and a willingness to learn.
People can come along and experience what the centre has to offer during an Open Day event on October 29.
The centre offers lessons in piano and keyboard, guitar and ukulele, brass, strings and woodwind, singing, music theory, drums and percussion, and numerous groups to join, as well as being the home of the West Norfolk Youth Choir, and a registered charity.
Ed Taylor, added: "It’s a wonderful place to go and learn because it has a fantastic base of really experienced good quality teachers, who have enormous enthusiasm for what they are doing, and also the facilities are excellent.
“When I go into the schools to tell them about it, I point out the benefits of going along and getting involved with groups, rather than just sitting on your own at home playing, or only playing with a teacher, music can be so much more than that, and the centre offers it in so many ways.”
