Teachers deliver instruments to ensure music lessons can continue

Teachers in Trafford are going above and beyond to make sure students receive their music lessons during lockdown.

Headteacher Sally Nunwick, from Moss Park Junior School in Stretford, and her team have been out delivering trumpets to their students in Year 4, direct to their homes. The teachers are making sure that the pupils can take part in the whole-class tuition on Monday mornings, with specialist trumpet teacher Becky Jones, from Trafford Council’s music service.

Mrs Nunwick said:

“We didn’t want any child to miss out on having their trumpet lessons so that’s why we’ve given parents the choice to either collect from school or for us to arrange a home delivery – as we recognise that parents are really busy too. It’s important that our students continue with their education and that we enable all our pupils to achieve their potential, despite the challenging circumstances.”

Despite Covid-19 restrictions, more than 840 children from 28 primary school classes are taking part in whole-class music lessons with Trafford Music Service, learning trumpet, violin, saxophone and much more. In addition to the whole-class tuition, the ground-breaking music service is providing 826 primary-secondary school pupils music lessons each week. Early on in the pandemic, the service – led by head Ruth O’Keefe – pioneered the use of digital technology to ensure music could still be continued.

Cllr Karina Carter, Trafford Council’s Lead Member for Schools, said:

“Parents and schools are recognising that music is an essential element to the school day. It’s more than just a break from academic studies, children are appreciating the role music can have in their mental wellbeing, their creativity and – very important in these difficult times – it is also great fun.
This all feeds into our priority of enabling children to thrive and achieve their potential and we can’t wait to welcome more young people to our service.”

Trafford Music Service provides exceptional music learning opportunities to the borough’s young people, from infants to 18 years of age, either through school or lessons at its base in the Claremont Centre in Sale town centre: which have now been replaced by remote digital lessons.

Since the remote digital lessons have been so successful, the service now offers tuition to adults desperate to learn an instrument. For more information on learning a musical instrument, visit www.traffordmusicservice.co.uk or email music.service@trafford.gov.uk.

Posted on Thursday 11th February 2021