London Music Masters: Instruments of Change Livestream
www.londonmusicmasters.org, 7pm
I can't begin to tell you how proud I am to be the Fundraising Director of London Music Masters. We give children from disadvantaged communities the chance to have an oustanding music education. We teach 1,300 children a week violin, cello, or musicianship. We're also training the next generation of outstanding instrumental teachers, who can help more children in schools across the country realise their talent.
A wealth of evidence shows how studying music boosts your numeracy, literacy, confidence and communication. These are the sorts of things that give you better life chances. If you're already starting out from a position of disadvantage, these things really, really matter.
But here's the thing. Along the way we also discover some astonishing talent, children who have such innate musicianship that they have the potential to one day enter our classical music sector. We nuture this talent, mentor and support the children, connect them with conservatoires and watch them flourish. The words 'life changing' are overused, but our work genuinely is.
Tonight at 7pm, over at www.londonmusicmasters.org we're holding a fundraiser for our work. We have Isata Kanneh-Mason performing from her family home in Nottingham, films about our work and our young musicians, a virtual flashmob, and an insight into what we do.
For years there has been a repeated focus on the diversity of the musicians entering our music schools, our conservatoires, and our orchestras. The reality is that to have longlasting, structural change, we need to give children from the earliest ages the chance to embrace music as a right. The right to experience it as a normal part of their education, regardless of your starting point in life, rather than an add-on that's only available to those who can afford it. The right to experience the lifelong benefits that learning music gives you.
Please come and join us tonight. It'll be an amazing 45 minutes - let's face it, it's not like you're going down to the pub or out for dinner.
It'll be your chance to be an instrument of change, in a time of change.
Tonight, 7pm, www.londonmusicmasters.org - see you there!