SOUND Waves South West have enabled hundreds of children in schools in the Bude area to experience inspirational live music workshops presented by Graffiti Classics “The performance was dazzling, and the music was uplifting!”, “It was amazing!”, “I enjoyed learning about the instruments and how they play them”, “It was very musical and creative”.

These are just some of the quotes from the excited children, after watching Graffiti Classics string quartet perform at their school.

Dancing and jiving with their instruments, the musicians managed to tell some wonderful stories with their music. This talented string quartet entranced over 1,000 children within the 10 local schools they visited last week. With their instruments they were able to create sounds of creaking stays of a pirate ship, and gulls screaming overhead set the scene for ‘The Drunken Sailor’, and a ‘Ho Down’ for tales of the Wild West.

The music was interspersed with useful information on the names and parts of the stringed instruments which ranged from two to 226 years in age. The children were asked to join in clapping rhythms, tapping times, and ‘conducting’ a wide range of music, and finally some joined in the Can Can.

The greatest response from the children besides the applause, was the expressed delight in hearing live music again.

Sound Waves South West Music and Music Therapy Trust (SWSW) is a local charity based in Bude and the trustees are delighted that the workshops were able to go ahead, especially as there were none last year because of COVID restrictions. After hearing one of the workshops, some of the children have been inspired to start learning an instrument and SWSW offers a free instrument loan scheme for children who are having professional music lessons. A spokesperson added: “We are most grateful to have received a substantial sum of money from the Bude Music Society for the Instrument Loan Scheme when the BMS sadly had to close down earlier this year.

“SWSW also wishes to thank the D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust and the OneFamily Foundation for funding towards the workshops.”

Further information about Sound Waves South West can be found at soundwaves-sw.co.uk