In 2008 my husband (to-be at that time) and I moved to a town in West Yorkshire called Ossett. We were both civil engineers working in the area and it made sense to settle there. Growing up I played the piano, I learnt at 4, peaked early, and played a lot for school at concerts […]
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A question every student of the piano asks, I’m sure. But why are they so important, and why do so many people find them tricky, boring, hard work, a pain in the backside? First, what is a scale? A scale is the collection, played step by step, note by note, of all the notes which […]
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I recently posted a video on Facebook and YouTube about Musical Opposites. It was a really basic introduction to some common musical terms, the ones which I know well because I’ve seen them hundreds, thousands, of times. But there are many more which I don’t remember so well; I remember the word, but I don’t […]
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Come on, make 2023 your year of music. Here are five ways to get more music into your life for 2023. 1. Join a choir. A church choir, a community choir, your school choir (yes, teachers too), your workplace choir…any choir. Singing improves mood. Fact. Singing in a choir has loads of benefits to both […]
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Kids love Easter because they get given loads of chocolate. And then us ‘responsible’ parents feel obliged to ‘help’ by slowly working our way through the mountain to reduce the amount of chocolate consumed by our children, whose health we respect more than our own. Well, my jeans and I would prefer it if grandparents, […]
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Flowers peeking, warmer air, blue skies...has our long awaited spring finally arrived. It makes me feel like singing and breaking out the picnic blanket. So now that it’s officially spring, I thought I’d reflect on some beautiful music which suits this beautiful season. “Thus came the lovely spring with a rush of blossoms and music, […]
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Picture the scene: it’s Christmas; the hall is filled with proud parents and grandparents; the choir is lined up, wearing knee socks and school colours bobbles; and then they start to sing and there isn’t a dry eye in the place. Because everyone loves a children’s choir at Christmas. My children are too young to […]
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1. Ukuleles are a great instrument for beginners and veteran musicians alike. You can just pick one up fairly inexpensively and start strumming. 2. Ryan Gosling plays the ukulele; the ukulele is cool. 3. Kids love them - it’s a great educational thing to experiment with - and they love the noises they make. Whether […]
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Here at Fanfare Music the philosophy behind everything I do is ‘Music For Everyone’. My belief in the power of music to do good is what encouraged me to take the plunge and start the business just short of two years ago. I wanted to provide music tuition which was fun, accessible to all and […]
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After reading an article on BBC News this week I started thinking about inclusivity in music and how ridiculous it is that this should still be an issue in 2018. The article ‘Disability-led ensemble to play BBC Proms’, got me thinking about why there should be any barriers to anyone participating in and enjoying the benefits […]
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