nEWS
World-renowned composer visits St Benedict’s
Although popular and prolific composer and choral conductor, John Rutter CBE, is in demand across the world, yesterday he paid a visit to us at St Benedict’s to listen to the children’s progress with their melodicas!
Whole classes of our pupils have been learning the melodica. We are part of the Diocese of Leeds’s Keyboard Studies Programme which provides high-quality tuition in a family of related keyboard instruments, including accordion, piano, organ - and melodica - to school pupils, choristers and adult learners across Yorkshire.
At about 40cm long, a melodica’s keyboard is accessible to even the tiniest fingers. Sound is produced by depressing the keys whilst blowing down a flexible tube. These small, portable and inexpensive instruments teach the children both breath control and keyboard skills, giving them a foundation to move on to either wind instruments or piano.
John Rutter was accompanied on his visit by Keyboard Studies Programme Director, David Pipe. As Leeds Cathedral Organist and Artistic Director of the Leeds International Organ Festival, he shares John Rutter’s advocacy of high-quality music education for all young people, regardless of their background.
David Pipe proudly states, ‘Like our Schools Singing Programme our Keyboard Studies Programme aims for children in our diverse communities to aspire to more. We open doors to opportunities in further education, choral direction and accompaniment. We start small, but the melodica can give young people the foundations to become skilful, multi-talented individuals within the music profession. Meeting such a world-renowned musician as John Rutter has inspired the children – and St Benedict’s School might well produce some professional accompanists of the future!’.
