Havering Music School goes online to continue lessons and inspire community
Over 650 Havering Music School students are continuing their lessons online, despite the disruption caused by Covid 19.
Teachers at the school are now doing one to one music lessons with students over video calls, teaching pupils from 5 years old through to 18 a whole range of different disciplines.
Other teachers are producing free online tutorials, music sheets, and quizzes to keep students busy during lockdown.
Havering Council has frozen music school lesson fees to ensure that those financially struggling are still able to continue learning.
The pandemic has also led the school to come up with intuitive ways of keeping students engaged with their learning and practicing too, whilst also providing the community with a much-needed respite from Covid 19.
Live at Five is a live music initiative produced by the school, where students and teachers play music to their neighbourhood every Friday at 5pm.
Live at Five has proved a hit, with many taking part each week, giving people the chance to perform what they have been practicing whilst lifting community spirits and connecting with their neighbours.
The school are coming up with other exercises and competitions too, such as the composition competition, where the best compositions will be picked and performed, with genres from grime through to classical.
Councillor Damian White, Leader of Havering Council, said:
“Music has always been a beacon of hope in dark times, and so Havering Music School is more important than ever. The hard work and dedication of the tutors and pupils is inspiring, and is a shining example of how Havering residents are making the most of their lockdown.”
Havering Music School are now raising money to assist students who may not be able to afford to learn an instrument once the crisis is over.