One in a MILLION!
This week, we’re recognising the wonderful Annabelle Harland, six, from Middlesbrough. Her dad, Kane, 26, wrote to say…
Watching yet another musical, Annabelle was hooked to the TV. This time it was the liveaction version of Beauty and
the Beast, and she loved it. But one song in particular caught her attention – Days in the Sun.
‘What is that?’ she asked me and her mum Natalie, 25, trying to figure out what instrument was being used. ‘It’s a violin,’ we told her. ‘I want one,’ she begged. Annabelle loves all things music and dancing, so we decided to buy her a little violin, all for herself.
‘You’ve got to be careful with it though,’ we told her.
But it was her pride and joy. Every day she would be practicing, trying to get it to play nicely.
‘Would you like to learn properly?’ myself and Natalie asked her one day. ‘I’d love to,’ she beamed.
And that’s when we came across Tutorful, an Airbnb-style website that matches schoolchildren with tutors.
Deciding on a right fit, we booked Annabelle in for her first session.
She loved every single second of it!
All done through video call, Annabelle quickly learnt the basics of a violin.
Now, she knows all the cords and can read notes.
She’s even starting to play a few tunes!
Every week, she has an hour session via video call and she’s improving her skills every time.
Every night, she puts on a concert for myself, Natalie and her younger brother, Loki, four, before going off to practice on her own for halfan-hour.
With the help of her tutor Lucy, she’s come so far and we know we’ve got a rising star on our hands.
We’re hoping she’ll carry on learning, as it brings her so much joy.
She’s always smiling when playing.
Annabelle absolutely loves her lessons and gets on so well with Lucy – they really are a perfect match.
For the time being, video lessons seem to work well, but maybe later down the line we’ll get an at home tutor to help her progress even further.
It’s a tale as old as time, but we’re so proud of Annabelle.
She gets on so well with her tutor!