Let’s make 2019 a year of music

The Festive Season provided a wonderful excuse to indulge in a feast of musical excellence, with live concerts, radio and television performances presenting a vast selection of genres to enjoy underscoring Yuletide activities for all tastes. My own festive soundtrack included everything from King’s College to Kylie. I was also introduced to ‘Baby Shark’ at an excellent Christmas Eve Nativity Service at Paston’s All Saints Church. I’m still humming that one!

One particular highlight was the final instalment of Neil Brand’s excellent series charting musical movies - The Sound of Movie Musicals. The trio of episodes had started with the iconic golden age of Hollywood in the 1920s and concluded with more recent groundbreaking hits, including Tommy and Grease, the ongoing massive influence of Disney, the cultural impact of Bollywood and the sheer scale and success of 2018’s global sensation, The Greatest Showman (not to mention La La Land and Mamma Mia of course).

It’s no surprise then, that music continues to be a major cultural influence - generating huge sources of revenue to the global economy, employing composers, musicians and performers - and most importantly entertaining vast audiences across the world. In light of these circumstances it is amazing that creative arts within the UK continues to suffer cuts - and is often relegated to a secondary position within schools and other places of learning. History shows that music offers a unique opportunity to influence our cultural development, national identity and brings people together to celebrate a collective “joie de vivre”.

So let’s make 2019 a year of music. Many local schools already acknowledge and appreciate the importance of music to our quality of life - but there’s still more can be done. Most importantly - we need to support live music and the creativity of composers and musicians throughout 2019.

Encourage children to take up a musical instrument, or learn a new skill yourself! New Year gives us the impetus to start anew - and music is a wonderful way to support general health and wellbeing too. Breathing, posture and dexterity can all benefit from playing an instrument or singing regularly. There’s also the benefit of social interaction from joining a group of musicians or a choir.

Interested? Then Peterborough Music Hub will be pleased to share details of local organisations offering training and membership. The Hub’s primary role is to encourage and support young people in developing musical skills, but it’s never too late to learn new skills - or refresh skills long forgotten. The Hub works in collaboration with groups and individuals to support progression routes and lifelong opportunities to share skills and talent.