Music education at St James Cavalier

"Music has a great power for bringing people together. With so many forces in this world acting to drive wedges between people, it's important to preserve those things that help us experience our common humanity." - Ted Turner, Turner Broadcasting System.

"Music education opens doors that help children pass from school into the world around them - a world of work, culture, intellectual activity and human involvement. The future of our nation depends on providing our children with a complete education that includes music." - Gerald Ford, former US President.

With strong statements such as these, it is easy to believe in the benefits of music education. Such benefits are proven facts and children who have benefited from music education have manifested success in society, in school, in developing intelligence and success in life. Participation in music, often not based on grounding in music education during the formative school years, brings countless benefits to each individual throughout life. The benefits may be psychological, physical or spiritual.

St James Cavalier is building on these benefits to organise the second series of Teddy Bear Concerts, which are one-hour live concerts for children aged five to 10 and their families. This is an original and innovative project, the first of its kind and has proven to be very popular both with adults and children.

This project was launched last February, with a full-house turnout for every concert. Concerts were held on Sundays with special weekday performances for schools. Teddy Bear Concerts are the only performances in Malta which are given by professional musicians targeting children. The demand for such concerts has proved so strong that St James Cavalier is producing the second series of tea-time concerts and a Christmas performance entitled Teddy Bear's Sing-Along Christmas Concert.

The story centres around Ned, a young teddy bear who plays the violin. He loves music and he loves playing. However, he feels a little lonely playing on his own. Besides, Christmas is coming up soon and he would love to have a nice big musical party.

Ned has lots of friends who play various instruments but who live in various parts of the world. So every Sunday afternoon Ned takes children on a journey through jungles, forests, mountains and town houses to meet one of his friends, each playing a different instrument. And in the end they all get together for the Christmas special, where Ned searches desperately for the Christmas spirit in order to cheer up his friends.

Through the whole series, children get to meet the following characters: Miles the Elephant (trumpet); Flamia the Bird (flute); Benny the Cat (clarinet); Potamus the Hippo (tuba); Sunny the Slippery Snake (oboe); Chunky Monkey (percussion); and Camille the Swan (cello).

Each character is portrayed by a musician dressed up in colourful costumes that help to capture the imagination of the audience. These friends will introduce the audience not only to the actual instrument but together with Ned's violin will also take the children through a journey of some of the best loved pieces in the classical repertoire. The final concert will gather all the characters together for a Christmas Sing-Along Concert.

New to this series is an emphasis on the children's and adult's participation in song. Each child has to be accompanied by an adult (a maximum of two children per adult), whose participation gives added value to the child's learning process.

The Teddy Bear Concerts are held every Sunday at 4 p.m. Tickets cost Lm2 for an adult and one child. For more information phone St James Cavalier on tel. 2122 3200 or visit www.sjcav.org.