Music is a precious gift everyone can benefit from. It helps us grow as people developing our minds and social lives whatever age we are. This is the belief which underpins Meludia, an exciting programme the government is making freely available to everyone in Malta, whether local, expatriate or just visiting.

Meludia Ambassador and world famous tenor Joseph Calleja has convinced the government of the enormous benefits of this easy-to-use programme developed for everybody regardless of whether they have no music knowledge or teaching or have progressed to an advanced level.

Congratulations to him and to Culture Minister Owen Bonnici and his team and to the Prime Minister for embracing this wonderful project, which is now spreading around the world.

Music literacy is a basic and necessary human right, no different from the right to be able to speak, read or write.

Meludia has developed over 600 units at different levels that can be used online and are both enormous fun and educational. Children can benefit through a simple process of listening and responding to questions about whether the note has gone up or down or changed in other ways, giving them a ‘musical ear’ before they start on instruments and seeing written notes on the page.

Similarly, adults who have always loved music or been frustrated that their inner Elvis or Mozart has never been able to express themselves will find Meludia extraordinarily liberating and empowering.

There are special tools for music teachers and non-music teachers to help them incorporate the benefits of Meludia into their everyday work with students.

Over 30 years of organising live music, I know how important music is in the life of us Maltese and how much astonishing natural talent we have on these islands.

I am absolutely certain that Meludia will help us make more of the talents we have been given and make life more joyous for everyone.