Twice the number of students than normal have taken up learning instruments such as the guitar and violin at a Derbyshire school this year as they turn to music to boost their mental health during the Coronavirus lockdown.
Shirebrook Academy, in Mansfield, has seen a significant increase in the number of Year Seven pupils wanting to learn a musical instrument this year, with 50 new starters boosting the total number of students taking lessons this year to 80, with plenty more on the waiting list.
The uptake is in defiance of national trends, with a study from the British Phonographic Industry last year reporting a 21% decrease in music lesson availability in state schools over the previous five years and the Cultural Learning Alliance showing that there has been a 35 per cent decline in pupils choosing arts subjects at GCSE since 2010.
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Shirebrook Academy is reporting a bumper crop of students asking to learn an instrument after music emerged as a major coping strategy for the young people during the coronavirus lockdown.
However, Adam Case, head of arts at Shirebrook Academy, says that the combination of being in lockdown and seeing music being performed on online platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, as well as TV, has led to a renaissance and inspired students to learn how to play an instrument themselves.
And he says that for many students, being able to learn and play music may well be a way for them to maintain a healthy outlook during lockdown.
He said: “Music has always been a big part of Shirebrook and we recognise that now, more than ever, young people need the creative arts, so the fact that the number of students who have asked to learn an instrument has doubled is really welcome.
“Learning an instrument is an excellent way to support wellbeing and mental health, as well as offering students the means to process the complex emotions that they may be experiencing as a result of coronavirus.”
He added that while guitar has proven to be the most popular, there has been a huge uptake in woodwind and violin – with the school’s peripatetic music teachers now working at maximum capacity and boasting an ever-growing waiting list.
Although the lessons are subject to Covid-secure measures, which include increased distancing, no sharing of instruments or sheet music, cleaning between lessons and ensuring students are taught within bubbles, the school is committed to ensuring that as many students who want to learn can do so at a time when other schools have chosen to suspend music lessons.
Among the music students attending Shirebrook Academy is River Hopkins, who this year became something of a YouTube sensation when his song about Mansfield went viral, while a host of Year Seven students are now keen to become musicians themselves.
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They include William Ford, 11, who said: “I really wanted to try something new and was inspired to learn the violin and so, was very pleased when I learned that Shirebook offered instrumental lessons.”
Fellow music student Alexia Corden, also 11, added: “The lessons are really fun and are a great way of expressing myself.
“I definitely don’t want them to end.”
Mr Case said: “It is really promising to think that there’s a new generation of potential musicians and artists, who are beginning to emerge in these uncertain times.
“River joined the school four years ago and showed an amazing talent for music and guitar and has improved exponentially over the years. He is a great asset to the school and we expect big things from him moving forward.
“It makes me really proud that pupils are making the best of the situation and wanting to engage with something new and exciting by learning a new skill, which they may well carry with them for the rest of their life – whether it be professionally or as a hobby.”
They include William Ford, 11, who said: “I really wanted to try something new and was inspired to learn the violin and so, was very pleased when I learned that Shirebook offered instrumental lessons.”
Fellow music student Alexia Corden, also 11, added: “The lessons are really fun and are a great way of expressing myself.
“I definitely don’t want them to end.”
Mr Case said: “It is really promising to think that there’s a new generation of potential musicians and artists, who are beginning to emerge in these uncertain times.
“River joined the school four years ago and showed an amazing talent for music and guitar and has improved exponentially over the years. He is a great asset to the school and we expect big things from him moving forward.
“It makes me really proud that pupils are making the best of the situation and wanting to engage with something new and exciting by learning a new skill, which they may well carry with them for the rest of their life – whether it be professionally or as a hobby.”
