I was doing a bit of reflection today. I've been an adult piano learner for about 2 years now (plus a few lessons as a young child). I was playing some Bach today, it was just so beautiful (his music rather than my playing) I couldn't believe how lucky I was to be able to sit there on my piano and reproduce this music.

I know we've all had a bit of a gripe about talent/giftedness etc over the last few weeks, but it just made me think how really lucky we all are to have the ability to make music and the fortune to have people to guide us in how to do this. I've been able to buy my piano/lessons through my own sheer hard work, but it made me reflect on the people that might not have the finances to buy expensive instruments and lessons, and made me really thankful that I am able to do this.

I'm not a religious person so I'm not thanking a higher power, but it did make me think how lucky we really all are in the musicians community.

A lovely post Frankie82.

I've certainly been thinking quite deeply over this past week......

You know, for all the differences we have, all the different views we hold, everyone here all has one thing in common- we all share a love of music. Besides, if we all had exactly the same views, and did the same things, and all liked the same music, wouldn't the world be such a dull place?

The most important thing is that we enjoy what we do musically. Over and above anything else. I'm not sure what I would do without my music/instruments. Look like this probably.

Your comment re. finances - I wish everyone had the chance to learn some sort of instrument - rich or poor. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Well, I can dream, can't I......

The majority of the people in this country do have the means to do something musically. It's just that they prefer to sit in front of a 50" plasma screen (£x'000) all day because it is much easier to be a 'slob' than actually get off their fat well padded backsides" and do something cultural.

Without reservation I say that every resident of this country has the means financially; there is no true poverty here. Go to the back streets of Benin city or Lagos and there you will see POVERTY. You will also see young and old happily making music from old tea chests, oil drums, their collective voices and whatever other piece of junk they can lay their hands on.

Your concerns for the poor unfortunates here are well meant but misguided.

Yes, you've hit on one aspect of the problem, Roger.

But what I also find difficult is attitudes to music-making. I worked in Africa for a year, and in a school of 500 kids you would have had a choir of ....500 kids. Here in England I am teaching in a school fo about 500 kids....and I'm struggling to get a choir off the ground - I think 15 is the most I've had in a practice session.


So why is it so natural and normal and obvious for Africans to sing.........and so alien to our kids!

Mmmm, not sure I agree with that. Go to a council estate and find a family of six living on benefits, look at their lifestyle and then try to convince me that a piano, tuba, or bassoon would be within their financial reach.

Nor could such families justify the expense of lessons for the children who were interested in learning.

Yup, another very valid point.

Frankie's right, we are enormously lucky to be able to make music, to be able to afford tuition, to be able to afford instruments, to be able to go to live concerts to hear some of the world's top musicians perform. These costs can soon add up, so it's no wonder that the idea that conservatoires are full of terribly nice middle-class people whose fathers are something in the City has currency.

A love of music need not cost anything though. A quick glance at the Argos website confirms that one can buy a radio for under £10, opening up broadcast music to almost everyone.

There is, of course, the instrument we have for free - our voice. Membership of my local choral society costs just under £100 for a year, and we have a bursary scheme for those who are on a low income, which will pay membership fees in full. We're extremely fortunate in that our conductor tries his best to work on vocal technique (not easy with over 100 people!). Even better value is the choir of Valhalla Parish Church, where I can sing for free, and will sometimes even get paid .

So, music can be an expensive interest, although it doesn't have to be.

I agree, especially when schools are turning their backs on musical education (when I was at secondary school if you wanted decent piano/violin/any instrumental lessons your parents had to cough up the cash for them), what chance has a family living on minimum wages got? Although as an aside, when I was a student nurse doing home visits many families in council housing nearly always had copious amounts of electrical equipment (TVs, computers etc). Maybe private musical education is linked to socio-economic status in this country (although you could probably go on and on and write a university thesis on the subject).

In a previous incarnation I worked for an electricity company. Alot of my customers who had difficulty paying their bills had several televisions and VCRs, stereos, computers - but no piano.

I've been to said council estates visiting patients. Yes there are many children (lets not get into THAT debate today!!), but look at what they are wearing: Nike trainers, the latest Man Utd shirt (blinding generalizations...), etc. Look out for the Sky TV; the DVD player (state of the art, no less); the plasma TV; the computers. Count up how many cigarettes the parent(s) smoke.

Yes, a piano and lessons can work out expensive, but I played school instruments, where I had free lessons until 6th form, and only payed a nominal fee to rent the instruments. This could have been spread out over the year. I was a member of Tamworth Choir, which was completely free (and I didn't pay for the instrument!). The opportunities are there, it's up to people to take them.

On elective, in some of the poorest townships in South Africa, I was treated to a wonderful experience on Freedom Day - everyone had the day off and was singing and dancing in the streets, in the pubs, anywhere. Yet some of these people were sick and almost all were truly poor (living in terrible shacks with no electricity, no running water, etc).

Not sure if this will get past moderation, but we can hope

It does often seem to be priority, or perhaps perception of what's important or worthwhile.

A little pupil of mine who'd made a very good start gave up a few weeks ago because money was tight and they were "having to cut down on activities". They had already negotiated a reduction, and I mulled over whether I should or could do more. However - at the last pupils' concert they came armed with a video camera. I decided - right or wrong - that I'd gone as far as I could justify. Regretfully.

One of the main reasons that Kodaly thought as he did was that he wanted music education for the masses - ('Music is for everyone...') - which is one reason why he advocated the voice as the primary instrument. Everyone has one and it costs nothing; it is the most direct way of making music and has the most profound effect upon all areas of development. He saw the acquisition of musical literacy as a civilising force for mankind - and singing together is such a socially cohesive activity, too. I can't imagine people who have sung together wanting to then go out and blow other people up...

If only these large amounts of money constantly promised by the government to enable more children to learn an instrument could be put into training teachers to deliver high-quality voice-based music education to EVERYONE!

With the best will in the world there will be many families who, even if their children are given an instrument and tuition for free, will not pursue lessons in the long run, for a variety of reasons.

Teaching children in the Kodaly way very quickly shows up the very able children. How wonderful if, as Kodaly dreamed, ALL children were taught by well-trained teachers in this way. Then music truly WOULD be 'for everyone' - and it would also become very clear which children would benefit the most from instrumental tuition.

*steps down from soapbox*

You must stay on your soapbox Cyrilla!

*clambers back up*

I do feel extremely lucking to be making music.....my parents couldn't afford to pay for lessons when I was a child, so now my children are grown up, I really relish having enough income to have weekly lessons.

Last evening I was playing a Jean Langlais Petit Piece on my (ghastly) little Casio keyboard - the tone was dreadful but I love the piece so much I can't wait to play it again... (...and I may have found an organ teacher locally ).

Good point Frankie82, sometimes we never realise that we are lucky. We get all that we need, we get the opportunities, we get the luxury choices, but we are always not satistified and wish for better. At this moment I don't mean aimming high is not a good thing, however I believe we should be thankful to God of how much He has given us. His love is fufilling, enough, and better than anything in the universe. All that He gives us, our talents, our success, our achievements, are not definite. You cannot be sure that you'll get what you want; you cannot sure that you'll pass all your exams; neither you can be sure that you'll live tomorrow. Living is thankful, everything is thankful. So next time when we should ask Him why, why do not getting what we wants, why things is not perfect; the truth is, nothing is perfect in the world, and that we're lucky enough to get what we have now, and most importantly: Love from God.

We're all extremely lucky. I have two friends who would dearly love to be able to play musical instruments but are limited by physical disability; one has cerebral palsy, and the other has a hand and arm deformity. Thankfully the friend with CP enjoys creating digital music with his computer, so he's not totally prevented from being a musician.

My other friend had been looking about for an instrument that she might be able to play and I wanted to buy her a one-handed recorder, but they are a fantastic price so I got her a tabor pipe from the Early Music Shop. The tabor pipe is designed to be played with just one hand, as the other hand is supposed to bang a tabor drum at the same time - something she could do despite her hand deformity.

i think that every1 is lucky and i think i'm one of the luckiest people in the world because i play all of the instruments i can do and i have the best people to make that music with and i'm extreamly lucky to have people like that.
I thak God for giving me this opertunity coz it's amazing.....so thanks!

I think the good fortune is in having a passion, a huge, genuine passion for something that isn't harming anyone else or oneself. It could be anything which totally lifts the person mentally from the humdrum of everyday life, giving them a reason to live, to get up in the morning, something which they find themselves thinking about during work or they rush to after work.

What I find shocking is the number of people who don't have a massive, all consuming interest. Those who go to work (which isn't fulfilling them), then go for drinks or go home and watch telly and they do this day after day. There's nothing wrong with this sort of living but if one doesn't find fulfilment in this type of lifestyle, as many don't, then for goodness sake, find something that gets one going!

Hmm, just a little stereotypical there!

It's great that your friend's been able to find something - some of the most fantastic musicians I know have disabilities. Have you ever heard of Mark Bassey, the trombonist? He's amazing - he has some kind of extension attached to one arm to enable him to move the slide. It's clever and he's a fantastic player - he was a jazz soloist with our youth music organisation at the Royal Albert Hall a year or so ago.

And yes, I do feel very lucky. Loads of people have conspired to make music possible in all kinds of aspects for me - my parents who paid for the lessons, the BBC who gave me £1400-odd to get a decent Horn, the people who set up my youth music organisation, the music service who've taught me, the musical contacts who've been able to find things out for me, the people who will be taking 90 musicians including me to Barcelona next week...all kinds of things. I'm grateful to every one of them - it's great.