"I
was given piano lessons because my brother didn't practice. This led
to my life long love with the piano, and a fascination with playing
all types of instruments. I was given a full grant to Chethams school
until I was 19. I defected from music for a while, by studying dance
and theatre at Dartington College of Arts. Music kept following me
about including a spell of teaching in Hong Kong. With theatre
performance and dancing experience also under my belt, I returned to
music study, taking a piano diploma at Trinity College of Music.
Alongside
piano teaching I became interested in early childhood music,
developing my teaching work in nursery groups alongside my private
piano teaching work. Having a motorbike was the only way I could get
anywhere quickly in London, and to maximise the volume of work that
was building up. This inevitably led to my dream of having a music
house full of children learning different instruments, with me living
at the top! The Music House for Children was founded in 1994 as a not
for profit music school to provide children in homes, nursery schools
with musical learning, performance and training for teachers. At this
point I did not have a real building.
In
2001 together with my husband, Charlie Raworth, we purchased an old
snooker club. This is now Bush Hall in West London, a beautiful
Edwardian concert hall hosting international and national artists
concerts, showcases and private events. Our Boston Steinway grand
serves as an apt and very lovely piano for visiting artists, although
my dream would be to adopt a Bosendorfer, as the acoustics are so
resonant in Bush Hall.
The
Music House for Children’s new home became the next-door building
to the hall to give children who could not afford instrumental
tuition the same opportunities as those having private home tuition.
In addition I was able to provide training to early years and
instrumental teachers on site, as well as music workshops, holiday
activities and specialist music classes.
I
have over 60 instrumental tutors, and early childhood music
specialists working with me, in homes, schools and in nursery groups.
We are unique as a school in that we provide early childhood music
for families, newborn babies and toddlers, instrumental learning and
performance opportunities each year, all under two roofs. We are in
the process of creating a new restaurant called Bush Hall Dining
Rooms to provide delicious food for families, artists, audiences and
musicians enjoying musical experiences at Bush Hall and The Music
House for Children. This will open this May
(www.bushhalldining.co.uk)
As
a baby the multi-sensory embedded musical experiences provides them
with an instinctive understanding of music when they later come to
learn an instrument. Every child is invited to perform at Bush Hall
each year to reflect achievement, parents’ ability to see progress,
and build on confidence and social engagement with other young
musicians. My interest in the benefits of early musical engagement
led me to taking an MA in early childhood music (at Birmingham City
University), due to be completed this July.
Termly
training for all our music teachers provides fresh, updated and
inquisitive ways to continue with their work in music teaching. With
very young children using their instruments to draw out musical
responses and curiosity is compulsory! We also provide training in
early childhood music teaching throughout the UK.
My
enduring love of the piano has continued to provide inspiration for
composing music for babies and young children (check out Little
Birdsong – www.littlebirdsong.co.uk).
The books have just been taken on by an American publishing house,
and due for re-launch this summer. Our insistence for high quality
music provision is reflected too, in our commissioning an instrument
maker. We now provide and sell early childhood instruments reflecting
a range of tactile shapes, sounds, and are of high quality, and
extremely durable (www.littlebirdsong/resources/treasurebasket)
I
am still very much in tune with my piano playing, having recently
performed at Robert Lockhart (late composer and pianist)’s memorial
service, playing one of his early pieces. I also performed at Sark
island to a private party. In my spare time I play the trumpet (my
other favourite instrument) at celebrations and weddings.
I
play a range of instruments including French Horn, Guitar, fife,
whistles, violin, melodica, ukulele. These all emerge during my
teaching work with babies and young children since live music is an
integral and inextricable glue to a child and parent’s musical
experiences. My other message in this habit of multiple instrumental
playing, is to encourage others to pick up their instrument and to
enjoy playing whenever they can.
The
Music House for Children is currently going through major
refurbishment. We are still waiting on hopeful funding and/or
sponsorship to enable extension of the former ground floor studio
into a more modern, ground floor space to enable more group music
provision, with a particular emphasis on children with special needs.
As
our twentieth anniversary approaches next January, we look forward to
celebrating continuing diversity and opportunity for children and
families in musical learning, not least, supporting music teachers
and our musicians of the future." (Emma Hutchinson)
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