Creative Learning in Buenos Aires

The British Council has been one of the key financial backers of this tour, and one element it has particularly wanted to support is a programme of Creative Learnng activity. Time is short on such a densely packed tour, but early today Marcus and Lizzie (violins), Clive (viola) and Julia (cello) headed off to Northlands School, far in the northern suburbs of Buenos Aires. The morning-long session had been organised by the inspirational director of music there, Humberto Lopez. He had gathered together 40 children, aged from 8-14, from 6 schools across the city. After a short performance by our players of a medley of Irish and English folksong and shanty arrangements (with dancing demonstrations included), they soon had the children taking part in learning rounds, including ‘London Bridge is falling down’.

Many of the children spoke brilliant English and with their help, and that of a professional interpreter, little time was wasted with language problems. Each of our musicians then worked with a smaller group of children, encouraging them to create a collective piece of music, using the random instruments many of the children had brought along. The results, after under an hour’s work, were amazing - four very different, highly characterful pieces of music. At the end, one wished there had been more time to work with this and other groups of children; how brilliant it would have been if they could have come to hear one of our evening concerts. Above all, what a strong sense there was of the desire and need on the part of the children to make the most of the opportunity offered to them (something which has largely been squeezed out of so many children in the UK by the time they reach this age).

Fortunately, there will be follow-up on this project, as Lizzie is planning to spend several months in Argentina, and has undertaken to help lead more such Creative Learning sessions.

Apologies for the lack of photos; upload speeds are impossibly slow - I hope to add them when we get back to Brazil.

John Bickley