Pupils exposed to ‘real-life instruments played by real-life musicians’

No school will be playing second fiddle during the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra’s tour of Otago. Yesterday, orchestra members (from left) Feby Idrus, Frances Christian-Farrow, Cameron Monteath, Abe Baillie, Tessa Dalgety-Evans, and Lydia Ford played at Kakanui School, south of Oamaru.

It was one of the 14 schools they will visit across the South.

Miss Idrus said the orchestra tried to cycle the schools it visited every five years, so no-one missed out. This year they would play for Macraes Moonlight School after a seven-year hiatus.

The purpose of the tour was to expose children to ‘‘real-life instruments played by real-life musicians’’ and support music education in schools. Miss Idrus’ favourite part of each performance was the after-show question time.

Usually the younger ones would forget how questions worked and name their favourite instrument, while other children asked what inspired the musicians to play music in the first place. But it was the orchestra which was hoping to inspire. REPORT/PHOTO: RUBY HEYWARD