Your Stories

One school in South Wigston, Leicester is alive with the sound of music - thanks to a different curricular subject.

Every pupil at Parklands Primary School is being encouraged to try as many instruments as possible.

They're taking part in "String up sing up" lessons - an initiative to get kids playing and singing within a very short space of time.

BBC Leicester's Bridget Blair has been to join one of the classes at the school and talks to Mark Ferraby who teaches the instrument to pupils at the school.

Mark Ferraby teaches the sessions

Listen: Strings to their Bow

The Year 4 pupils are the perfect students to be taught this instrument, as Mark explains:

"Children will absorb anything. They're little sponges and if you give them a little bit at a time they can learn anything.

"They're not learning guitar they're learning about music which they can apply to any music.

Perfect instrument

In addition to the ukelele, the pupils are also taught how to play the guitar as Mark says the basic principles are the same.

The youngest pupils Mark has taught are four and five year-olds and according to him they've managed to pick it up easily.

Mark explains: "The ukelele is very portable and very lightly strung, so that small fingers can hold down a lot of the cords.

"Children don't think I'm learning this, they think this is a nice sound. I can re-produce this."

It seems the pupils have embraced the instrument.

As one youngster put it: "We have got a very teacher and it's very fun."

Tim Rupp is the musical coordinator at the school.

He says he aims to give each child the opportunity to play an instrument, and for many, the free string sessions might be their only chance to learn music.

He adds: "All the reports I've had from the children and the parents have been very positive.

"The more they can do, the more interest they can get in music and be more involved with it."