The 'Wider Opportunities' scheme in Wakefield received a boost recently when one of the projects was featured on the Radio 4 show 'Go 4 It!' The programme, aired in August, featured the 'Samba Kidz' group from St Peter's School in Horbury and included a recording of the group playing at the National Youth Music Festival in Birmingham as well as interviews with some of the children taking part. For the festival, the children performed on instruments that they had made themselves and also on the classic Latin American instruments.
The 'Wider Opportunities' scheme involves schools and whole classes working with specialist music teachers to provide children with the opportunity to make music at a high level. In the case of St Peter's School, this has involved a class of year 5 pupils learning to play Samba rhythms with a teacher from Wakefield Music Services. This year, twelve schools in the Authority are able to participate in the programme and it is expected that many more will have the chance when the scheme expands further in 2007.
