Has your child’s teacher said, “He just doesn’t want to write’”?

Does your teenager suffer from a sore hand after writing at school?

Has your uni student asked for Nurofen to help her complete a written exam?

Does your child have poor handwriting?

If you answered yes to any of these, please read on!

Why has the simple act of writing become such a chore for school kids these days? It is by far the biggest ‘gripe’ area that we have to deal with. “Aw, not writing, I hate writing, it sucks!” Or words to that effect! According to recent research one in three children struggles with handwriting. If this is true it has serious implications for their educational achievement. 

It is tempting to view this as a sign of laziness or apathy, but be honest, when was the last time you wrote a letter? I mean a real letter, with a folded sheet of paper placed in an envelope with a stamp? No, I can’t remember either, and yet most of us ‘oldies’ grew up in a time when letters still had meaning!

The truth is that all generations are now affected by our increasing reliance on computers, tablets and smartphones. We don’t need to write, so we don’t. It is that simple, and like any learned skill, if writing isn’t practised, the quality drops and the speed slows. The effect of this is bad enough for the over 35s, who spent their pre-technology school days working with paper and pen, but for the younger generation it is as if this once-essential skill had never existed.

This is hardly surprising as children are growing up in a world of tablets, phablets and smartphones; cursive writing is such a bore when you can ‘stroke’ or tap a screen and get the same results. Even the humble credit card has abandoned writing, with signatures now banned and pin codes the new security preference. 

There is also a generation of young teachers entering the profession who have a natural preference for technology. The circle is complete. iPads and laptops have replaced textbooks, homework is online and handwritten work is viewed as inefficient and time consuming. 

We must remember that handwriting is not innate, like seeing or talking, it is a learned skill that must be practised. With limited hours, huge administration demands and increased performance pressures, can we really blame teachers if they rely more on technology? Imagine the quick, systemised marking that can be achieved!  

So, is writing a dying art? Is it doomed to tread the same path as Latin and become a quaint antiquity practised by the few? I sincerely hope not, because writing is more than simply communicating. Writing is a slower, more thoughtful process than typing. It involves planning, attention to detail and commitment to task. It is a complex skill that affects cognitive development and exercises visual, motor and memory circuits. When we write we develop our hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. According to the Wall St Journal, studies have shown that handwriting engages parts of the brain that typing doesn’t. 

The ability to write and the quality of the text are inextricably linked. Professor Rhona Stainthrop, researching children’s writing abilities, says that there is growing evidence that those who write faster and more legibly get better grades. We see it in the centre all the time; good answers lost in the midst of poor handwriting and slow writers who have not automated their writing skills adequately, so much so that thinking about their writing is getting in the way of developing their thoughts on paper.

This leaves you, as parents, with a tough task. Most of your kids are fighting against writing. Oh, there are still a few for whom writing is a natural part of the learning process, but for most it is an ‘old’ skill that doesn’t seem to fit in to their high-tech world. And yet, in the ‘real’, working, world, writing is still very much in evidence. Meeting notes, supply lists, a quick reminder to a colleague, even the famed ‘napkin’ planning session, all come alive through writing. Even now there is no substitute for pen or pencil on paper; it’s a quick and effective low-tech way of communicating.  

Which makes it all the more important that you encourage your kids to write at every opportunity. In the centre we use different approaches to encourage writing. For instance, we allow kids to illustrate their writing, so drawing becomes the reward for writing. We also choose engaging writing topics, like the Minecraft contest we have running at the moment; kids who never write are suddenly producing pages of text! 

The next time your kids want something, for instance a ticket to the Royal Show, ask them to put it in writing. Encourage them to explain in words why they need or deserve to have their prize. If it isn’t convincing enough, work with them to edit their writing so that it achieves its objective. A bit of coaxing and extra work now will pay dividends later on when your kids are able to achieve at university or work because writing is a practised skill that enables them to communicate effectively. 

The other day I overheard two of our students chatting outside as they waited for their lessons to begin. The conversation was about Minecraft, a game that has captivated millions of kids around the globe and mystified an equal number of parents.

Jack had brought with him a manual to Minecraft, something Frankie was eager to see as it might finally explain why Jack was consistently able to destroy his carefully crafted Minecraft creations. I quickly realised that this was not a brief chat about the latest computer game, this was serious discussion between two ‘kings’ about the relative strengths of their kingdoms and the strategies they would employ to improve them. In other words, it was an eerily adult conversation.

It started Mark and I thinking about the Minecraft phenomenon. If you are a parent and the title of this piece annoys you, makes you groan or, worse, fills you with the dread of the gaming illiterate, you are not alone. For every child addicted to mining, creating and bashing their way through a make-believe world, there is at least one parent struggling to understand the attraction of a game that visually at least appears to be stuck back in the 80’s.

Which raises a simple question: what is it about this game, which to adult eyes appears clunky and unrefined, not to mention bewilderingly confusing, that attracts the relentless attentions of millions of kids around the world?

To understand this perhaps we need to consider not how it appears, but what it is. To use references that ‘older’ generations can connect with, Minecraft is Dungeons and Dragons, Snakes and Ladders, Monopoly, Meccano, Lego, an adventure playground, a trip to the beach with a bucket and spade, the first time you watched Star Wars or read Lord of the Rings, dress up games as a child when you were a King or Queen, a knight in shining armour or the first man on the moon. In other words, it is imagination unleashed, a limitless landscape of opportunities with the tools to quite literally create anything that pops in to a young and fertile mind.

Looked at from that perspective, how could a child not be captivated by the possibilities? When everything else in their lives is limited by parental authority, teachers rules, age and height restrictions, difficulty or boredom, or simply unattainable, and as an alternative they are offered sovereign rights to their own kingdom, it’s not really difficult to understand the attraction, is it?

Now, before you write Minecraft off as ‘simply a game’, you may be interested to know that a school in Stockholm has added it as part of their standard curriculum for 13 year olds, as it helps them learn about planning. And there are many other educators and schools around the globe who now appreciate its benefits and are including it in their planning.

Spend ten minutes with an avid user, as I have, and really pay attention instead of umming and saying “yes, interesting” before turning your attention back to the news, and you will quickly end up with a tick list of the skills they will need as adults. Strategy, planning, patience, numeracy, literacy, short and long term memory, the ability to prioritise, negotiate and organise, multi-tasking (more men should play this game!), keyboard skills, IT skills, visualising; the list goes on and on.

And now, amazingly, Minecraft has added social awareness to the list. Another of our students, Jaymie (yes, girls play Minecraft too!), is part of a peer group that creates and sells papercraft Minecraft characters at school and donates the proceeds to charity. Thanks Jaymie for the pink character your drew for us yesterday too!

I am sure the arguments, pro and con, will continue to swirl around the virtual land, but I am staggered at the number of ‘adults’ who argue against Minecraft and dismiss it as simply a ‘computer game’ without properly researching it. I challenge them to spend ten minutes playing it and not come away bewildered and confused and at the same time impressed by the sheer skill and determination demonstrated by the eager young minds that dance around this ‘second home’. 

What to older eyes appears to be a game of limited appeal, with poor graphics and clunky controls, is arguably not a game at all but instead a proving ground for the next generation of adults-to-be. Think back; most of the classic ‘instructional’ toys from the past, including Meccano and Lego, were solitary in nature, whereas Minecraft is online, global and highly interactive. They may not realise it, but they are already the ‘peacekeepers’, ‘UN’ and ‘global corporates’ of the future. Adults shouldn’t be concerned about Minecraft because it is a ‘video game’, but instead because it is training them to be more adaptive, inventive, articulate and adventurous than we are!

 Childhood is an amazing time, full of exploration, discovery and wonder. It is also a busy time as we balance the competing needs of growing minds and bodies. Nowhere is this more evident than in the tug of war between education and sports.

 No question, Aussies love sports, of all kinds, and we want our kids to enjoy them as much as we do. At Kip McGrath we see evidence of this on a daily basis as we are one of the ‘after school activities’ vying for their valuable time. Students arrive at our doors in full sports kit, soaking wet from swimming, surfing or surf lifesaving, or towelling their hair after a quick shower and a hasty change of clothes.

 It is great to see them active and we encourage it, although there are times when it is difficult to find a free space for tutoring and we have lost out on a few occasions to sports events. Overall though, the old adage of ‘healthy body, healthy mind’ does ring true, and although by no means a hard and fast rule, we do tend to find that the kids who squeeze every minute out of every day have more energy than those with time on their hands. 

 The difficulty comes when parents are forced to choose between activities. This can be for financial reasons, work commitments or family, but the result is the same, and it is often a hard choice between sports and education.

 It is a real ‘hearts and minds’ struggle. The mind will explain to the parent that sports is a fleeting fancy and education is forever, but there is a very loud heart team mascot in the background shouting about fun, winning and taking part. The heart often wins; it has fun, cultural support and cool sports kit on its side. We have times tables and grammar rules.

 But this is the thing. It doesn’t have to be one or the other, just a little less of one to allow for the other. We have met, and worked with, plenty of adults who wish that they had spent a little less time on the pitch (or in the pool, or on the track) and a little more time hitting the books (okay, tapping the keys and looking at the screen). It is true that you don’t get a second chance at being a kid, and you will never be as fit again, but it is also true that your brain will never be as agile and as receptive to new information and new ways of thinking.

 Education is really sports for the mind, and like all sports natural talent only takes you so far, practice is the key to winning. If you think about it that way it just makes sense to include it amongst your child’s other activities. Give your child the best chance at winning in all areas.

Guest blogging this week on She Talked (link below)

https://www.facebook.com/kipholdfastbay?ref=hl

Annie

Just in case anyone wants to know how I used my spare time during the holidays…

As some of you will know, last year I attended the screening of an amazing and inspiring film called Girl Rising, which is themed around the challenges girls face around the world when trying to access what we consider a basic right: education. I was so moved by the film that I decided to help spread the word and invite a few like-minded friends around to our home for a small, private screening.

Long story short, Facebook, word-of-mouth and encouraging words from friends soon had Mark and I on a course towards the charity event we held on Friday 24th of January at Flinders University, which was attended by more than 200 people and raised more than $5,000! 

Of course, the journey wasn’t as easy as that and I devoted a fair amount of speech time on the night to thanking all of the wonderful people, including parents of students, who made the event possible. This included donated prizes for the raffle, assistance with organising the event and volunteers on the night to man (or woman!) the bar, spruik raffle tickets and organise the parking. It was a truly uplifting evening that once again affirmed our belief that the majority of people, given the chance, will act for the greater good.

This was no more evident than when I raised a last minute call-to-action from the podium. Our original target was $3,000, which would have sent 2 girls to school through high school. When we moved past this figure and $4,000 came in to view and with it the chance to send 3 girls to school, Mark and I decided to donate the full cost of all of the wine and other drinks, if our audience would dig in to their pockets again and chip in $2 each.

We sent a student to each exit door armed with a bucket, and in 5 minutes those lovely people donated another $500! Of course, this meant we were now closer to $5,000 than $4,000, so another bugle call via Facebook and we hit that mark as well, completely overwhelming our sponsored charity, Room to Read, when they heard the news.

What do people remember most from the night, apart from the film of course? They all commented on our wonderful students, who seemed to be everywhere at the same time, all wearing our trademark safety cones on their heads. There is no question that without them our evening would have been far less successful, so well done you mad lot for showing us all how it’s done!

Our audience was equally memorable, with ages ranging from 10 right through to 86, the latter being my dear old Dad, who quite enjoyed himself and kept flinging $10 and $20 donations in buckets, quite something for a careful-with-the-pennies ex bank manager!

And what has happened since then? Well, apart from raising money, the event was also intended to raise awareness of the plight of girls around the world, and I am pleased to report that I have had enquiries from a number of individuals and schools about holding their own events. The more this important message spreads, the more girls will globally will get access to the education they need to break the poverty cycle, and that is good for them and good for us. 

By the way, apologies to anyone who was confused by what Mark and I actually do (a number of them thought that we organised charity events for a living!). Although we sponsored the night, it just didn’t feel right, to either of us, to spruik ourselves when we were dealing with such important issues. In fact, all of our lovely sponsors were pretty low key. Well, that is until we started shouting their names across the room that is!

If anyone wants to find out more about this hugely important campaign, please head to www.girlrising.com  As Adelaidians we are immensely proud of the support shown on the night by our community. Thank you. Back to work now for a rest!

On Sunday I joined my singing group Tutti, for our annual Christmas event. I have mentioned Tutti many times before in this blog, but for those that missed it the Tutti choir is a mixed-abilities choir that operates from the charmingly quirky and colourful premises of Tutti Arts, based on the MINDA campus.

I have been singing with Tutti for a few years now, and it is without question one of the best and most rewarding parts of my life. To stand alongside the able and those with physical and mental challenges, and together produce music that makes people smile, laugh and cry, is, quite simply, an endlessly amazing experience.  

For this event we sang a variety of styles, including carols, folk, jazz and gospel, and, in true Tutti style, the South African National Anthem (Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika), as a tribute to the late Nelson Mandela.  If you can believe it, we sang in Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, and Afrikaans. Not bad with only two days’ notice to learn it! It was a moving experience, for us and, judging by the applause, the audience as well.

President Obama said shortly after Mandela’s passing - “He achieved more than could be expected of any man.  Today he has gone home…he no longer belongs to us; he belongs to the ages." 

Whether or not you believed in his politics, or his stance on violence for change, there is no question that his courage and conviction forced change in his country. He proved that one man can make a difference. We may not all be Nelson Mandela’s, or Ghandi’s, or the countless other leaders, male and female, who defied the limitations of race, colour and creed to achieve great things, but we can all in our own ways stand up for what we believe in.   

When I visited South Africa in 2001, it was to attend a lavish wedding in ‘polite society’, far from the poverty experienced by the mass populace. When I mentioned that I planned to visit Soweto, the ‘notorious’ slum, they struggled to hide their shock. It was so far removed from their safe and cozy existence that it really did seem like another world, and my mentioning it made me a threat. But I was determined, and, as Mark will confirm, I seldom back down when committed to something. 

The next day, not only was I the only woman on the bus, I was the only person on the bus period! My driver gave me a fascinating tour of the streets and shared his favourite café. I shared lunch with an in spiring man whose father had been shot alongside Steve Biko, trained as a doctor in Cambridge in the UK and now had a practice in Soweto.

As it turned out, my visit to that dangerous place was the highlight of my trip, and forever changed my view of the country and, of course, Nelson Mandela’s fight to change it. I suppose I am a bit of a risk taker, but I also know that the risk I took that day influenced the way I think, and has in some way led me to where I am now, helping kids to achieve their best thousands of kilometres from the place I was born and brought up. 

As Helen Keller said - “Life is either a daring adventure of nothing at all.” We don’t all need to climb Everest, hike to the poles (well done though Prince Harry) or save our countries from oppression, but we can take up smaller challenges. I love working with the kids in our centres, watching as their initial nervousness and lack of confidence gives way to a new energy as they gain knowledge and realise that they can actually do it. To them, catching up and gaining new knowledge is every bit as challenging as Mandela’s struggles, and I love being a part of their triumph.

I want to take this opportunity to wish all of our students and their families all the joy of the season and we both look forward to welcoming you back in the new year for more challenges!

On Sunday I joined my singing group Tutti, for our annual Christmas event. I have mentioned Tutti many times before in this blog, but for those that missed it the Tutti choir is a mixed-abilities choir that operates from the charmingly quirky and colourful premises of Tutti Arts, based on the MINDA campus.

I have been singing with Tutti for a few years now, and it is without question one of the best and most rewarding parts of my life. To stand alongside the able and those with physical and mental challenges, and together produce music that makes people smile, laugh and cry, is, quite simply, an endlessly amazing experience.  

For this event we sang a variety of styles, including carols, folk, jazz and gospel, and, in true Tutti style, the South African National Anthem (Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika), as a tribute to the late Nelson Mandela.  If you can believe it, we sang in Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, and Afrikaans. Not bad with only two days’ notice to learn it! It was a moving experience, for us and, judging by the applause, the audience as well.

President Obama said shortly after Mandela’s passing - “He achieved more than could be expected of any man.  Today he has gone home…he no longer belongs to us; he belongs to the ages." 

Whether or not you believed in his politics, or his stance on violence for change, there is no question that his courage and conviction forced change in his country. He proved that one man can make a difference. We may not all be Nelson Mandela’s, or Ghandi’s, or the countless other leaders, male and female, who defied the limitations of race, colour and creed to achieve great things, but we can all in our own ways stand up for what we believe in.   

When I visited South Africa in 2001, it was to attend a lavish wedding in ‘polite society’, far from the poverty experienced by the mass populace. When I mentioned that I planned to visit Soweto, the ‘notorious’ slum, they struggled to hide their shock. It was so far removed from their safe and cozy existence that it really did seem like another world, and my mentioning it made me a threat. But I was determined, and, as Mark will confirm, I seldom back down when committed to something. 

The next day, not only was I the only woman on the bus, I was the only person on the bus period! My driver gave me a fascinating tour of the streets and shared his favourite café. I shared lunch with an in spiring man whose father had been shot alongside Steve Biko, trained as a doctor in Cambridge in the UK and now had a practice in Soweto.

As it turned out, my visit to that dangerous place was the highlight of my trip, and forever changed my view of the country and, of course, Nelson Mandela’s fight to change it. I suppose I am a bit of a risk taker, but I also know that the risk I took that day influenced the way I think, and has in some way led me to where I am now, helping kids to achieve their best thousands of kilometres from the place I was born and brought up. 

As Helen Keller said - “Life is either a daring adventure of nothing at all.” We don’t all need to climb Everest, hike to the poles (well done though Prince Harry) or save our countries from oppression, but we can take up smaller challenges. I love working with the kids in our centres, watching as their initial nervousness and lack of confidence gives way to a new energy as they gain knowledge and realise that they can actually do it. To them, catching up and gaining new knowledge is every bit as challenging as Mandela’s struggles, and I love being a part of their triumph.

I will keep blogging through the holidays, but if I miss next week due to too much Xmas cheer, I want to take this opportunity to wish all of our kids and their families all the joy of the season and we both look forward to welcoming you back in the new year for more challenges!

Amazingly, a year has passed and it is once again the 1^st December with Christmas Day just around the corner. Across the country eager little hands are breaking through the paper restraints of the first day of their advent calendars, a tradition that I hope never dies.

I am not particularly religious, but every year I look forward to this little ceremony, which as far as I’m concerned is the true countdown to Christmas. That little window of mystery awaits me every day (yes, I still have one – Smiggle this time!) with a tiny little present just for me. Today was a plastic whistle, just what every full-grown businesswoman needs! I am sure that it, and its little friends, will probably find its way in to the eager hands of our nieces and nephew, but the present itself is almost irrelevant; it is the anticipation that matters. Of course, I did read about a beer-themed advent calendar this week, complete with actual samples that might just change my perspective on that!

All of which brings me to Christmas itself. Mark and I grew up in countries that had occasional snow (me, UK) or were deluged in it (Mark, Canada), so for us making merry without the white stuff can be a challenge. Even after more than 7 years, finding the Christmas spirit in 40 plus can be a challenge. Having plenty of family nearby helps of course, and it is hard not to be inspired by the way kids are still able to enjoy the simple things, even now, surrounded by every electronic  diversion they can get their hands on.

Nevertheless, this year I am determined to be less ‘ba humbug’ and get more proactive with my merriness; I will enjoy Christmas or die trying beneath a weight of candy canes, crackers and cake! I nearly ran a group of kids from Lions when I spotted them selling Christmas puddings in our street. When I say ‘ran over’, I was actually driving at the time and launched on to the curb lest I miss the chance to buy the one thing that everyone dreads eating at this time of year! Who invented Christmas pudding and why did they have to inflict it on the rest of us?

One tradition that we are both very looking forward to is our annual get-together with friends in McLaren Vale over steaming bowls of Moules Frites, otherwise known as muscles and chips, a simple yet wonderful meal that combines with flagons of wine and endlessly mad conversation for a great evening. Our good friend, and founder of this tradition, is returning to us from the UK for the Christmas season and we can’t wait to catch up.

I will of course again this year be singing with the Tutti Choir, and you are all welcome to join us for a concert of Christmas favourites. The venue and ticket details are below. http://www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingEventSummary.aspx?eid=68280

Perhaps it is unseasonal weather we have been having recently, but I do feel more ‘Christmassy’ this year than I have for a while. I have even finally broken open the box of candle-making supplies that have been in the closet since my course last year and a few friends and rellies may be getting a bit of fragrant light in their lives this season!

Our Christmas newsletter is on the way, along with Christmas cards and lolly bags for all of ‘our kids’. The countdown has begun! Rediscover your old traditions, or make some new ones, and enjoy this wonderful time of the year. Just keep your hands off my Christmas pudding!

It’s a little word, fun; a throw-away cheapened by advertisers everywhere. But there really is no substitute, no other word that so completely encapsulates something that is entirely not boring, work, routine or a chore; fun is escape from all of that.
I am married to the world’s biggest kid (as any of our students being tutored by him will readily give evidence of), and although his grey hairs (distinguished silver I keep telling him!) attest to his middle-years, he resolutely refuses to grow up. He still finds pleasure in the most ridiculous un-grownup things, like visual humour (slipping on a banana peel gets him every time), remote control helicopters (which he insists on trying to land on my head!) and inline skating with his equally nutty brother around (the other) 12 year olds at a child’s roller skating birthday party!
But I love him for his nuttiness, the ease with which he can access that 12 year old inside him that can still be filled with wonder at something new. And his madness is infectious; although I pretend to the world that I am a serious grownup, complete with my own business, employees and a tax return, having a ‘boy’ husband gives me license to dance around the house like a loon, have chocolate for breakfast and laugh at silly things until I snort.
Who says we need to grow up? Apart from the expectations of society, colleagues, friends and family, what law is in place that forces us to abandon childishness when we leave childhood? If there was such a law, no children’s books would be written, no children’s TV produced. And let’s be honest, ‘extreme sports’?  Surely they are just an excuse to muck about like kids again.
The reason I bring this all up is the link below, which features a month of dinosaur madness created by a husband and wife for their children. In an age of endless digital diversion, it is a very welcome breath of innocent wonder. Watch it, learn from it, and find some way to add a bit of simple joy to the lives of your kids; or friends, or colleagues, or family; basically, anyone that needs a big dose of ‘stop taking yourself so seriously and laugh a little’.
https://medium.com/thoughts-on-creativity/6f4cb1886d41
Hmmm, I really should link this back to my business as that is after all theoretically why I write these things, even though I do sometimes go off on tangents. I guess Mark and I kind of naturally build fun in to the way we work. We know the kids are with us to learn, to improve themselves and achieve their potential, and this is of course our primary focus, but does it have to be an overly serious and dry activity?
We don’t think so. We honestly believe that kids learn best when they are allowed to be themselves, when they are allowed to have a bit of (whisper it) fun! Fractions, grammar, algebra, serious topics that demand close attention to concept, process and fact, but we can ‘weave’ a bit of fun into the process. We stand by our results, which (excuse me while I pat my own back), are consistently good, and yet our sessions are full of smiling, happy, sometimes noisy, kids, who are getting on with the process of learning, but having fun doing it.
If you are reading this with a mountain of washing waiting, dinner to prepare, work that has stacked up and needs to be tackled over a precious weekend, then you, and probably your kids, need a ‘fun’ break. Read the link again, see if any mad ideas form in your head, then grab the maddest one and bring it to life. What’s the worst that can happen; a laugh, maybe two? Remember, we only get one life, so fill it with as many giggles as possible. You won’t regret it!  

As I am sure I have mentioned (probably more than once – sorry!) we are extremely busy at the moment, partly because of the new centre and partly because more kids need us, which is great. However, when Saturday arrives it does leave me with that running on empty feeling after 6 long days of admin, phone calls, planning and tutoring. But in spite of this, or perhaps because of it, when I was invited to a weekend concert by the mother of one our kids who would be singing in it, I jumped at the chance, I think more for the change of scenery than anything else! I got far more than that though.

The concert was held at Walford Girls School, and was the final in a series of concerts for youth choirs. Jed, our student, is in the Australian Youth Choir. I sat with Jed’s mum and grandma in the front row. Jed appeared on stage, angelic, in a blue and yellow robe.  We could see his eyes search the 400-strong audience for a friendly face. The beam on Jed’s face when he saw me sitting next to his mum was priceless. And then singing began. It wasn’t long before I was smiling too!

Some of you will know that one of my hobbies is singing in the Tutti Choir, a mixed abilities choir based out of Minda. Singing is one of my great joys, whether I am singing or listening, and within minutes the simple pleasure of hearing young voices joined in choreographed unison had completely taken me out of myself. If I closed my eyes I was transported back to every cathedral, church and concert hall that I had visited to hear a choir. It is a difficult feeling to describe, but for me it is so moving that it often moves me to tears (which can be a little embarrassing when you are in mixed company and also trying to hold a conversation!).

Singing for young children is a wonderful experience. If they are engaged early enough, before self-consciousness and peer pressure can interfere, it can provide them a way to express themselves, boost their self-esteem, gain a wider appreciation of music, and achieve in something completely different to sport or school. Like our centre, the best choirs provide an environment that is safe and supportive as well as inclusive. It is an introduction to another part of life that, like travelling or the arts, will make them more rounded as people and more open to new experiences. It encourages self-discipline, better communication and inter-personal skills and a strong sense of teamwork and community.

For all of these reasons, and after weeks and months of work excuses, I will be returning to my choir this week, leaving the centre in the capable hands of our tutors. I will admit to being a bit of a ‘show pony’, and enjoy getting up on stage in the limelight. But, more than this, I miss the sheer pleasure of joining my voice with others and creating something that is bigger than all of us. Practice is enjoyable enough, but when you join with the audience in concert and share a piece of music, well, it is hard for me to imagine anything else that gives as much pleasure.

I would encourage all of you to seek out a concert near you in the run up to Christmas. Take your kids, drag them if need be. You will be amazed at the transformation in them when the singing starts, especially the young ones. You are of course welcome to attend the Tutti Christmas concert on Sunday 15th December in Norwood and give me a wave and an encouraging smile!