Text 1: Friday evenings at the Sound Room, by Imogen Lewis

An original contemporary online feature.

At the Sound Room, young people do not need to arrive with an instrument or know how to read music. The volunteers keep a cupboard of keyboards, guitars and drums, and each newcomer is invited to try a few before choosing one to practise. There is a short group session first, then the players split into small rooms with a volunteer who can help them work through a difficult passage.

We keep the sessions free because the project is run on donations. A hot meal is served at the end, and anyone who wants to perform can take part in the monthly open evening. Nia, who joined last autumn, used to stand at the back and watch. Now she plays keyboard with the group and has helped two new members settle in.

Text 2: The music room in Mill Lane, by George Bell

An original letter written in a nineteenth-century voice; a period simulation, not an archival document.

In this letter, written in 1887, a man tells his sister about a music room for children that has opened in his village.

Dear Elsie,

You asked after the little music room which Mr Parry has opened above the village hall. It is no school, and no child is examined there. On Tuesday afternoons he gives the beginners a place to practise, with a piano and several instruments lent by families of the parish. He hears each child in turn and writes a few bars upon the blackboard for them to attempt before the next meeting.

The older players help the younger to tune their instruments and to keep time. At the close of each term Mr Parry arranges a concert in the hall, and the parents are asked to bring a little plate of food, so that the children may stay afterwards and talk. Those who cannot afford lessons elsewhere are welcome to come without payment.

Your affectionate brother,

George