Kay’s cello blog

In my last blog, I referred in passing to the recent upturn in interest in Cellobabies over the past few months. I have received queries from several parts of the UK as well as the USA and New Zealand. Cellobabies is now being taught in some Surrey & London Schools and one particularly exciting project is being formed in Exeter, Devon. Kirsty Hugil, the Director Of Exeter Young Strings ,is hoping to establish two music centres as part of an inclusion programme for children from disadvantaged areas of the city and is intending to use ‘Cellobabies’ and it violin version, ‘Violinbabies’ as the main teaching material.

This is tremendously exciting but the outcome is dependant on finding the funding. Kirsty is approaching some well known organisations but if anybody is keen to offer some sponsorship for this very worthwhile project, please email her at exeteryoungstrings@yahoo.co.uk

Well, a happy new academic year in the UK. After a much needed break taken with the family in Wales, I’m back at the coal face of teaching and feel like life is hitting me at 200 mph already!

The new edition of the Cellobabies book is ready to roll off the press and should be available in the next couple of weeks and I’m knuckling down to complete the violin version as soon as possible. I’ve been really encouraged by the marked upturn of interest in the method since the beginning of summer.

I notched up another birthday in August (21 again!). My husband made me a lovely cello bow which is just great to handle, It made its debut in 3 concerts at the Greenbelt festival (Cheltenham) at the end of the month. My better half is working on a cello for me, which is at the stage of having the purfling put into the belly and back sections. I certainly am a lucky old bird.