A London bus filled with instruments is offering children music lessons and workshops

24 August 2022, 16:36 | Updated: 24 August 2022, 17:13

Charity takes musical bus all around London

By Classic FM

@ClassicFM

This melodious bus is giving children access to musical instruments for only a fiver.

Children in London are being given affordable access to musical instruments – on a fully fitted musical bus.

The dulcet double-decker is currently touring London, giving young music lovers across the UK capital the chance to play a range of music and instruments, from sea shanties on the violin to Beethoven duets on the piano.

“The whole purpose of this project really, is to make democratise access to musical education,” explains Petru Cotarcea, one of the organisers of the MusicOnWheels bus.

“What we’re trying to achieve is to make musical education in the UK a bit more affordable for everyone.”

Read more: A-level music entries rise by 4 percent, in first uplift in over a decade

Petru has been a violin teacher since he was 18, giving private lessons which “cost quite a lot of money for most people”.

“We found a bus dealership and bought a really old bus that was just about to be scrapped,” Petru says. “And we just started refurbishing it.”

Today, the bus is filled with music-making. Instruments range from violins and pianos to guitars and ukuleles, and activities on offer include group instrumental sessions, introductions to instruments and concerts for parents and friends.

One of the young participants said of his experience: “You get to meet new people, and to get to try out instruments you probably haven’t done before. It’s a nice place to be, because not everyone gets opportunities like this to learn instruments.”