School pupils trumpet new scheme

More than 500 primary school children in Newcastle will be presented with free mini-trumpets as part of a scheme to improve access to music.

The pocket trumpets, which are 24cm long and play and sound like the normal sized instruments, will be handed out at 13 schools in the next two-weeks.

Staff from Newcastle City Council will be putting on lessons to teach pupils how to play them.

The project is part of the government's Widening Opportunities programme.

Steve Halsey, head of Newcastle Music Service, said: "We are very excited about this project. We seem to have exhausted the global supply of mini-trumpets and had a Chinese factory working around the clock to complete our order.

"The minute the children and staff saw the instruments they fell in love with them, and as a trumpet player myself I know they sound great."