AN MP hit the high notes when he paid a visit to a Thornbury school with his oboe.

The Thornbury Area Music Trust and Junior Music Centre held a very successful open morning at Marlwood School recently.

Thornbury and Yate MP Steve Webb visited the music centre and joined the Junior Music Centre music-makers session and played a musical game with the teams on January 18.

There are now children attending the Junior Music Centre from 29 primary and secondary schools across South Gloucestershire.

One of the children then took Mr Webb into the senior wind band, where he joined the oboe section for the rehearsal.

After 15 minutes, Mr Webb joined the junior wind band for their rehearsal.

After the playing, Mr Webb then visited the two string orchestras as they rehearsed.

Children from primary and secondary schools play instruments with the Thornbury Area Music Trust and as a result of the open morning 10 new members have joined the trust.

Mr Webb said: “I greatly enjoyed my return visit to the Thornbury Area Music Trust. As well as having the chance to join in with different groups, I was particularly pleased to see so many younger children taking part and having fun learning the basics of music-making. I am delighted that the centre seems to be going from strength to strength and it is a great tribute to all involved.”

The centre is now developing a progression plan for the children of the Junior Music Centre to help them move on into the main music centre. This will enable them to play the recorder with the junior wind band while they start to learn an orchestral instrument.

Once they are confident playing their new instrument they will then switch to that instrument.

Thornbury Area Music Trust has been given small grants from Renishaw Charities Commitee to allow them to purchase orchestral instruments to also help the children decide on the instrument they want to learn.

The centre has also been given a grant by Magnox which will be used to purchase a base clarinet that the senior orchestra and South Cotswold Youth Orchestra can use.

More details about the Thornbury area music centre can be found at www.thornbury-music.org or by emailing info@thornbury-music.org.

The group also has a Facebook page with photos available at https://www.facebook.com/ThornburyAreaMusicTrust