Dorothy C. Maguire, nee Coles, of Arnside, recalls music at Underbarrow School in years gone by

DURING my 26 years as Head at Underbarrow School I always encouraged the children to have a love of music.

Children from seven years of age learned to play the descant recorder and we had weekly classes. It was no use the children forgetting them as I had spare ones in my desk drawer.

The 'Singing Together' programme on the Schools' BBC broadcast was always eagerly anticipated, when we sang the old national songs and more modern ones from the BBC booklet.

At our annual Christmas concert we were able to sing the well-loved carols accompanied by the recorders and percussion instruments.

One year I had quite a talented class of recorder players, playing descant, treble and tenor recorders so we entered the 'Mary Wakefield' Schools' recorder competition.

I don't know who was the most nervous - me, conducting the group, or the children. We were by far the smallest school, but we managed to come third out of four.

I remember one amusing incident which occurred with recorders. Andrew, a thinking and reasoning boy, got tired of carrying his recorder home on his long, uphill walk.

He arrived home, empty-handed and told his mother he'd left it in the middle of the road on Thorns Corner, between the two white lines as cars wouldn't go over it there.

His mother flew down and found it still there! His reasoning had worked.

All the children enjoyed music and we were excited to sing 'All Things Bright and Beautiful' at the school closure in 1985 on Border TV.