Monday 16 February 2009

The Music School of Corfu


The Music School of Corfu is located at Alexandras Avenue, a very beautiful area leading to Garitsa bay.

Who attends the Music School?

Almost everyone interested in music! School kids mainly, since there are 19 brass bands today on the island and they need constant members. Young kids can start music lessons from an early age, usually from the third grade of Primary School. They are the most enthusiastic members since they look forward to parading with their band on celebration days!

Bands have also many adults who are experts on one or more musical instruments. During St. Spyridon processions many bands take part and this is a wonderful sight.

Musical heritage in Corfu dates back to the Venetian occupation, hundreds of years ago, and it still remains as the main attraction of the Corfiot culture. “Philarmonikes”, the Greek name of the bands, add to the island a colourful character no other place in Greece possesses.

The Music School is the main spot for those who need to get educated in classical music. Passers-by can hear violin sounds quite often, or piano songs and opera parts if they are lucky enough! The whole block around this traditional building livens up to the daily sounds of music that are a familiar form of local culture.

1 comment:

Sofia said...

Much must have happened to The Music School of Corfu since your original review of 2007... Instead of sweet music entertaining the neighborhood, many of us living around the school experience a daily nightmare. The school has provided the students (many of them minors) with keys to the front door and allows the students to enter and remain in the building unsupervised. What happens between teenagers within the school is up to you to guess and your guess is as good as mine.... Regarding the "music" entertaining the neighborhood: we hear a few students who indeed practice the piano and produce music. However, the "music" is dominated by percussion instruments, primarily drums, which dominate our daily lives all morning and all afternoon and evening. When the neighbors in the adjacent homes and apartments complain, we experience retaliatory loud drum sessions that go on for hours. Some students, particularly a female drummer, are verbally abusive to the neighbors that have gone to the school to complain. One would hope that a private school that has moved into an established residential area would show more respect for the homes around them but, alas, no such courtesy is to be found. Any decent Corfiot should BOYCOT THIS SCHOOL until they do become a music school and produce musicians not filthy-mouthed noise makers. What is the school's Management position on the comings and goings???