Special guest Music academy welcomes Duchess

THE streets were alive with the sound of music when the Duchess of Gloucester visited Gloucestershire Academy of Music on Saturday to celebrate the much-anticipated purchase of its city base near the Docks.

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Her Royal Highness also had a special message supporting the importance of music education for the young.

The Duchess's arrival was serenaded by a trio of talented students playing on the steps of Barbican House, where Lord Lieutenant Edward Gillespie received Her Royal Highness, presenting her to new Gloucestershire High Sheriff and past GAM student Julie Kent, outgoing Gloucester Mayor Lorraine Campbell and GAM executive director Richard Ashton-Phillips.

The Duchess was then treated to a performance by the academy's very youngest string players under principal Glyn Oxley’s direction.

The group performed works by founder Caroline Lumsden, whose Musicland teaching methods have been at the heart of the academy's success since it was set up 43 years ago.

The Duchess took time chatting to some of the four to six-year-olds, as well as two teachers, both ex-GAM students.