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Using a hosepipe and funnel Atarah and a colleague explain so everyone can understand how a trumpet works.
There were no pantos in Burnley over Christmas and the New Year, but Atarah’s Band certainly made up for it. Her concert at the William Thompson Recreation Centre on Monday had all the ingredients that make up a real pantomime: singing, dancing, music and, most important of all, getting the children involved. Atarah Ben-Tovim – a bouncing, bubbling bundle of energy – works a special kind of magic over youngsters. Within minutes she had all of them in the palm of her hand. Her basic recipe is music, but the secret is making Beethoven fun and Paganini exciting. Her band, an obviously talented group of musicians, mix this in with famous television tunes that every child can warm to.
The concert was a huge success, with smiles lasting from beginning to end. She simply made the music fun; a scarecrow plays the trombone; a gold coloured creature from outer space hits the drums, and a huge cuddly bear blows the trumpet. “I really like making the children happy. To see them laughing and enjoying themselves while listening or joining in with the music is superb,” said Atarah. She spends most of the first half of the concert introducing all the different instruments: “If, while they are having fun, the children pick up a little bit about how to play an instrument or just simply become interested in music, then the concert has bee a success,” she added. If the squeals of laughter, lively clapping and cheerful singing were anything to go by, Atarah got the recipe just right on Monday.