It’s not child’s play

Aldous Huxley observed that ‘Where music is concerned, infant prodigies are almost the rule. In the world of literature, on the other hand, they remain the rarest exceptions.’ This, he believed, was because good literature could not be written without experience of the outside world, while music was the art least connected with reality. ‘Like mathematics,’ he said, ‘it is an almost unadulterated product of the inner world.’

Musicians may dispute the last point, but the fact remains that musical and artistic ability can emerge with dizzying speed. When it does, the question is how best — and how far — to nurture it? Several schools offer a specialised education in music, dance and drama alongside an academic curriculum, letting talented pupils devote time to their creative interests without missing out on a core education. As well as choir schools, there are dedicated music schools such as the Purcell School in London for nine-to-18 year-olds and the Yehudi Menuhin in Surrey offering tailored tuition for musically gifted children aged seven to 18.