ONE of my big regrets in life is not learning to play a musical instrument.

I did have a go at the piano, aged about 11, but it was a half-hearted affair. It was only because an old piano was left in our house when we moved in that I started having lessons and, unfortunately, I grew to hate them. With a different teacher I might have persevered, but my piano teacher was a horrid old lady who hit my fingers if I played a wrong note.

She lived in a high rise flat (with a grand piano in her living-room), and I still recall the feeling of dread climbing the steps to her door. As a girl, she’d played piano in picture houses to accompany silent films. If I met her now, I’d probably think she was a character. But to the 11-year-old me she was ancient, impatient, a bit creepy, and shrieked so much she lost her breath and went purple. Needless to say, my interest waned and eventually I packed it in.

There was little chance of learning an instrument in school back then. Trying to squeeze a tune out of the recorder was as far it got at primary school. And later music lessons were so dull I struggled to stay awake. My secondary school music teacher was a chain-smoking eccentric who seemed to resent us invading his presence. His ‘lessons’ involved us making tedious notes from old textbooks about Bach while he indulged himself playing a piano none of us was allowed to touch. There was no attempt to nurture any musical ability, or to make music interesting. He was yet another unpleasant, bad-tempered pianist, like the old crone who slapped my fingers. I began to think all music teachers must be like that.

How I envy today’s schoolchildren, who have decent music education delivered by engaging, inspiring teachers. Pupils in the district’s primary schools have access to a range of musical instruments - including the saxophone, flute, guitar, keyboard, percussion and ukelele - thanks to Bradford Music and Arts Service.

This week the T&A reported on the wonderful impact of Wibsey Primary School’s move to make music a core part of the Curriculum. For the past year, all 690 pupils, from nursery to Year 6, have had music and performance as an integral part of learning, leading to a significant rise in numbers of youngsters taking an active interest in music.

There’s now a school band, the choir has expanded, and the school also hosts BMAS’s Jigsaw Ensemble, a beginner band for children. Pupils sing and use instruments during other lessons too, using music as an enjoyable and additional way to learn.

Headteacher Nigel Cooper said pupils’ confidence had grown, and there have been improvements in behaviour, attention, concentration and numeracy and language skills. He credits the school’s Music Lead, Joanne White, with ensuring “fair access for children to music, a point of contact for staff and parents, and a link to the Bradford Music Education Hub as well as organising performances and music trips.”

I wish I’d had a Joanne White at school. Whenever I watch a band or orchestra, I think how lovely it must be to play music.

My nephew is a product of the BMAS success. He started off playing steel pans at primary school, which he loved, then took up piano lessons. Now 15, he’s doing GCSE music, he plays in a band and wants to become a professional musician.

After nearly a decade, he still enjoys his weekly piano lessons...with a cool, fun piano teacher who shares his passion for music.

* Blue Peter still loved after all these years

CHRISTMAS wasn't Christmas without a Blue Peter annual every year. I still have one, with John Noakes, Peter Purves and Lesley Judd dressed as rather sensible-looking circus acrobats on the cover.

I loved Blue Peter, from the misbehaving cats to the "here's one I made earlier" festive decoration crafted from coat hangers and tinsel. After notching up 37 presenters, 25 pets and a million badges, it's the world's longest running children's TV show, turning 60 this month. Here's to many more years for this children's national treasure.

* Laughter to light the darkness of dementia

MY mum was barely in her fifties when she was diagnosed with dementia. Over the years, it left her bedridden and unable to speak, and watching her fade away was often unbearable. I'm still haunted by the piercing sadness of it, but there were times when she laughed, out of the blue, and we laughed with her.

A play called The Last Memory is a poignant, but funny, look at dementia, inspired by Catherine Pasek's experiences caring for her late father. Catherine says the play, on in Idle this Sunday, in aid of the excellent Memory Tree project, shows "how it’s possible to extract joy from the pain and laughter from tears".

People with dementia are still the people we've known and loved. We cry because sometimes we have to, but we should laugh with them too.