SERENADED INTO THE NATIONAL YEAR OF MUSIC.

COMMUTERS were serenaded with delightful musical performances to launch the National Year of Music.

Talented young musicians performed at six locations across Newcastle and Gateshead to mark the start of an initiative aimed at inspiring children to pick up an instrument. Commuters were entertained by a variety of musical genres, including a folk band at Grey's Monument, a DJ in the Grainger Market, and a steel pan ensemble at St Mary's Square.

Meanwhile, the Northumbrian pipes played at Baltic Square and the Millennium Bridge, and the Newcastle Cathedral Choristers were at Wesley Square.

Across the country pop stars joined politicians to launch the scheme, which is being backed by the Government's pounds 330m investment in music both inside and outside the classroom. The Year of Music runs until September 2010, with events taking place across the country throughout this week and the next 12 months. The scheme was launched by Schools Secretary Ed Balls at Twyford CE High School, in Acton, West London, yesterday.

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BLOWING HIS OWN TRUMPET Simon Dennis from the Jambone Big Band plays on the roof of the Sage in Gateshead.