He now has that opportunity, thanks to a ground-breaking trial in which every child in his class is being taught to play the violin or cello. Since the beginning of 2018, they have practised for 15 minutes a day under the direction of one of the ACO's teachers.

They began in year one, and will practise daily at school for at least three years. The aim is not to turn them into musicians; it is to give the children, most of them disadvantaged, access to the cerebral benefits of learning music.

"If you can get a child between the ages of five to seven, and can give them a difficult instrument, you get permanent changes in the way that the brain processes information," Ms Parrello said.

"A lot of our children ... come to us with significantly less vocab than children in affluent areas. Our children haven't even heard a lot of sounds. We're looking to improve their ability to learn, to speak, to articulate the spoken word through learning music."

Tara Smith, the ACO's learning and engagement manager, said string instruments were ideal because they developed auditory processing skills. "We are trying to develop not just musical skills but grit and growth mindset," she said.