From the outset, Nuzhat Abbas was a delight,  and she was positively joyful that children had attended her concert.  "I love to hear children," she encouraged, "Please don't worry if they are making a noise".  There can be no better way to make a parent relax and enjoy a concert than by telling them their children are welcome!  A good quarter of the audience were children who listened attentively and joined in, dancing, clapping and humming along.

 

The three part concert had been well thought through, opening with songs based on Sufi poetry, sung with a pureness of tone that had all ages listening.  In fact, the baby on my knee was straining to lean forward and gaze at the woman with the wonderful voice.  The second part turned the volume up a notch, with Punjabi folk songs.  The translation read before each song helped those in the audience without the language to understand the (often humorous) meaning.  The final section consisted of children's songs and lullabies, many of which Nuzhat had learned from women in Oxford.  

 

Nuzhat, it transpires, is a Parents Early Education Partnership practitioner and this is how she has collected mothers' memories of the songs they sang when they were young.  The result of this work is the children's music, which Nuzhat has also captured on CD.  There are also a few videos on YouTube.  

 

A charismatic performer, Nuzhat exemplifies the importance of singing and music for children.  

 

The three year old's thoughts:

I really liked the lady singing.  Her voice was very beautiful and I liked her scarf.  She had a mouse puppet like mine and I did some dancing.