Trying to get a tune out of the recorder or bashing away on a xylophone was as far it got when it came to playing a musical instrument at my primary school.

At least that was vaguely ‘hands-on’. After primary school, music lessons became mind-numbingly dull. I remember making endless notes about classical composers I’d never heard of and wasn’t interested in. A particularly eccentric music teacher once played 30 seconds of a Bruce Springsteen song at full volume, then told us why rock music was terrible and why we should listen to Mendelssohn instead.

It was all dull, dry theory. There was no attempt to nurture any musical ability in us, or even to make music interesting.

If it hadn’t been for an old piano that was left in our house when we moved in, I probably wouldn’t have had access to any musical instruments. Deciding I’d like to learn piano, I started lessons after school – but it didn’t take long for the feeling of utter dread to kick in every Thursday afternoon.

I might have persevered if it wasn’t for the horrible old lady who taught me. Bearing a chilling resemblance to character actress Margaret Rutherford, she used to shriek like a banshee and hit my fingers whenever I played the wrong notes. Eventually, her lack of patience, coupled with my reluctance to practise as often as I should, led to the piano and I parting company. Of course, I regret it now.

Thankfully, music education has moved on. Pupils in more than 80 per cent of Bradford’s primary schools now have access to a musical instrument, thanks to a programme set up by Education Bradford’s Music and Arts Service. Children with little or no access to orchestral music have the chance to take up an instrument, from ukulele to cello, and next month a stadium concert will include 6,000 youngsters playing in an orchestra alongside professional musicians.

“We believe every child should have the opportunity to learn an instrument,” says service head Tony Johnson. The fact that they can do so in school means music lessons are no longer exclusive to those who can afford it.

My eight-year-old nephew Jack is a product of this scheme’s success. Last year, he started learning steel pans at school, and fell in love with it, and now he’s learning piano.

Jack gets so excited about his piano lessons and it’s a joy to watch him play. He has a cool young teacher who makes music fun. If I’d had the same opportunity, instead of a screeching Margaret Rutherford whacking the confidence out of me, my musical repertoire might stretch beyond Chopsticks.