On Levante with the rock jutting out in the background

Walk along any beach in the UK such as Blackpool or Skegness and you are likely to hear rap, rock or something from the charts pounding from a portable CD player nestling in the sand. Normally along the top end of Levante you can catch the loud rock ballads coming from either Daytona or Heartbreak, but yesterday holiday makers were caught off guard when a string quartet appeared!

A platform had been erected on the sand beside the beach library - opposite the Cimbel hotel and at 12 noon four students from the "Musical Union of Benidorm" took to the stage with their instruments. They then proceeded to play a selection of classical pieces by composers such as Vivaldi and Pachelbel . The students were all aged between 17 and 19 years old and have been playing  since primary school.

With Councillor for Culture, Eva Mayor

In Spain it is part of the culture that children learn an instrument and many play in local village bands during the fiestas. They are initially taught at school, where music is still compulsory throughout primary - up to the age of 12. Im not too sure whether that is still the case in the UK, it was in my days but things have changed a lot since then. A wooden recorder would probably be classed as a dangerous weapon now and banned by the Health & Safety brigade! Those wanting to learn would most likely be laughed at by fellow pupils in a local comprehensive as it is viewed as somewhat uncool and elitist. These days youngsters appear to be clamped to their mobile phones, texting their friends who are sat opposite!

The event was the initiative of Eva Mayor, Councillor for Culture and I spoke with her whilst the quartet was performing. She told me that the aim was to show people that Benidorm isn´t just about sun and sand but has a vast offering of cultural events such as this - the Gastronomy week in June was a huge success. They will be repeating the performance at some point along the Levante beach every Friday and Saturday throughout September -  next weekend it will be at 7pm in the evening. If you want to go along and listen then look out for the black platform which will have been placed on the sand and that is where they will be.

Juan Vicente Ivorra, Councillor for Beaches was also on hand to witness the unique event, and was delighted with the crowd that stopped to listen. My only slight criticism is that they could have done with some sound amplifiers as you had to be fairly close to hear, which I mentioned and he agreed. Perhaps for next weekends performance they may manage to rustle some up. It was certainly an unusual sight and sound coming from the beach, but a very pleasant one and great practice for the students.