When I was growing up there were about 22 kids in our little street and we liked to put on shows. The best one was called The Wiz and you guessed it, I was Dorothy! We made our own Tin Woman, Lion, Scarecrow and Munchkin costumes out of garbage bags, leftover fabrics and items from the family wardrobe and created a musical based around the pop music we liked listening to. The highlight for me was the ‘yellow brick road’ routine, which involved me and Tin Woman grooving to Al Jarreau’s Mornin’ along a pink carpet runner. We presented The Wiz to an audience of family and friends in our front room. Looking back, the narrative of our show probably didn’t make much sense, but we did have fun! 

Part of the joy of childhood is being given permission to be a free spirit – to climb trees, build cubby houses, and sing and dance with your friends. Play is an essential part of life for children, but it’s something that many people become scared of as they get older, probably due to a fear of failure. In the world of classical music, we face a challenge of balancing our striving for accuracy with...