LONDON’S BEST MUSICIANS

CHOOSE: WHICH IS A FLUTE?

WHICH IS A CLARINET?
WHICH IS A CELLO?
WHICH IS A SAXOPHONE?
WHICH IS A VIOLIN?
WHICH IS A DRUM?
 guitar drums

saxophone

cello flute recorder

piano

clarinet

violin

Double bass trumpet

 If you had enough money to visit
every city in the world, you would
find they all have one thing in
common – street musicians or
buskers who entertain people.
London is no different.
 Watch the following video and make notes: how
many instruments do musicians in the video use?
 http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM
 - guitar
 - “washboard”
 - drums and percussions
 - cello
 - double bass
 - saxophone
 - harmonica
READ THE ARTICLE AND SAY WHICH PARAGRAPH TALKS
ABOUT:

 One busker’s past

 Different types of entertainment
 Job satisfaction
 Problems with the law
 A timetable for performing
DIFFERENT TYPES OF ENTERTAINMENT
 Performing on the streets is a
risky but often profitable
occupation in London. Although
it is illegal almost everywhere in
the city, hundreds of people
make their living by entertaining
crowds and passers-by on the
Underground and on the streets.
People play guitars, flutes,
saxophones, drums and
clarinets, they sing and dance,
wear funny costumes, or they
perform magic tricks.
A TIMETABLE FOR PERFORMING
 The Underground is the best
place to find entertainers. Many
play at the bottom of escalators,
so travellers can listen to the
music during their ride down
and drop coins in a hat or box as
they pass. It’s hard to get a
desirable spot in a Tube station;
entertainers have to sign a list to
reserve a time to play. Most
performers play for an hour and
then pack up so the next ‘busker’
can have a chance.
PROBLEMS WITH THE LAW
 The only people who can
really spoil the fun are the
local policemen. ‘The best
thing is not to argue with
them’, says Karl Mellor, a
legend in London’s West End
who often plays his saxophone
in front of large crowds in the
area. ‘It’s funny though. If I
were Britney Spears, they’d
probably pay to listen to me.
Instead, they take money from
me!’
ONE BUSKER’S PAST
 Mellor, 38, is a very talented
musician. He grew up in
Manchester and, like many
other teenagers, wanted to
be a rock star. He sang in a
band for a while, but they
weren’t very successful.
One day someone lent him a
saxophone and he decided to
travel to London to play on
the streets.
JOB SATISFACTION
 Mellor is happy with his career and
has never done anything else. ‘I’m
doing very well,’ he says. ‘If I was
cleverer or cared more about money,
maybe I’d work in an office or
something like that. But I’ve always
loved music and I don’t have the
patience to work from 9 till 5. This
way I can work when I want! I’m
also making people happy. The
hardest thing in life is to get people
to give you money. So, when they
give me money, I know I’ve made
them happy, and that’s great.’