Download London*s best musicians

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.’