Over 3,200 primary school children in Kerry gained full marks yesterday in the county's first "Music in the Classroom" experience with the RTÉ Orchestra and The Irish Times in the National Events Centre, at the Gleneagle Hotel, in Killarney.
It was a day when the bassoon became a baboon and the flute was a nightingale's trill and 1,600 small feet at each of two sessions tapped a "horse's jig" to the gallop of the Light Cavalry Overture by Franz von Suppé.
A CD pack had prepared the students and it was obvious teachers had put in a lot of work, the conductor, Mr Gearóid Grant, said.
The success of the programme was the children's participation.
The Minister for Education, Dr Woods, was an early visitor, playing the tambourine alongside the castanets at the event jointly sponsored by RTÉ and The Irish Times.
Dr Woods traveled to Kerry for this engagement alone to underline his support for the tour of the regions of this project on classical music.
Ms Catríona Ní Chullota, director of the Kerry Education Centre who helped co-ordinate the event said: "They are studying classical music, and they don't know it."
Teachers in Kerry would now capitalise on the experience, she said, and would take 20 hours of further development work on classical music at the centre in Tralee.
The RTÉ Orchestra with "Music in the Classroom" will be in Limerick today, Galway tomorrow, Sligo on Thursday and Athlone on Friday.