Consider the river, then set it to music.

Contemplate the water – the splashing, roaring, foaming, rippling, swirling, birling, tumbling, sparkling, chuckling, scampering, squeezing, rushing, gushing, whirling up and down.

Picture the geography – the source, glacier, spring, lake, waterfall, valley, flood plain, tributaries, erosion, moraine, meander, confluence, ox-bow lake, canals, reservoirs, estuary, ocean.

Befriend the people – the anglers, miners, sailors, soldiers, riveters and caulkers, early risers, holidaymakers, lighthouse-keepers, butlers, the bishop, the hermit, glass-blowers, artists, thinkers.

Observe the nature – the salmon, galena, pochard, clarts, water snakes, winter snow, heather, dipper, great-crested grebe, the moon, the tides.

Reflect on the history – the meditation, hush, mill wheels, staithes, launches, colliers, bridges, cathedrals, expeditions, royalty, clergy, saints.

Retell the stories – of serpents, ice flows, wild pigs, poaching, philosophers, coffins, bells, magical babies, black gold, time travellers.

Follow the journey – through time, with the water from source to sea, with boats from ocean to mountain, with the guiding lights, in an almanac, in memoirs, in an atlas, as a poet, as a minstrel, as a bard.

Hear the music: the psalms and chants, shanties and worksongs, ostinatos and embellishments, reels and strathspeys, squawks and trills, serenades and lullabies, dirges and marches, calling and responding.

Feed a little of this into the minds of the children with the opportunity, and watch and hear a vibrant, rhythmic, link-making, melodic, atmospheric, historic, contemporary, thoughtful, cultured, textured, articulated, colourful, theatrical musical river flow into existence.

If you need a little help, ask me!