Aroha Quartet plays at Ebbett Park School in Hastings

The Aroha String Quartet played its way into the hearts of Ebbett Park School kids on Tuesday. The acclaimed quartet visited Ebbett Park School to perform for the children, and hopefully help inspire a love of music in them.

The Aroha Quartet's cellist, Robert Ibell said music is important for the soul.

"Orchestral music, like all music, offers people lots of things for their lives," Ibell said.

"The more people who learn about these things the better."

Viola player Zhongxian Jin said if children learn an instrument at a young age, it stays with them throughout adulthood.

"When the kid has a chance to learn the music when they are young, it's fantastic."

First violinist Haihong Liu said in her homeland of China, they believe children who learn music will be much better off than those who don't.

"They will all be good behaving, because the music will connect people," Liu said.

Second violinist Ursula Evans also felt music connected people.

"I think music is one of those intangibles that is very deeply connecting on a spiritual level for all humans. Every culture has it and I think it's indispensable."

As well as the performance, the quartet spent the morning running a masterclass with children involved in the Orokohanga Music Trust, which provides children at Ebbett Park and Camberley Primary schools free access to violin and cello lessons.

Because of the programme, when Ibell asked the 150-strong audience how many played cello or violin, nearly every child put up their hands.

Even those who did not play an instrument were able to enjoy and understand the music, with the quartet using the performance to teach the children about classical music.

For example, while playing Ode to Joy the quartet added each instrument one at a time, to show how the four instruments are used to create the sound together.

One lucky pupil even got to join the quartet temporarily, Year 6 pupil Ihaka Takiwa replacing Ibell on cello for the song Frere Jacques.

Ibell said it was great to see how excited the children were about the music.

"Every single kid, of the ones I worked with, were so into it. You could see in their faces they were really excited."

As well as performing for the children at Ebbett Park School, the Aroha String Quartet played at Havelock North's Lantern Gallery as part of its nationwide Light and Dark tour.