JAZZ piano, electric guitar and musical theatre can now be studied in India after a Wisbech man opened two of the country s first music colleges. He also presented a trophy to a blind 12-year-old pianist who, he judged, performed the best in an exam. It

JAZZ piano, electric guitar and musical theatre can now be studied in India after a Wisbech man opened two of the country's first music colleges.

He also presented a trophy to a blind 12-year-old pianist who, he judged, performed the best in an exam.

"It's the best thing I have ever done," said Andrew McManus, who teaches and examines for the London College of Music.

"It is the first time India has had centres to teach jazz piano, electric guitar, drums, pop vocals and music theatre, so the openings were shown on Indian TV and broadcast on radio."

Mr McManus, a teacher and examiner at the British School of Lomé in Togo, West Africa, was looking forward to a three-week break when he had a call asking him to open the new colleges.

He flew out to Mumbai on August 2 and opened the first of two new centres, before going to Bangalore to examine students at a college opened earlier in the year.

"I was given the chance to present the Rolling Trophy Cup for the best pianist and presented it to a blind boy," he said.

"I had to play the music to him twice and he had to listen and play it back. He played it all from memory and it was perfect."

From there, Mr McManus flew to Thiruvananthapuram, in northern India, to examine more students before travelling to Kochi, in the south of the country, to open the second of the new colleges.

Mr McManus has worked for the London College of Music since 1992, and spent time teaching in Gran Canaria and Indonesia before moving to Togo.

After returning to Wisbech on Saturday he will be flying back to Togo next Thursday ready for the new school year.