The four time Grammy winner, Ed Sheeran, made a surprise visit to Fairlight Primary school in Brighton last Friday, for an intimate performance and a chat about music.

What was a seemingly routine assembly quickly turned into a once in a lifetime opportunity for the children at Fairlight, as Ed Sheeran emerged to sing his hits: Shape of You, Perfect, and Bad Habits. Following his personal performance, he stayed for a discussion with the children about the importance of music education, and how much it has benefited him and his career. The 33 year old was even kind enough to donate five of his own guitars in hope to inspire a new generation of musicians, and to emphasise the importance of music education and the opportunities it can bring.

The headteacher, Mr Jordan, said that staff and students were completely unaware of this event, and he himself had only found out the day before, telling the BBC that “I was told that a famous singer wanted to see the music classes at the school.

Create Music, a Brighton-based project ran by the Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival, were the organisers of this event. Their aims are to provide inclusive music education, which Ed Sheeran was advocating for whilst speaking to numerous students during his visit.

This impromptu performance is not the first in Sheeran’s career. He is quite well known for doing spontaneous gigs far away from the shining lights and screams of huge stadiums, that he is used to performing in. Only last November, he was found making an appearance in Suffolk at The Rumburgh Buck, and even earlier last year he shocked fans by showing up on their doorstep, ready to provide a personal performance in their living room as part of the promotion for his new album ‘Autumn Variations’.

The headteacher Mr Jordan, talking to BBC, added that they “are so grateful for his support and for the generous donation of instruments to help other budding musicians on their way.”