Today’s parents often shuffle their children off to a music class as soon as they are strong enough to hold an instrument in their little fists.Then follows years of lessons and exams at the end of which the child may or not be able to play well.It seems hard to imagine just picking up an instrument, practising hard for a couple of weeks and then launching a successful music career. But that is exactly what happened to George Rogers who was known for years in the community for his expert accordion playing and Bermuda songs.The talents of Mr Rogers and seven others were recently recognised by the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs with its presentation of the 2012 Bermuda Arts Council Lifetime Achievement Awards.The awards were divided into three categories: Founders Awards, Patrons Awards and Lifetime Achievement Awards.Dancer Irma Washington Butterfield and doll maker the late Marie Gleeson received the Founder’s Award. Sculptor Milton Hill, late sisters Ethel and Katherine Tucker, Mr Rogers and pianist Earl Darrell received Lifetime Achievement Awards and the Christian Humann Foundation and Georgine Hill won the Patron’s Award. Mrs Hill has won the Lifetime Achievement Award in previous years.The recipients’ stories speak to the ingenuity of Bermuda’s older generation. Mr Darrell learned to read piano music while stationed in Egypt during the Second World War. He then ran his own band, the AlDarnos, and played for years at the Waterlot Inn. He even performed for Elizabeth Taylor.Mrs Gleeson made dolls out of natural materials such as banana leaves which are now highly sought after on the internet.Mr Hill started out as a shipwright’s apprentice and is today known for his beautiful cedar sculpture work. He is also an accomplished boat builder.Ms Butterfield helped to introduce majorettes to Bermuda and ran her own dancing class.Paintings by the late sisters Ethel and Katherine Tucker are still world famous. They were business women at a time when few women had careers.Mrs Hill first came to Bermuda during the Second World War during a time of racial segregation. She has since worked tirelessly to make the arts available to the entire community.The Christian Humann Foundation, named for the late businessman Christian Humann, has been a major financial supporter of art and education programmes in Bermuda.Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Patrice Minors said she was thrilled to be able to recognise such special individuals.“Over the course of our history, [they] have made some very significant contributions to the artistic and cultural landscape of Bermuda,” she said. “This is a big event, not only in the lives of the artists whose work and talents we are acknowledging and encouraging today, but for me as well and I am honoured to be in the presence of such cultural and artistic greatness.”For the last several years, the Bermuda Arts Council has recognised hundreds of individuals in the community who have dedicated their lives to shaping and preserving our artistic and cultural heritage.Useful website: www.communityandculture.bm/pages/bermuda-arts-council.