Sliding Down the Scales
State schools are dropping music lessons, depriving children of a lifetime’s pleasure
A pipeline of talent that for years has streamed from recorders in primary school, through choirs and youth orchestras and into the worlds concert halls, is in danger of drying up.
More and more state schools are dropping the option for pupils to learn an instrument and cancelling contracts with part-time teachers. Music academies seeking to recruit young talent will soon be limited to private schools, where the violin, oboe, clarinet and cello can still be heard in the practice rooms. For generations, Britain’s musicians played fortissimo across the world. In years to come, classical music in this land may be only a whimper.
Dame Katheryn McDowell, managing director of the London Symphony Orchestra, is appalled. Like acting, professional music is becoming the preserve of the elite, she says. Without time, classes and opportunity, thousands of young people from the modest backgrounds will never have the chance to learn the instruments that could turn them and their siblings into another Kanneh-Mason family. Music cannot be seen as a “class accessory – nice but optional”, she insists.
The excuse is lack of money. School budgets are ever more tightly squeezed, and musical options are the first to go. Some orchestras have come to the rescue: in September the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra will help a local academy continue musical instrument education. Musical hubs and other initiatives are being proposed: local industry, arts foundations and wealthy enthusiasts can take pride in local musical talent. Look at the Finnish example.
sadly, all is now being sacrificed to “STEM” education. The sciences are where Britain’s future lies, the thinking goes, and humanities in general area optional. What a drab, utilitarian future that offers! Music not only cheers the soul: its achievements are among the greatest civilisation offers.
published by The Times, 26 June 2023
