Commission for the Bleeding Obvious with Sir Nicholas Serota ?

[MrGongGong]

Do we really need this ?

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/mar/28/serota-sets-up-commission-to-explore-benefit-of-arts-for-children#comments

OR do we simply need the money to be spent on ART ?

[greenilex]

Serota needs to get a teaching job in a good school...

[gurnemanz]

Serota needs to get a teaching job in a good school...

A propos of that comment, I am reminded of Harry Rée, who was Professor of Education at York when I did a post-grad teaching course there in 1972. He had a remarkable life, including a spell as a secret agent in the War, with many a story to tell. To quote from this web page: "In 1974 he left York University to return to classroom teaching in Woodberry Down Comprehensive School, London, until his retirement in 1980." (Currently, no doubt turning in grave at Mrs May's enthusiasm for reviving Grammar/Sec Mod selection).

[Richard Barrett]

Do we really need this ?

Yes we obviously do, since the most important people in the arts world are the bureaucrats, or at least you'd think so from their ever-increasing numbers as they give jobs to each other by inventing whole new layers of management that somehow the human race managed without until now, managing even to educate people in music, art and literature so that they could appreciate and maybe create it and potentially enrich their lives in many ways. Instead of appointing yet more bureaucrats to find out whether it works, they could spend the money on doing it and see whether it works (what's the worst that could happen?). Or they could just ask anyone who knows anything about these issues, or consult the extensive research literature that already exists.

Oh, and Nicholas Serota: public school and Oxbridge? Check. So much for inclusivity.

[oddoneout]

There's always money available it seems to fund a body to state the obvious and for which the evidence already exists in abundance( I see that the comments on the article are largely on this point), but never to hand to fund any initiative to address the problem/s.
I am also getting rather fed up at the blame that is being levelled at the EBacc, as the the rundown of arts in schools predates that by a good few years. The fact that arts subjects aren't included in it is simply confirmation that the powers-that-be are philistines - which we knew anyway - and are clinging to the way-out-of-date notion that arts subjects have no worth in a child's education, development and wellbeing, and are inimical to career prospects.

[teamsaint]

Yes we obviously do, since the most important people in the arts world are the bureaucrats, or at least you'd think so from their ever-increasing numbers as they give jobs to each other by inventing whole new layers of management that somehow the human race managed without until now, managing even to educate people in music, art and literature so that they could appreciate and maybe create it and potentially enrich their lives in many ways. Instead of appointing yet more bureaucrats to find out whether it works, they could spend the money on doing it and see whether it works (what's the worst that could happen?). Or they could just ask anyone who knows anything about these issues, or consult the extensive research literature that already exists.

Oh, and Nicholas Serota: public school and Oxbridge? Check. So much for inclusivity.

.....and they all go on a course ( they must do) where they learn how to convince us how the organisations that fund them so handsomely ( with our money) really cannot function with anybody else, or nobody, doing the job. Football CEOs and chairpersons also attend these secret courses.


As a tangental matter of interest ( hopefully), the business that I work for has just managed to rid itself of an entire board level layer of "one day a month paid non exec directors," a very expensive CEO, (as well as venture capitalist owners), and all that has happened is that we seem to be more flexible, focused, better able to make commercial decisions, and spend a lot less time reporting to people so that they can save their own rather nice roles. Hopefully we'll also be able to offer new opportunities to people wanting to come into the publishing industry before too long, as a result.

[Richard Barrett]

the business that I work for has just managed to rid itself of an entire board level layer of "one day a month paid non exec directors," a very expensive CEO, (as well as venture capitalist owners), and all that has happened is that we seem to be more flexible, focused, better able to make commercial decisions, and spend a lot less time reporting to people so that they can save their own rather nice roles.

It's not rocket science after all!

[teamsaint]

It's not rocket science after all!

No we leave that to people with appropriate training. Books about military rockets do quite well though.

However, the sheer effort and expertise from a large number of people, ( not least the authors !) that goes into producing a book that will turn a profit on sales of a couple of thousand copies is genuinely remarkable, and still astonishes me after 15 years in the business. I often think it would be a great education for all of us to visit areas of work and life that we don't usually come into contact with, to see how interdependent we are, and how much we take for granted when we don't see things for ourselves.

Sorry, OT, just getting that off my chest.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

[Richard Barrett]

I often think it would be a great education for all of us to visit areas of work and life that we don't usually come into contact with, to see how interdependent we are, and how much we take for granted when we don't see things for ourselves.

I agree. Well actually I did a motley selection of jobs in my earlier life in order to keep me going until I could more or less survive doing music-related things. I wonder how many of these professional arts admin people can say that.

As for music theory, if it isn't seen (and taught) as indivisible from music practice I guess it could be seen as a difficult subject!

[ardcarp]

The 18-month inquiry, a partnership between Durham University and Arts Council England, will investigate what happens when children experience arts and culture and how it helps them develop and thrive.

What happens is bleeding obvious and I guess most of us here could save the Arse Council the cost of an 18 month enquiry.

Kids of whatever age taking part in a play or [more especially] music theatre will not only relate to each other and to adults differently from the usual jungle communications, but also have their lives changed. They will never forget those special times.