Musical education

[kernelbogey]

I've had two striking experiences which have led me into thinking about the education of the young in music.

The first, two of my granchildren, siblings in two Camden schools - the older has just gone up to secondary - singing in the Camden Schools Music Festival at the Royal Albert Hall two weeks ago.

The second, joining an audience yesterday to witness Kate Gould, cellist, coaching a piano trio, then a string quartet, of young musicians as part of the Winchester Chamber Music Festival, of which Kate is artistic director.

I was able to watch a live stream of part of the Camden concert, brilliantly organised with multiple conductors directing their schools' choirs and orchestras in Zadok the Priest, my grandchildren in their respective choirs. I found myself in unexpectedly deep emotion while watching. I wrote to a friend of the 'raw energy of adolescent voices' which so moved me. I don't know how Camden manages to do all this - The Royal Albert Hall! - but it struck me forcibly that this is what can be done and what should be done by local authorities to get children involved in all kinds of music in their teens.

The same emotion welled up for me watching and hearing a brilliant trio of teenagers practising a Haydn trio; then a young quartet in the first movement of Dvorak's American Quartet. As a musical enthusiast not musically trained it was tough for me to hear the individual changes in tempo, intonation, fingering and bowing that Kate encouraged, but the overall change in the performance was nonetheless clear.

[DracoM]

What always amazes me is that school admins + employers simply do not understand the sophisticated skills required to be a chorister / instrumentalist / player. INSTANT capacity to:
- read highly tricky symbols at fantastic speed
- translate those symbols INSTANTLY into expressive vocalisation / sophisticated ear/ muscle / finger movements / accurate awareness and integration with other 'team' players to create a 'whole'.
- response to and express emotionally multi-layered / other minds' intentions

- and all this in literally nano-seconds.

The sheer complexity of the highly demanding nature of all the intellectual / physiological operations involved in musical expression cannot and must not be under-estimated. A well-taught child who can put all that together has adaptability / agility of mind and sensitivity of ensemble way, way beyond most other.

It amazes me that schools / govts cannot grasp the colossal sophistication / skill-level / expertise required in both teacher and particular the learning pupil.
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[smittims]

The value to well-being and quality of life of active participation in music-making has been stressed by musicians from William Byrd via Vaughan Williams (who was particularly passionate about it) to the present day. Sadly, the sort of people who get into positions of authority and power just don't see music as important . I think it's another sign that we choose the wrong rulers, people who (whatever they say when they want us to vote for them) want power rather than the chance to serve their community.

[duncan]

I've had two striking experiences which have led me into thinking about the education of the young in music.

The first, two of my granchildren, siblings in two Camden schools - the older has just gone up to secondary - singing in the Camden Schools Music Festival at the Royal Albert Hall two weeks ago.

<snip>

I was able to watch a live stream of part of the Camden concert, brilliantly organised with multiple conductors directing their schools' choirs and orchestras in Zadok the Priest, my grandchildren in their respective choirs. I found myself in unexpectedly deep emotion while watching. I wrote to a friend of the 'raw energy of adolescent voices' which so moved me. I don't know how Camden manages to do all this - The Royal Albert Hall! - but it struck me forcibly that this is what can be done and what should be done by local authorities to get children involved in all kinds of music in their teens.

<snip>

Camden still manages to provide a half-decent music teaching service despite the gross underfunding of local authorities since 2008. They still employ peripatetic instrumental teachers in schools and run weekly out of school individual and group tuition for singers, jazz, brass or orchestral musicians. As most here know, this was standard practice everywhere 50 years ago, sadly no longer the case.

There are local elections in some parts of the UK two days time.

[Serial_Apologist]

Camden still manages to provide a half-decent music teaching service despite the gross underfunding of local authorities since 2008. They still employ peripatetic instrumental teachers in schools and run weekly out of school individual and group tuition for singers, jazz, brass or orchestral musicians. As most here know, this was standard practice everywhere 50 years ago, sadly no longer the case.

There are local elections in some parts of the UK two days time.

Not in inner London (and other places), however.

[gradus]

A local primary still has a music room with teacher of music and a reasonably wide range of instruments for the children to play. I don't think this holds in the majority of state primaries but I could be wrong.