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Now that I’ve had the opportunity to read this and seen that the general consensus is a positive one amongst other commentators, I thought I’d add my two pennies worth.

As others have already mentioned, this new plan has some really good things in it.  A sense that the government has listened to what has previously been recommended in the Henley Review. Despite the inclusion of positive initiatives, which I’ll be talking about further down, I didn’t read this wearing rose tinted glasses (just my normal ones). There are some worrying aspects to this report; ones that I hope will be overcome or at least not be how I think it’ll turn out.

The biggest and by far the thing I’m most excited about and conversely afraid for is the provision that ALL pupils aged between 5-18 (state and free schools) will have the opportunity to take up an instrument. And all pupils to be given class based tuition on their instruments. Great stuff, the right to ask to play an instrument and no reason for teachers or schools to refuse or fob them off. I have to ask just how much choice pupils will get in what instrument they learn, for I can’t help but have visions of the mass orders for plastic recorders being made by schools, to save money and fulfil the requirements the plan states must be met. Recorder, triangle and tambourine manufacturers must be rubbing their hands with glee thanks to this report!

What is important in the report is the recognition that “[music] must not become the preserve of those children whose families can afford to pay for music tuition”(p3) and that through music the disadvantaged can benefit most. I guess this all correlates with the opportunity for all to learn an instrument.

The music services currently in place will continue until September 2012, when they will be disbanded at least in name and Music Education Hubs will be responsible for funding and providing opportunities the plan sets out to achieve.

Essentially the plan sets out to:

• All children to be given the chance to learn an instrument, to learn to sing and be able to progress to an advanced level if they wish.
• Teachers to have greater freedom in how they teach music in school (within the guidelines of a “broad and balanced curriculum”)
• New Music Education Hubs will replace the current work of Local Authority Music Services by Sept 2012, combining the services of local hubs, schools and private providers.
• A new monitoring board to hold hubs to account for the quality and consistency provided on a national scale.
• Support music education across the age range for both inside and outside school activities.
• Whole class ensemble teaching programmes, opportunities to play in other ensembles and to provide clear progression routes.
• Music technology to be supported to support the extension of good music teaching.
• Music Hubs to assess local needs via schools and provide clear communication to parents/carers.
• IN HARMONY Sistema England to be expanded to support more children from more disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve their full potential, beyond the areas already covered (Lambeth, Liverpool and Norwich).
• Funding for Music services/Hubs to be scaled down from April 2012 in three staged years £77m 2012, £65m 2013, £60m 2014.

 So I left the best for last: Music Education will be trying to achieve more than it does already with less funding than it gets now. The arguments that this will not negatively impact upon services are based upon the new funding model based on a per pupil basis. Affluent areas with more funds but less pupils will accordingly receive less funding and areas with more pupils but proportionally less funding will get more.  I can see the logic in this to be honest, doing things the Robin Hood way but why not just keep the funding the same and still fairly divide it?

Think about it, there’s a basic problems with all this: they are trying to make more things happen than before but with less money than before, I can’t help but think something here will go badly wrong, some part of the plan will be dumped, swept under the carpet and quietly forgotten about. And that’s why I worry about the Recorders…because that’s all I had and I grew up under the last Conservative government (ok this time it’s a coalition, but still).

Sistema England’s In Harmony project is a great thing, helping lots of children to learn an instrument and be part of something that gives them a positive goal to aim for. The fact that the government has seen the benefits being a part of a orchestra has had and provided funding (included in the total funding amounts) to expand the project is great news, I fully welcome this and hope that maybe from a purely selfish point of view Hull is considered as a future participant.

Any local Arts organisation can apply to become their local music Hub, but there are certain provisions and requirements, and most likely a hell of a lot of red tape involved to probably make it very likely that a fair few local authority Music Services will apply and win the right to become a Hub for their local area. Collaborations are encouraged and therefore the hope is Hub to Hub to Orchestra to Hub to Hubs may be envisioned. Well it would be a good thing to hope for.

The Plan is freely available for you to download and read from the Department for Education's website here

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Random words on why I like classical music:

positivity.pdf Download this file

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I have been thinking recently about the whole concept of outreach within classical music. The biggest fear I guess is the thought that whatever you are trying to do, no matter what your best intentions are; you fail and all you are doing is flogging a dead horse. Who wants one of those, nobody; as everything you have done has been a big waste of time.

Therefore, from this perspective before you can fail you must know that it is possible to achieve your aims. So some research must have been done before committing to it. Locating your nearest deprived borough or city is one option, the other is leaving your concerts open to anyone from any part of town to attend.

My personal preference is to leave the concerts open, given all an opportunity to attend, however I do realise that many may be reluctant to attend unless a concert can be catered towards their needs. In this regard focusing on a specific area could help remove any stigma felt by a person in attending a concert by making it a collective community event.

These are just guesses, opinions and really if something is to really happen, it can’t be done before research has been collected. I mean: what does Hull want? does it want (need) classical concerts/outreach? In what form should it be, if so? Maybe the fact that there is nothing much available already is the answer (I hope not). Questions need to be asked and answers digested, however difficult they may be.

I’d like there to be some concerts available for children to attend to enjoy classical music, have some fun and go away inspired. And I don’t want to restrict these to those learning an instrument, but to every child and any family, therefore publicly available and advertised as such.

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I aim for the reasonably priced tickets, for the vast majority of the time these suit my needs, I get a seat to hear and be able to see the concert to the amount that I am prepared to pay.  It seems I’m not alone in wanting to buy cheap(er) tickets, for these can be the first to sell out. If the seats I’m willing to pay for have gone, then I simply won’t see that particular concert, after all there are plenty more concerts to see in London.

Within London such opportunities to pick and choose exist, allowing myself the right to choose a concert with a fair ticket price. How lucky I am to have such choice.

In Hull with naturally fewer concerts taking place, demand for a good priced ticket to see a Professional Orchestra is decidedly more restricted. Of course many would argue that prices are fixed according to demand and that the demand is sufficient to warrant a minimum price of £20.50. However I would argue that demand would improve if prices were made fairer and more friendly towards those who aren’t made out of money, are not unemployed, over the age of 60 or a full time student, but that they simply cannot afford to pay such prices on a concert, that for them may be the very first classical concert they have been to.

It is expensive, but there are further options such as attending a Hull Philharmonic Concert for example which has tickets priced at £5 or more. I only wish more of these concerts could be put on.

By pricing a ticket too highly, classical concerts send out a subtle signal to all that it is elitist and those afraid of not being a particular part of society need not attend, this seems particularly so with Hull City Councils Master Series (£20.50).

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I may not have written for a few months, but this blog will still continue. From next month I hope to be publishing one new post a week. I have a plan on where to take this blog, the essential aims still being the same of course.  I aim to make this a more positive blog than it has been previously, Focus on the positives, that’ll be my mantra.

I want to highlight achievements, look at new ideas, give things a go, and accept the challenge of showing what Classical music can bring to those who have never given it a thought.

I start from London and aim for Hull, a city I would love to become a hotspot for the arts, something it already is in many ways, but this time including classical music.  I only hope for a little bit of change, that this blog may help in some tiny way.  Motivation is key and this is what I want to give.

My next post will be in a week and then from November on a more regular basis.

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Football you either love it or are completely indifferent to it (it’s rare to find people who absolutely hate it, I find). When it comes to classical music, I see it running along similar veins. I happen to like football and classical music too, and many comparisons can be made between the two, that I doubt many football fans realise, or maybe music fans.

On one level you have 11 footballers including one Captain and a Manager, an Orchestra has its musicians, with a Leader and one Conductor. The footballers and musicians play with the Captain and Leader controlling play, the Conductor and Manager strategise, influence and make the big decisions before, during and after the concert/match.

On this very basic level we can see the similarities, players generally have their preferred position and tend to stay there and musicians don’t swap their instruments from concert to concert. Conductors and Managers know their places too. There are so many other similarities; the only difference is probably the pay structure, and that includes even the best conductors.

Fans are passionate about what they love, the only difference between football fans and classical music fans, is it is much more acceptable to be in your face to another person about the team you support. To go crazy about football is acceptable, yet if all classical music fans spent one day doing exactly the same thing football fans do, everyone would think we had gone bonkers. And be fair, acting like this probably wouldn’t get many new people into concert halls! 

Nevertheless the point I’m trying to make is the reluctance of classical music lovers to take a chance and try and bring new people to concerts by not being vocal enough. From a newbie perspective I can say, going with somebody who’s been before takes some of the nerves away from what to expect, and I suppose it’s the same for going to a football match too.

I think orchestras are missing an important tactic in improving concert attendances; they can learn from football and adapt it to promote themselves. I’m not suggesting there should be leagues, team shirts produced and sold to fans for example, but the essence of fan promotion on a subtle levels could be looked at. What I am suggesting is that classical music fans love their music equally as football fans love their teams. There just seems to be a national reluctance to tell people the great concerts you’ve just been to, the music you’ve just heard in the same way that people talk about the matches they’ve seen and the goals scored.

Even if you’re bored brainless from hearing about football, it doesn’t matter, the point is football is seen and read and talked about to millions by millions, it is on the public radar whether you like it or not. With the notable exception of the Proms, classical music consistently slips under that radar, when maybe if we try a bit harder by word of mouth promotion; it may start to rise.

Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites are being put to good use, but in all honestly they are only being used in reference to classical music by people who know what to look for, what I want to know is how would these orchestras and concert hall sell a football fan a concert ticket? What would they do to get some to take a chance and go?

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The time between my last post and this one has been a long one. In this time, I had not felt able to write any postings on classical music. The number one reason for this is my lack of attendance at concerts. I have spent last year focusing on my normal, run of the mill job, which unfortunately requires me to work quite a few evenings. I have missed writing posts, however short they may be, and have often felt like getting back to writing. To those who have written to me, I thank you. To be quite honest, this blog has been left completely alone, and that was something I felt uncomfortable with.

This year I hope to return, in fact I have one post waiting in the wings and hope to find many others further along. I probably will not write quite as frequently this time, or if I do I may write less than before. It will be a balancing act between interests competing for my attention.

Before I stopped last time, I mentioned plans relating to classical music and children. This plan has come to nothing, in which I had hoped to help bring a orchestra to Hull, that were experienced in performing for children, for a concert. They needed funding and alas none was forthcoming. I had hoped that after one concert, a series may have begun. I fully realised what I had hoped for was unlikely to happen, and so never gave out details on here.

I am still disappointed but realised before I went into this, that funding and budget cuts were imminent. I hope though that in the future something may change here for the better.

I‘m still in the process of writing my first proper post, and it will not be rushed.

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Tomorrow night I shall be attending an interesting recital of sorts at The Hospital Club in Covent Garden. The contemporary Cellist Peter Gregson will be showcasing his new album "Terminal" in a live performance of electronic cello (and maybe acoustic). The evening will be the starting point for a series of monthly performances by Gregson entitled "alt-classical", at the Hospital Club to coincide with his appointment as 2010 Creative in Resident in Music. The Title "alt-classical" speaks for itself as a different kind of classical music. And that really is Gregson to a tee, utilising technology to give his music a bit of an edge.

I'm looking forward to this event, it will be interesting to see how all the technical jiggery-pokery aspects of the album will be adapted to fit in a live session. I remain intrigued and will report back my findings.

ps Peter's album Terminal is available to buy now via Bowers and Wilkins.

Update:

Here's a helpful hint about travelling in London: Leave earlier than you think you will need to. Unfortunately for me I got snarled up in a "person under a train" AND a fire evacuation tube line closure. Due to these mishaps I have not been able to attend "Terminals" public unveiling tonight. What I did get instead was a proper workout walking up a tube stations emergency stairwell (not recommended, if you're not prepared for seemingly endless stairs!).

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I've just had a thought. Well I get a few of those, but this one has me pondering.

When I was a child, part of what introduced me to classical music were the CD's my parents had. They didn't have a huge collection, just a few of the compilation CD's that I picked up and played. I didn't do this often, but I listened enough to learn a bit about Tchaikovsky and Beethoven, Mozart et al through their famous pieces.

Now that CD's are becoming less common in favour of mp3's I wonder how children can do the same thing I did. They would have to physically use their parents mp3 player or computer to listen, and that to me seems less likely to happen.

All this depends on people having classical music in their collection anyway, in whatever format. Television has now classical music channels and maybe these are a way to introduce some children to classical music, given a child's need for visual impetus: short and sweet pieces, perfect for when channel surfing between breaks in programmes.

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Classical music is rich with a variety of music, the advantage of this is that there are often hours of music that a person can explore without having listened to everything: there is a seemingly endless supply something new to discover. The disadvantages to this are often felt by those new to classical music, and the feeling is often overwhelming and off putting.

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Lynsey Hanleys recent article in the 'Comment is free' section of The Guardians website, "The cultured classes" (19/2/10) paints a rather depressing situation in our schooling system. The implication being that unless you are from a middle class background, the presumption by teachers is that pupil have very few cultural extra-curricular activities. I would really love to refute this, and argue that teachers look on every child as an individual open to all possibilities, however my own personal experience from my time at school finds the opposite true.

If a child does not take instrument lessons at school, can that child be said to have an aptitude towards music? Maybe that child does, but doesn't know how to ask for lessons, or did ask and was politely told no (that is my case, and yes I'm still a bit bitter that the teacher thought I couldn't do it and told me "it was a nice idea..but.."). You don't even have to have lessons just to enjoy music, but many presume instrumental lessons are a pre-requisit to enjoyment.

What it takes is exposure, but how do you expose children to a kind of music they have never heard before, if the adults around them are not willing to believe a child might like the music in the first place. Classical music is not by definition elitist, it is the adults, the decision makers, that feel such music wouldn't suit little johnny and his class because they all live on a council estate, the children themselves are not bound by this elitist attitude until they themselves become sense it isn't for the likes of them.

London a lot is being done to open up classical music to sections of society which previously would have bypassed it. Outreach by major orchestras in the capital and family concerts, often subsidised are helping to create potential new audiences. All we need are potentials, those who are now growing up seeing that classical music and elitism do not have to go hand in hand. In Hull however, despite their being Opera North's outreach initiatives, which do not extend to Hull, it seems; classical music has still retained its elitist label, no obvious outreach, no family concerts. The council does run a music service, has invested money in its music centre, but these are for children who play already, what about those who might slip through the net by not playing a instrument. Something in Hull must be done to counteract this, for once the current generation of concert goers disappears, where will the new one come from.

is not just about attending concerts, listening to music, of all kinds so there is some variety can only benefit children in their education. It cannot detract from it. Classical music is still going to continue being dull, boring, what old people like, not for the likes of me, in many children's eyes until somebody somewhere shows them it isn't always like that. Maybe parents cannot always help with this, but teachers, orchestras and councils can.

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