Music always seems to be in need of some advocacy. The Henley Review, the National Curriculum...
‘Whether they like it or not’
Sunday’s Telegraph featured a series of quotes from Nicola Benedetti on the subject of music education. The overwhelming message from Benedetti is that pupils should have to listen to classical music whether they like it or not. In many respects, I don’t have a problem with this as I’ve always thought it important to promote respectful appreciation of music regardless of style or genre. I do, however, find it concerning that Benedetti is so dismissive of music that doesn’t appeal to her.
I’ve written before about being willing to take constructive criticism about the state of music education from any and all sources. I value the input of world-class musicians and I am keen to learn from their experiences. I do, however, think that such input needs to be looked at with our knowledge of the day-to-day music classroom.