Making music accessible

Beth Fagg

Imagine this scenario. A city worker walks wearily towards the station, briefcase in hand. As he enters a tunnel under a railway bridge he inadvertently steps into a red circle and is transfixed by some sublime Rachmaninoff. For a moment he is transported into a parallel universe. Puzzled, he steps out and the spell is broken, back in and he hears the music again. Inside the circle these words appear: ‘Step into our world’. This was, of course an advertisement for the 2009 Proms. The fact that the man seemed self-conscious was understandable, but that he gave it a go, stepping in once more to that musical haven seems to suggest that many people secretly wish to join in with ‘our world of music’ but are afraid to take that step.

Part of our role is to make music more accessible to that man in the street. Gareth Malone, in his series The Choir has done much to break down barriers with both children and adults. Who could not be moved by the people of South Oxhey whom he managed to get together and form a choir to perform at the Watford Coliseum?

As individual teachers we are more vital than ever to the system. Our pupils must deliver performances for GCSE, AS and A level and can boost their A level points with good results in higher grade examinations. In the near future music may be part of a ‘cultural’ package in schools rather than a subject in its own right. The lesson you give might be the one and only musical experience that child has. We know from a recent ISM poll that 91% of adults want children to have music lessons in school. Many young artists of today have made it to the top of their profession thanks to free music tuition in school. The virtuoso trumpeter, Alison Balsom has recently called on the government to put more emphasis on free music lessons to nurture budding stars of the future. She said: ‘Our most talented young musicians will just fall by the wayside, not through lack of talent but through lack of opportunity and that’s not fair’.

I am acutely aware how our world has changed in the past ten years. Children or ‘screenagers’ as they have been dubbed, now spend up to 7 hours a day in an ‘electronic life’. Experts believe the web is reducing children’s ability to study thoroughly; that their brains are beginning to process information in a new way. Students regularly click on to YouTube and download music from the net. Perhaps we need guidance on how to deal with this new technological world? Lessons on various instruments are already available on-line and while we probably don’t approve, we ignore this new technology at our peril.

One of the ISM’s strengths is professional development. At our next national seminar on 25 September at King’s Place we shall be looking at creativity in the individual lesson, ‘thinking outside the box’, expanding repertoire and examining ways of making a lesson less predictable, more stimulating and surprising. A pupil is like an organic vegetable box, turning up on the doorstep week after week – we have to know how to create something from the raw ingredients.

In my working life I have been lucky to have taught in schools with excellent support for visiting music teachers. My own experiences working with young people have shown me the enormous benefit to be gained from interaction and exposure to challenging music. Socially, music is a great asset and gives young people a common purpose. I still remember my first piano lessons and am eternally grateful to my teachers who guided me on my musical journey. We are so privileged to be part of this wonderful world and it is our job to make sure our passion is passed on to all those with whom we share this most precious gift.

Beth Fagg
is the incoming Chair of the Private Teachers Section

This is an abridged version of her speech given at our annual conference on Tuesday 6 April 2010.

 

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