music - Doubled Up

Yesterday we went to see my 9 year old nephew perform in his choir. Three primary schools had each been given a section of a musical to practise, then they had come together for two rehearsals before putting on a performance. It was fantastic.

Aside from enjoying the singing, I was equally impressed with the teamwork between schools. Firstly the bringing together of three schools for the performance, and secondly the fact that the local grammar school had allowed them full use of their facilities on a Saturday afternoon.

The performance took place in the main hall and was followed by a BBQ in the school grounds. Soon all the children (there were about 90) and most of their dads had taken over the football pitch and were playing the most chaotic game of football I have ever seen.

Meanwhile, the smaller children were feeding the school sheep with dandelion leaves and pumping water out of the well.

When we left, a breakaway group of teenagers were still enjoying the lovely weather and had music playing while they chatted amongst themselves.

The sense of community was immense and there was absolutely no sign that the older teenagers were drinking too much or that there would be any kind of trouble. No one who shouldn't have been there tried to crash the party and the school gates (and back door) remained open all afternoon. And this school is situated in the centre of a (admittedly not huge) town.

It is as if, without even trying, the Germans here had already successfully achieved what we are aiming to do with extended schools.

In my last blog I wrote about the music project In Harmony as announced by Andrew Adonis last week.

I really, really hope that the government does do what it promises – that is, to have truly inspirational teachers, to give children the opportunity to travel with their orchestras, to learn about hard work and teamwork and to enjoy the feeling of success that goes with a successful performance.

I read a little about the Venezuelan project and was particularly touched by the story of Legna Lacosta, as reported in the Independent on 17th August of last year.  At the age of 13, Legna was addicted to crack, dealing drugs and armed with a gun. At 17 he was arrested and put in a youth detention centre. He says that he was saved by the Youth Orchestras’ Project, when they visited his centre and showed him how to play a clarinet. He is now studying in Germany.

The Independent goes on to report that any child that enters one of El Sistema’s centres with a desire to work hard and learn an instrument will be given free tuition.

This got me thinking (dangerous, I know). I wonder if In Harmony could be combined with a variety of other initiatives – extended schools, for example – and whether we could have similar centres in deprived areas. And why stick just to music? It has long been acknowledged that sport can lift people out of poverty, why not offer anyone willing to work hard the opportunity to train, participate in a team and develop the vital life skills that a sport can offer?

I’ve spent a lot of time recently moaning about how our government seems to see that the majority of our society’s problems can be solved by setting teachers more targets and by pointing out perceived weaknesses. Don’t get me wrong, I know how powerful education is and how it can change lives, I just don’t think that beating teachers with a stick is the way to go. So I was pleasantly surprised to read in the Independent yesterday about a new project that actually seems to be using education to tackle deprivation.

The project is called In Harmony, and is chaired by Julian Lloyd Webber. The plan is to give children as young as four in an opportunity to be taught to play an instrument by inspiring teachers, to be part of an orchestra and to perform in concerts. The project will be aimed at the country’s most deprived areas as a pilot and, hopefully, be spread across the country in the future. It will run in partnership with organisations such as the London Symphony Orchestra and the Barbican.

It is so great to, at last, read of a government initiative that thinks outside the whole five grade A-Cs box and that looks at raising aspirations, self-esteem and awareness of a whole world outside some children’s limited experiences. As the schools’ minister, Andrew Adonis said;

‘Music can be a powerful agent of social change. It teaches discipline and rigour, it raises hopes and aspirations, it is a source of pleasure and enjoyment and it also gives young people skills that will stay with them for life...The programme is as much about building vital life skills as about developing musical talent. The sense of achievement – from the hard work of rehearsals to the successful performances in front of international audiences – is an important ingredient...’

The programme is based on the Venezuelan programme, El Sistema, which has been lifting children out of poverty for 30 years now. It was the brainchild of musician and economist, Jose Abreu and has sparked similar projects in Germany and Scotland (Sistema Scotland, founded by Richard Holloway in 2006).