The government’s inquiry into music education (AP225), launched by Education Secretary Michael Gove last month, has seen over 400 respondents participate in a call for consultation across the industry. Gove’s principle that “all children should have the chance to learn an instrument” has sparked the review, led by Darren Henley, Managing Director of Classic FM. Henley is expected to submit recommendations to government before the end of the year. Deborah Annetts, Chair of the Music Education Council and Chief Executive of the Incorporated Society of Musicians, told AP that Gove’s enthusiasm was “welcome” but warned that the review “must be followed through with the necessary support and trust from government”.
Gove has hopes his leadership in the department will inspire an educational transformation as radical as El Sistema in Venezuela, where 250,000 students, 90% from the poorest socio-economic backgrounds, have formed national youth orchestras and overhauled learning and participation across all subjects. Annetts told AP that it was “reassuring to see that the review is considering music education in its entirety”, but that “music education is obviously about far more than just learning a musical instrument”. Henley’s review is expected to be published in the Spring of 2011.
Elsewhere in cultural education, Culture Minister Ed Vaizey faced a grilling from young dance students at the Youth Dance England conference in London. Vaizey promised that a clearer educational strategy for dance was as much a priority for ministers as a one for music is. Good news for dancers, given that YDE research has found that 58p per head has been spent on youth dance during 2008–11, compared with £38 per capita on youth music.