I agreed to Chair a new government ‘pilot’ programme, based on Venezuela’s El Sistema, whereby every child in schools explicitly chosen from some of most deprived inner-city areas in England would receive free instruments and music tuition. I stressed that classical music was increasingly being perceived as something only for children whose parents could afford to pay for expensive instruments and tuition. “I agree” she replied, “do you want to do an interview about it”? True to her word, the following Sunday a full-page feature carrying the eye-catching headline ‘UK shamed by music’s elitist label’ resulted in an invitation from the then Schools’ Minister, Andrew Adonis, to discuss what might be done. Also by chance I found myself sitting next to The Observer’s Arts Correspondent, Vanessa Thorpe. By chance I attended the concert and, along with everyone else in the Royal Albert Hall, I was ‘blown away’ by the infectious enthusiasm and brilliant playing of the young Venezuelans, many of whom came from severely disadvantaged backgrounds. This may have sounded easy, but it was the result of four years of painstaking ‘persuasion’!Ģ007 also brought the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra to the Proms. So we continued to badger the government of the day until, in 2007, a meeting with Prime Minister Gordon Brown resulted in an unprecedented infusion of £332 million ring-fenced for music education. We met with government ministers who, while acknowledging the problem, produced a Music Manifesto filled with good intentions but no money to back it up. We decided that something had to be done and – together with the film composer Michael Kamen – we formed the Music Education Consortium with the sole purpose of challenging the UK government to provide music education for every child. I happened to share the same manager as Evelyn Glennie and James Galway and the three of us became good friends. It was a low-point for the teaching of music in British schools and many musicians were talking about it, mostly amongst ourselves. My first public intervention into the music education debate came in 2003. I’d like to wish Julian a very Happy 70th Birthday.Įdward Elgar once said, “It costs you nothing to wear your own nose” and if, as musicians, we truly believe that music can empower young people, it becomes our duty to speak out about it whenever possible. Released on April 9th 2021, The Singing Strad is a collection of ‘cello favourites featuring his most celebrated recordings spanning over two-decades. In order to commemorate this special occasion, Julian has issued a new recording, The Singing Strad (Decca), the cover of which is pictured below.
In this post, Julian writes about his fascinating journey into the world of music education. This renowned ‘cellist has also become a beacon for music education, and, as the following article testifies, he has worked, and continues to work, tirelessly to ensure young people have the opportunity to study and enjoy music, irrespective of their background. A musician needing no introduction, I am honoured to feature Julian’s work here on my blog. Today’s guest post has been penned by Julian Lloyd Webber, who turns 70 today.
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