Music in schools: Making sure talent doesn't slip through the net
Regional music centres are making sure talent is spotted nationwide. Michael Church reports on the South-west
Published: 22 March 2007
Music tuition in the state system is mostly discussed in terms of paucity or plenty: while teachers with long memories hark back to the good old days when peripatetic instrumental tutors were available on tap from every local authority, optimists like Howard Goodall make films to prove that things have never been better. But this argument relates to the generality of children: less attention is paid to what happens to children at the top end of the ability-range, despite the regular excitement over who becomes BBC Young Musician of the Year. A scheme which has been steadily growing since its inception in 1973 has recently taken a great leap forward: news of its latest manifestation comes from a bright-eyed young woman named Lisa Tregale.
But first some history. Before 1973, local authorities gave talented young musicians means-tested help; a sympathetic Gulbenkian report proposed that specialist music schools such as Chetham's, Purcell, and the Yehudi Menuhin should form part of a state-supported Music and Ballet Schools Scheme. In 2003, Charles Clarke - then Education Secretary - announced a Music and Dance Scheme to support national organisations including the National Youth Orchestra plus its jazz counterpart, as well as the National Children's Orchestra, the National Youth Choir, and the South Asian Music Youth Orchestra.
Enter arts consultant John Myerscough, with a report proposing a radical intervention on behalf of those talented children who were still falling through the net. Observing that large parts of the country were not covered by the requisite institutions, that there was a glaring imbalance between public and private provision, and that not all parents understood how to get their talented offspring launched, he suggested that a new infrastructure be created to remedy all this.
The result is the creation of Centres for Advanced Training (CATs) in those parts of the country in greatest need: in the North-east, Yorkshire and the Humber, the East, the West Midlands, London (yes, deprivation there too), and the South-west, which is where Tregale hails from. And as director of the newly-created South West Music School, she's inviting applications for student places from this week onwards.
"At last we are branded, we have an identity," she beams. And a building? "We will never have one - we are a virtual organisation." This is the big difference from the other three existing CATs, one attached to Yorkshire's youth college of music, one to Sheffield University, and one to the Sage, Gateshead - all of which take place at weekends, with the young musicians visiting then going back home. "But we in the South-west cover such a large area that it would defeat the object of the exercise to base it in one building," says Tregale. "If we set up in Exeter one day a week, it might as well be in London for people who live in Penzance or north Gloucester. We are going to offer flying support to musicians in their own area, on a one-to-one basis. Then two or three times a year we will bring them all together, to break down their isolation, and let them work as a cohort." Each student will get a mentor - but she won't choose those till she has chosen the students. "It's got to be a bit like a dating agency - matching teachers to pupils."
When I suggest this sounds impressively elitist, she bridles: "Not at all!" But surely it fits the definition of the word. "People have different interpretations of that word, some positive and some negative, so I hate to use it." What word would she use instead? "I don't use one. I'd say we're looking for exceptional talent. As our programme is individually tailored, I wouldn't put any labels on it." OK, let's say you're fostering an aristocracy of talent, as in sport. "Right. That is a positive thing. We are completely multi-genre, open to anybody from any background, of any age between eight and 16."
And when she starts talking about the kind of students she's looking for, it does sound open. "They don't necessarily have to have had loads of formal teaching - or indeed any teaching. If they have outstanding talent, that will be enough. It could be somebody who's only been playing for six months. We're certainly not saying you must have grade eight violin to apply. It's all down to whether you've got that spark, that gleam of potential."
And the nature of the region does underline the need for this virtual institution. The nearest conservatoire is in Birmingham, whereas students in the North have one in Manchester. "We have huge geographical and transport problems," adds Tregale. "Not enough trains and buses, and there's a general difficulty for young people to find out what's going on." Then there's the economic angle, in a region where salaries are low. Specialist music tuition can cost up to £100 an hour, but at £10-£20 the average lesson still represents a challenge for low-income families.
Tregale stresses that they are not going to barge in and support things which are already working. "We will simply give additional support - maybe topping up the hours, sending the student to master-classes, giving them performance opportunities, or getting them professional exposure. Talented players might want to start composing, or conducting. We could get them shadowing players in a symphony orchestra. With our help, a young musician who is already doing well could soon be flying." The local bodies which will feed in mentors and performance opportunities include Dartington Plus, The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and Wells Cathedral School.
Tregale, who grew up in Exeter, started out as a classical saxophone player, and believes that if she had had the benefit of her scheme she would have got much further as a performer. "By the time I was 16, my local teachers said they couldn't teach me any more. For a student like I was then, we would bring a teacher down, maybe from London, once every few weeks. And they would sit down with the student and talk about the profession, and how the student wanted to develop. I would love to have had that sort of help." Not that she's now dissatisfied with her lot.
So - stand up the new Chloë Hanslip, the new Alison Farr, the new Alicia Keyes, and the new Jamie Cullum: the support is there.
For more information, visit: www.swms.org.uk
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