What am I missing about PM Starmer's Video?
For someone who claims to love classical music, Starmer doesn't strike me as someone who is that passionate about it. Let's hear him play the flute. Does he go to concerts? How does he support music colleges?
If he's that keen on music for kids then he'd make sure they have access to music education in school time with specialists.
And there should be more music colleges. Nobody can become a musician by having a bit of a go on an instrument. It takes hours of practice every day!
And musicians should be financially supported. Like artists in Ireland, the government should pay them a basic salary because they can't get off the ground without financial help when they're just starting out. There's no career structure.
Musicians, and dancers especially ballet dancers (many families flock to ballet performances during the Christmas season), like artists, are important to the economy, the status of a country and its culture. Without them life is very dull. They are part of the creative industry which brings in around £125 billion a year. So they deserve to be supported. It makes economic sense!
Music isn't something to fit around school. Kids will see it as less important than school subjects if that's all it is.
I'm really not sure about this myth that music, drama and sport give kids confidence because it gives them a voice they may not have in the classroom. What's the implication? It's mainly the unacademic child who prefers music, sport and drama? That's not true. And could be why parents tend not to encourage their kids to study these subjects unless they want to go to Oxbridge then suddenly music and sport are valued because they offer scholarships in those.
But these subjects don't give kids or teenagers confidence unless they're good at them. Who gives a kid a lead in a play if they're useless at acting?
And music is difficult. Starmer, of all PMs, should know this. It's not one you can 'knock up' with a bit here and a bit there.
Just as schools expect some kids to become mathematicians they should expect some to become musicians. This isn't possible unless a decent amount of time is devoted to it. And it's taken seriously. Just as seriously as the sciences so kids can carry on with music to degree level at an university or music college. The latter needs to open up more and be less restricted in number, a figure set by government (max 10 for main instrument which is what I learnt when attending an Open day) because that disadvantages everyone from school leavers to mature students. Unacceptable!
The acceptance rate for the RAM is 10%. This makes it one of the hardest to get into especially given quite a few come from abroad.
However, even unis are closing their music departments eg. Nottingham, Kent, Oxford Brookes, Cumbria, Wolverhampton, Lancaster. Music courses suffer from Humanities closing down in universities. This could prove disastrous.
Music does count. There's Music GCSE ( significant increased uptake in 2025) and A Level Music for a start! Schools should be encouraging kids to learn an instrument or two because that's how you gain a place at a college of music. And it helps with composition which is a component in GCSE. And grade exams count towards your UCAS points from Grade 6 onwards with obviously grade 8 giving you the most points. Music Theory also gives you UCAS points but significantly less.
I didn't take music exams because I fast tracked to a repertoire (age 10) including concertos by the age of 11. The decision was up to the tutor not me.
Exam entries need to be cheaper too!! Grade 8 practical costs £137. That's stressful! If you don't get the grade you need or want then a retake may not be affordable. Music theory exams cost £68. That's £205 in total if you want to have the complete package. That's without the second instrument and private tuition which is astronomical. I was lucky that granny paid for my cello lessons and my cellos. So when Starmer tries to make the older generation poorer how the hell does that help. That affects not just their children but their grandchildren who, as a result, end up having less opportunities. Starmer only values cogs in the wheel not behind the scenes economic help.🤦♀️
And why are pop music courses and qualifications so ridiculously expensive?
