Ah yes… another day… another nation – NOT THE UNITED STATES – announces a major investment in music/arts education.
Music changes lives – and saves them
Can music really play a part in reducing knife crime, drug addiction and all the rest of society's ills, asks Julian Lloyd Webber? Yes, it can, and politicians are finally waking up to the fact
Two weeks ago, a unique event took place at London's City Hall. Unheralded and predictably ignored by the media, it was hosted by Boris Johnson's live-wire arts director Munira Mirza and – due to the response to this unprecedented occurrence – what began life as a low-key breakfast meeting soon turned into a full-blown conference.
What could have prompted this overwhelming reaction? A discussion on music education, believe it or not, and the tangible buzz in the air was undoubtedly due to the mayor's initiative proving for once and for all that the importance of allowing children access to music has transcended the political divide.
Arriving hot on the heels of Labour's ground-breaking ｣332 million for music education in 2008-11, the meeting was a triumph for all those musicians, journalists and educationists who have worked so hard to hammer home the crucial part that music can play in young people's lives.
Is anyone in this country paying ANY attention to this?
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