How many of the young people who attended Reading and Leeds festival or a Prom this summer will be picking up a guitar or clarinet when they return to school? New figures suggest not many. The number of students taking A-level music is at a record low: under 5,000, a drop of nearly half from 15 years ago. “We are facing the worst-case scenario prospect of A-level music disappearing from English state schools entirely,” warned Deborah Annetts, the chief executive of the Independent Society of Musicians. Music GCSE entries have also fallen. It has the widest attainment gap for disadvantaged students of any subject. Private violin lessons are beyond the purse strings of most parents.
The statistics for drama are similarly bleak. A-level drama entries have almost halved in 10 years, with by far the biggest drop in state schools. Forty per cent of state schools no longer even offer music or drama GCSEs. Leading universities have been forced to close music departments and arts courses. The number of teachers training in creative subjects has also declined sharply over the past 15 years. It is no coincidence that the Ebacc, which prioritised core academic subjects at the expense of the arts, was introduced by the Conservatives in 2010. No wonder the worlds of music, theatre and television have become so privileged.
“How did British singers get so posh?” asked a recent piece in the New Statesman. Exceptions such as Adele, Raye and Olivia Dean are all alumni of the Brit school, the only state-funded vocational school for the performing arts in the UK. “Learning an instrument and getting up on stage … is now a luxury not every child can afford,” Ed Sheeran wrote in an open letter last year, asking the government to commit £250m of funding for music education. Its 600 signatories included Elton John, Harry Styles and Stormzy. Alison Balsom, the world-class classical trumpeter, has said that her career would not be possible for a state-school pupil now. Julie Walters and Michael Sheen have spoken out about the challenges facing children from working-class backgrounds hoping to become actors.
Sir Keir Starmer was hailed as the most musically accomplished prime minister since Ted Heath, playing four instruments as a child and becoming a junior exhibitioner at the Guildhall School of Music. “To everyone who makes music happen – this government is on your side,” the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, has promised. Scrapping the Ebacc last year was a welcome start. Other plans include the National Centre for Arts and Music Education, finally launching this autumn. Andy Burnham, an English graduate and music fan, has already put vocational education on the agenda. Now he must take up the baton for the arts. Mood music is not enough.
Every child should have the right to discover their gifts and fulfil their potential. Music and drama help develop discipline, confidence and social skills, and enhance wellbeing. The creative industries – a source of great economic value and soft power on the world stage – must be accessible to all. Reversing elitism in our recording studios, concert halls and theatres starts at school.
As Femi Koleoso of the jazz quintet Ezra Collective put it in their acceptance speech at last year’s Brit awards, giving a young person a trumpet or a saxophone might be the solution to many of society’s problems: “Because when you do that, you give them a dream, an aspiration and a goal.”
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