taking opportunity to talent
The extent to which music education is disappearing from our schools is a national scandal. Traditionally the UK has been a huge player in music across all genres – classical, jazz, rock and pop. But where are the musicians of the future going to come from?
AND, at a time when there is so much concern around children’s mental health, it’s extraordinary that music (which is known to have such strong beneficial effects in this area*) should be becoming the preserve of the privileged few. Music education can’t solve all the problems facing young people today, but for a few it is the magic bullet; the chance of a life beyond the boundaries that society historically imposes upon them. It’s criminal that those who could so easily be helped should be missing out.
Hence Musical Minds, an attempt to “fill-in” some of the gaps in state school music provision. The project provides mentoring to talented pupils at schools in disadvantaged areas. Participants are chosen on the basis of their talent and enthusiasm, not on education dependent factors such as technical knowledge.
If you would like to know more, or if you would like your school to take part in the Musical Minds project, please email info@sound-world.org.
*Scientific research conducted into music education across the globe shows, conclusively, enormous social and developmental benefits. As well as improving mental health, music education also promotes improvements in:
- cognition
- literacy
- critical thinking
- creativity
- overall academic attainment
- communication
- teamwork
Music education has also been shown to have longterm benefits on the brain in adults who stopped music lessons 40 years earlier! For links to scientific studies into the effects of music education click here.