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Speech to the Association of British Orchestras

Music, as some of you may know, has always been a passion of mine. At the end of a really hard day at the House of Commons or in the office, some people favour unwinding in front of the telly.  Or a stiff drink and a good book.  Or all three.  But, actually I do generally slip away sitting at a piano and slipping away to a place where nothing matters but the elegance and precision of Mozart’s soothing melodies.

And listening to music on the radio, on an i-pod, on CDs or – best of all - ‘live’ at concerts is a really important part of my life. Actually, it’s an addiction.  Seriously.  I simply couldn’t bear to do the endless of work and red boxes which comes with the privilege of holding ministerial office if I didn’t have some music playing in the background, which makes it bearable.

And it is this personal experience which I am sure is not different to others, of playing and hearing music, knowing the impact it has had on my own life, which encourages me to talk about it with such enthusiasm and passion.  But it’s emotion that’s rooted in seriousness.  I know full well that I am not only preaching today to the converted, but to those with wider knowledge and greater expertise as well as a simple ‘talent’ that leaves me (almost) speechless with envy.

But while bowing to your knowledge and expertise, I know that what we both share equally is our commitment – to seeing our orchestras thrive both at home and abroad in their promotion of excellence, and to seeing them reach far greater numbers of people, from every walk of life, in order to inspire the next generation.

Music is hugely important in all our lives, and during all the phases of our lives.  I have always been an advocate of the importance of music for pre-school age children especially when I was Children’s Minister.  Not only do they love hearing or making musical sounds, but singing and playing together helps to create that socialisation.  And music is hugely important in helping children learn about shapes and patterns, which in turn is very important for later competence in literacy and numeracy.

If you think about it, music remains a joy throughout people’s lives.  You only have to reflect on how it helps people later in life – especially as their memories start to fade – to recognise the importance of music for us all.

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Young People
My starting point, however, is music and music making which I believed should be introduced into young lives at a very early stage.

And that’s why I am really happy that we in Government are investing so heavily in doing just that.

I was delighted to hear that Darren Henley as chair of the Music Manifesto Partnership and Advocacy Group (supported by a superb and diverse team of experts and nearly 1800 signatories), Darren and his Group are playing a key role in driving forward the work of the Music Manifesto and improving the quality of music education for young people today.

As you all know, the government recently announced a £332 million investment in music in schools over the next three years.  That includes £10 million each year for the purchase of musical instruments and, this is really important, free musical tuition for every primary school child for a year.

This announcement marks a further stage in our commitment to enhance the lives of young people through the power of music.  It is a remarkable offer and one that I hope you will all support.

I think the challenge for all those involved in that, is to make sure that the quality of the children’s experience is so good it really does inspire future generations to enjoy, value and choose to play music. 

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Excellence
On one level, of course, we’re pushing against an open door with this initiative.  There is a huge – and seemingly insatiable – appetite for music, especially among the young.  The i-Pod and the MP3 are as much a part of young people’s outfits when they go out as a front door key or a warm coat. 

And I think parents would testify rather more so...

And while I am not so naïve as to think that it is Beethoven’s late Quartets that they are listening to at the bus stop, it is music and his or her desire to put a soundtrack on their life is a good starting point for a lifetime’s love of music, and is indeed not all that far removed from the Minister ‘doing her red boxes’ late into the night to a backing track from Chopin.

But whether it’s an inner city bus stop or a ministerial drawing room, we can be altogether too pompous and too precious about content.  Music is the thing.

Last Thursday we did address these issues, and say something about content.  We made, I think, what I hope you will agree is a bold statement about the quality of the arts . Sir Brian McMaster published his review ‘Supporting Excellence in the Arts’ which will set the roadmap on the thinking for the next decade.

There are a number of specific recommendations that the review makes.  But at the heart of them all lies the role of the individual. Whether it is a single person, passionately committed to an art form or a team dedicated to constantly challenging an audience, innovation and risk-taking are most often driven by individuals. And it is these individuals we should be trusting and supporting to fulfil their creative potential.

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Art Council England
Now as you all know, Sir Brian’s review of policy touched down onto an arts landscape that was a very long way from smooth and settled.  True we had announced last October that grant in aid for funding the Arts Council England would rise to £467 million by 2011 – an real terms increase of 3.3% above inflation over three years – but this incredible, powerful excellent settlement for the arts sector, in a tight fiscal environment was just a beginning.  The beginning, in fact, of a process that would allow the Arts Council to build on the record of success that it has achieved over the last decade.

And to build on it in a way that would do more than simply ramp up the status quo.  A ‘trebles all round’ (as Private eye might have put it) policy would I think have been a missed opportunity.

Now the finalisation of ACE’s funding plans is still underway, so there’s only so far I can go in commenting on what they’ve done – and how they’ve gone about it – to you this morning.  But make no mistake, but I think the approach they have taken is bold, brave and absolutely right.

I can understand that this process may have been – and continues to be – painful and unsettling for some, if not certainly for all.  And of course there has been bad news for some organisations.

But if we want to ensure innovation prospers, the arts must change and grow, and it is right that the Arts Council’s regularly funded portfolio should reflect this, by funding new organisations to allow opportunities for new talent to develop and succeed. 

"I am funded, therefore I am" is no credo for the arts – or anyone else – in the 21st century.

Cultural Offer
But let’s go back to the bus stop I was talking about  a moment ago. 

It’s good that he or she is listening to music on their i-Pod, and especially good because it is a lifestyle choice.  But it will never – thank God – be mandatory.  The important thing is that we – the Government – create the opportunity for music to go further in everyone’s life.

Last week we published together with DCSF the Children’s Plan last month, the government wants to move to a position where all children, regardless of background or means, are given the opportunity to engage in five hours of cultural activity each week. That’s our aspiration.

Want to deliver the concept of a Cultural Offer is built on the success and on what we’ve learnt from our Sports Offer for Children and Young People. Giving children the right to experience plays, music, dance and the visual arts for a defined number of hours each week is a huge step forward and could transform children’s lives. 

But again we have to ensure the quality of those hours, making certain that young people’s cultural experiences are meaningful with excellence at their core.

To test different ways delivering this cultural offer we are going to be mounting a series of pilots looking at different approaches in different parts of the country. We are establishing a Youth Culture Trust which can promote cultural activities more widely.

We will be announcing further details in the near future. I’m absolutely clear though that our orchestras, many of whom are already at the forefront of such provision for your people, giving experiences of the highest standard, need to be right at the heart of this.

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Orchestras at the heart of communities
In fact, I think we do already have a huge success story on our hands. Our eight leading orchestras alone work with almost 100,000 children every year through education programmes and community engagement.

I’ve seen some of the fruits of that work – for instance with Hackney primary school children performing in the LSO’s rehearsal rooms at St Luke’s in Clerkenwell.

And the Eight Leading Orchestras have just announced that their 10 year vision to enable every young person in England to experience an orchestral performance is firmly on track.  Next year they plan to reach parts of the country where orchestras do not currently tour – something which is hugely important if we are to take seriously our pledge that music is an entitlement for all children, regardless of their background.

Yet it is a recognition of the mutual value of community engagement work which is so valuable. For not only does it provide young people with enjoyable cultural experiences, it also has huge significance for the future of our orchestras.  Who knows what that first introduction to live orchestral music may well trigger in the hearts and minds of our young people, or which performer or concert-goer of the future we may inspire.

It is right that this is now embedded into a collective vision for our orchestras, and lies at the heart of what they do.

Venezuela
No better example of this exists than the much talked of Il Sistema, which, through the model of a symphony orchestra, uses music as a vehicle to improve outcomes for children from deprived backgrounds.

I’m sure anyone who saw the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra perform at the Proms this summer could not fail to have been inspired by the energy and joy they radiated in playing music These are young people who by accident of birth live in the most deprived circumstances – yet they show the enormous self-discipline required to play well and practic three or four hours every day and they enjoy an abundance of talent which the scheme has enabled them to realise.

Which is why, learning from the current programme of work in Scotland, we announced as part of its funding package that pilots based on the Il Sistema model would take place in some of the most deprived areas of the country.

Cultural Exchange
Allowing a rich and profitable exchange of talents with the rest of the world in this way is both challenging and precious.

The natural internationalism which is, I think at the essence of culture, gives us an important opportunity to build relationships which will not only bring enjoyment, support peace, cohesion and an interdependence which is to the benefit of us all.

The London Philharmonic’s recent performance at the newly opened National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, which we have just been hearing about, is one such example, but by no means an isolated one.

And when Beijing hand over their Olympic reigns to London later this year, the Cultural Olympiad which we are all working on, will present an opportunity for our orchestras to join in showcasing the best of Britain to the world in the build up to 2012 and in working with international orchestras to realise the values that underpin the Olympic Games.

Whilst our orchestras are already engaged and regarded internationally as some of the finest in the world and are already travelling extensively, I know that you wish to extend your reach further. And I commend you for it. By inspiring audiences world-wide and by building these strong relationships, you are exemplifying the best our nation has to offer. You truly are the cultural ambassadors for Britain.

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Diversity
But there’s one further – and very important – dimension to the way we make these connections, both here and overseas. 

Because if we are to open pathways for new talent we need to reflect the increasingly exciting society we live in today - arguably more diverse, more creative and more receptive to the arts than at any other time in history.

We need to see diversity put at the heart of everything we produce, reflecting our society, and what it means to be British today.

I don’t want to see women excluded from principal roles in our orchestras and I do want to see much greater diversity – both on age and on race - in the audiences who enjoy your music.

And we must also break down the stereotype of musical excellence being the sole preserve of the metropolitan elites. One of the key recommendations for us in The McMaster Review proposes a new vision for touring the very best work this country has to offer, with a real strategic oversight to make sure the best is available to the most. His review will, I believe, be a watershed moment for the arts in this country, and provide the framework on which they can truly excel.

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Conclusion
I am delighted to be followed by Nitin Sawhney later this morning. What a wonderful occasion in Trafalgar Square last August when his evocative score to the classic Indian silent film,  A Throw of Dice was performed live by the London Symphony Orchestra to an 8,000-strong crowd.

And that’s a fantastic story of collaborative working where excellence and originality lie at its heart, but particularly in a way so accessible and attractive to London’s large and diverse audience.

At such an exciting time for the arts, the messages are clear. Quality, diversity and innovation matter.

With such a rich orchestral heritage let us take what is excellent and carry it further forward and take it wider.  Let’s give young people the opportunity to experience culture of the highest quality, and share the best of Britain with the world.

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