Martha Wörsching
Loughborough, Leicestershire
Martin Kettle's article is spot-on (Keir Starmer is our most musical prime minister since Edward Heath. He must take up the baton for the arts, 18 December). The provision of musical education in state schools has declined in the last few decades, and although the pre-Christmas period may give us a chance to hear some lovely music, the reality is that most practising musicians are the product of private schools. Parents of state school pupils may cringe at their children's performances, with few managing their instruments, and little evidence of input from qualified music teachers.
The obituary of Humphrey Burton in the same issue also highlights what we have lost over recent decades in the media, with the BBC Proms and a watered-down Radio 3 doing little to keep the country's music culture alive. Kettle mentions Alan Bennett's closing lines of The History Boys - "pass it on, boys" - which urge us to recognise the worth of what this country has inherited. Unfortunately, there is not much serious discussion of contemporary music culture in the Guardian either, to alert us to what is on offer nationally or regionally.
Alan Bennett's script for the recent film The Choral, set during the first world war, highlights that regional music-making needs local performers of all ages and genders - but, despite the efforts of local musicians and organisers, today's audiences are likely to die out if neither the state school sector nor the national and regional media educate them.
Alan Davey
Chair, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
Martin Kettle is exactly right. The arts in schools and beyond need more support and that is a job that only the government can guarantee. Often talent is only spotted and nurtured in private schools, as state provision is perversely encouraged to give up on it. That leads to a narrower path to later-life exploration of talent or making it your career. And that leads to intrinsic unfairness, wasted talent and a creative sector top heavy with the talented, the lucky and the rich - not just the talented. This is what world-leading specialist colleges such as Trinity Laban try to correct, by finding talent wherever it is and giving it a chance to achieve excellence. More than 80% of our UK students come from state schools.
Apart from the government, there is another organisation that has been the indispensable partner for culture and society in this country - the BBC. So it is just dismal that last week's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport green paper barely alludes to the BBC's key role as a cultural sponsor. The arts are namechecked as a genre that could be offered as a pay-extra premium service. That omission ignores the BBC's legacy as a bringer of great art to everyone via its orchestras, its commissioning of music and drama, and its support for emerging artists and writers of all genres. Britain would be a poorer place without that legacy.
I hope the government and the BBC board use the opportunity of a new charter to renew their joint commitment to keeping the arts at the forefront, not as a reminder of what we could have had with just a little thought (and a little money).
Mike Tucker
Head of Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation
Arts education should be a right and an entitlement, not a luxury determined by postcode or school type. Wherever a child grows up in the UK, they should have access to meaningful creative experiences.
Yet our work in schools across the UK has shown that access remains deeply unequal, as Martin Kettle outlines. Too many state schools have been forced to cut arts provision, despite clear evidence that enrichment raises attainment and wellbeing - particularly for those with the fewest opportunities.
The curriculum and assessment review, alongside the recent Hodge review of Arts Council England, presents a generational opportunity to reset the landscape for young people's engagement with the arts.
Scrapping the Ebacc, giving arts GCSEs parity and introducing an oracy framework and core enrichment entitlement rightly recognise creativity and communication as essential to education. The proposed Arts Council-backed cultural enrichment fund, supporting transport, tickets and staff cover, would remove existing practical barriers and bring first-time audiences into our theatres.
If these reforms are to succeed, schools must be properly resourced and we must invest in specialist arts teachers. The skills young people gain through the arts are not optional extras; they prepare them for life.