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Will Government proposals pose a threat to music lessons?

The Department for Education (Dfe) has started a consultation on GCSE, AS and A level music lesson qualifications in schools and acadamy’s, which, says the Incorporated Society of Musicians, could pose a significant new threat to music education. As part of its potential reforms, the Government has only properly identified one area of study – ‘music composed in the western classical tradition between 1700 and 1900’ – which the campaign insists is an “artificial time frame that makes no musical sense.”

It is also proposed that the extent to which qualifications are decided by formal sit-down exams is increased to 40 per cent, limiting the role of performance and composition.“As it stands, there is no guarantee that the new GCSE will be rigorous, broad and relevant to budding musicians,” the ISM said in a statement.