THOUGHTS on EVERY child learning a wind band instrument in school - Year 5 to Year 9 inclusively.
 

By way of introducing myself, I would like to encourage some discussion of this topic via the BASBWE website.

I am Andrew Bassey and I came from a poor council housing estate within one mile of the Royal Northern College of Music. My father was from Nigeria and mother from Burnley. My early music making and instrumental learning came almost solely from the Salvation Army from the tender age of six. I did not have any instrumental lessons at school except recorder in groups, and the piano which I took up when I was 14. The local authority gave me a bassoon at 16 after nagging for 2 years! I became principal bassoon in the Manchester Youth Orchestra after playing for only 6 months and entered the Royal Northern College of Music at 18 as a first study bassoonist. Because of my background knowledge on brass instruments I was able to go from Beginner to about Grade 8 on bassoon within one year.

It’s quite possible that being born and brought up on an undesirable housing estate had something to do with a lack of access to instrumental tuition at school (attending fairly rough schools in the heart of the city). It may not be as bad as that now but from my experience of peripatetic teaching over the past 20 years it is far from fully inclusive. I suppose with the ever rising cost of learning musical instruments some children will inevitably loose out, and it’s often the poor, as it’s much easier to discriminate against them. I am very grateful to the Salvation Army for my early years’ music education where I learnt in a band rather than through anything like individual lessons. It works in the Salvation Army of course because they provide access to tuition and instruments for nothing. Brass are also ‘easier’ to teach in a group as they all (apart from bass trombone) read the same clef and are treated as transposing instruments and therefore all have the same fingering.

At the age of 9 I was a regular soloist, and could play all the instruments of the bass band by the time I was 12. Yet at my primary and secondary school there were no peripatetic teachers at all. I did take up the piano at 14 but lessons were delivered in another school in the evening. When I eventually got a bassoon from the authority I still had to attend a different school for lessons. Do conditions still remain that breed a lack of support for children learning instruments in our more challenging schools?  

Maybe the only viable way forward is to teach everyone in groups large enough to make it both cost effective and completely inclusive. Then we could give our children sufficient time to develop their skills possibly an hour a day, everyday. It has been proven that when children play a musical instrument and read music over a sustained period, (as well as learning an instrument) better concentration, behaviour and social skills are achieved.

From a wind teacher’s prospective I would personally like to see every child learning a wind band instrument from year 5 – year 9 inclusively. This would at least remove the awful stigma of ‘elitism’ overnight!

If we gave all children this opportunity then I am sure the talented would shine; however if we restrict opportunities we run the risk of many gifted children never aspiring at all. Is this good for our society?

I would like to hear your thoughts on this subject. Here are a few questions to get the ball rolling:

• Would you like to see all children learning a musical instrument inclusively up to year 9?

• Are there any affordable opportunities that can deliver this goal in our schools?

• Do you have any personal experience of any of these opportunities? If so can you describe it? Tell us how effective it has been? And tell us how cost effective it is? Is it fully inclusive?

Please email education@basbwe.org with your comments. Every effort will be made to reflect all your views on the website.

Many Thanks,

Andrew Bassey
Basbwe Education
education@basbwe.org