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From The Times
August 13, 2007

Nurturing musical youth

Richard Morrison

The days when Germany, Austria and Italy ruled the classical music roost are long gone. Today the powerhouses, astonishingly, of the classical music world are Finland and Venezuela.

At a time when music has all but dropped off the state school curriculum in Britain, the Finns and Venezuelans have been ploughing serious money into nurturing musical skills in the young.

Finland has turned out a string of conductors, soloists and composers who now dominate the global scene. The Venezuelan story is even more remarkable. Thirty years ago a young conductor and politician, José Antonio Abreu, started an after-school orchestra to get children off the streets. Seven came to his first rehearsal. Two weeks later 150 turned up. Today 250,000 pupils learn instruments for four hours a day after school. El Sistema employs 15,000 teachers and runs more than 200 youth orchestras.

The Simón BolÍvar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela and its young conductor, Gustavo Dudamel, appear in Edinburgh and at the Proms this week. Still in his mid-20s, Dudamel has landed one of the world’s plum conducting jobs: heading the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

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It will be fascinating to see if the Scots can turn El Sistema into McSistema. Venezuela’s musical renaissance has not come cheap. Its Government and corporations pour millions into the scheme each year. One wonders whether the Scottish Executive will be as generous.

There can be no better hobby or pastime than playing a musical instrument and if you play well it is also the best form of social asset. It isn’t just enjoyable, it is therapeutic and allows for continual progress. Playing a musical instrument is something that most people can do. It could thus well be a solution to social problems, especially among those people with more time than money.

Henry Percy, London, UK

It's a shame though that there are talks about decreasing the music and art classes in the Finnish primary schools to make way for more theory based subjects such as mathematics. For me art and music brought well deserved break to the more theory based days while at school. It also inspired many to start playing instruments or paint in their free time so I personally support bringing music and art heavily into troubled areas and others too.

Tuukka Aaltonen, Worcester, England

do u need a flutist who is recently affiliated with various TV channels of Pakistan and various national and international Pakistani singers.i can send u his audio cassette and cds.He is
pakistani national and now he willing to serve any british TV cahnnel for audio,Video,Background flute music. He is amazing.please tell me i can introduce him in uk.hope to response with welcome news or good suggestion to my email address i.e anwaarbalochpk@yahoo.com

Anwaar Khan, Pakpattan, Pakistan

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