TALKING MUSIC EDUCATION

TALKING MUSIC EDUCATION, ARTS FUNDING AND CHAMPIONING DIVERSITY

Ahead of The Ivors Classical Awards we spoke to composers and members of The Ivors Academy Lynne Plowman and Lloyd Coleman about the challenges they face and reasons to be optimistic.

WHAT CHALLENGES DO CLASSICAL COMPOSERS FACE?

LYNNE: It’s always been challenging for composers, and things are particularly difficult now because of the economic situation. We rely on commission fees for income from organisations who are struggling financially.

That obviously impacts on us and one of the reasons that I love being part of The Ivors Academy is that it is a community of composers who have formed an organisation. Normally we work as individuals, that can be quite isolating and can make you quite vulnerable. So it’s important that we come together to have a louder voice and assert our value.

LLOYD: We’re seeing pressures on arts organisations, orchestras, choirs and our funding bodies. This year, The Ivors Academy Classical Council, along with many others, raised concerns about proposed cuts to the BBC Singers and Orchestras. To lose the BBC Singers would have been a disaster, no doubt about it. They are such a huge commissioner of new music and have such a specific set of skills as a choir. I’m glad the decision was reconsidered and it was heartening to see the composing community come together with such a strong voice.

WHAT ABOUT MUSIC EDUCATION?

LYNNE: Music education in schools is a challenge, especially since Covid. We need to get musical instruments back into the hands of children and introduce them to a wide variety of music, including music by living composers.

I’m worried that we go back to a place where only privileged students can pursue music. I see students at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama from a broad range of socio-economic backgrounds. I’m concerned that this could reverse unless we really support music education.

LLOYD: Classical music has been seen as the preserve of people who went to private schools. I went to a music school on a funded place, which changed my life. Before that I went to a state comprehensive school and benefited from youth orchestras and then going up through the levels.

HOW CAN A GREATER DIVERSITY OF VOICES BE CHAMPIONED?

LLOYD: Funding and education are important to ensure a diverse range of voices. The theme of disability is something that runs through a lot of my work, and it’s important to get a range of voices in terms of background, identity and a range of compositional voices to make sure we’re celebrating diversity that’s eclectic and all-encompassing.

LYNNE: Which brings us on to The Ivors Classical Awards. I don’t see it as a ‘competition’, it’s a celebration of all of us. It celebrates our work and our community, where we can have a bit of a party and say that we’ve survived another year and written all this music. And you’re right, we celebrate a diverse range of musical languages now. That’s a healthy community where everyone’s welcome.