Who knew opera was so much fun? Philip Blake-Jones, International Opera Singer and Artistic Director of London Festival Opera, discusses introducing children to opera The importance of including music as a core subject in children’s education is well documented. John Durston (Director of Music at Harris Manchester College, Oxford) made a profound and moving case for this in his article in the Autumn 2019 issue of this magazine. The evidence is very clear that offering children opportunities within the school curriculum to listen to and play music has far reaching benefits to their brain development, confidence and resilience – all of which will stand them in good stead in life beyond the classroom.
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The Arts speak a universal language which crosses the boundaries of ethnicity, gender, religion and education. They provide a means of expression which surpasses language and enriches an inner hinterland, which for some children can lie untouched by many other classroom subjects. In my personal experience, music can prove to be a vital emotional outlet for children; a means of defining, understanding and expressing their emotions at a time when words sometimes don’t come easily.
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In this digital age, with all its exposure to celebrity culture and expectations of immediate results, it is particularly important that children learn that practice and hard work are what will produce the best and most satisfying results. My lifelong passion is opera. When I first heard classical music as a young child it ‘spoke’ to me even though this was not an interest my immediate family shared. Music proved not only to become a way of expression, helping me through the challenges of
