The community education work of orchestras and opera companies: principles, practice and problems. Julia Mary Winterson This dissertation is presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The University of York, Department of Music November 1998 Abstract In 1998 most orchestras and opera companies have an education team; today's large- scale, high-profile projects mounted by orchestras and opera companies appear to be developing into a full-scale industry on their own. Although music companies today present their educational activities as having a new approach, this originality is not borne out by the evidence; most of the ideas fundamental to its practice were presented nearly thirty years ago. In the absence of sustained critical debate, this thesis analyses and questions some of the claims made by education teams. It does not attempt to be a comprehensive survey of the projects taking place; rather its purpose is to evaluate them, to put them in educational, musical and social contexts and to examine the underpinning theoretical and intellectual issues. However, it does provide new and wide-ranging data on a broader scale than that of previous research. The research demonstrates that many of the objectives of music organisations are not being met. It appears that visiting musicians can be a welcome and enjoyable diversion from normal school routines and that, at times, they can have a profound effect on individual participants, but there is little evidence to suggest that the work helps with the school music curriculum or that it shares the resources of the organisations involved and develops the concert-going audience. As yet there is little indication that companies involved in education work have taken seriously the need for evolution. Their role in partnership with schools and colleges now requires clarification 2 CONTENTS Preface 5 1. Towards a new philosophy: creativity, participation and the music curriculum (1800- 10 1967) 2. Laying the foundations: education, schooling and the arts (1962-1986) 26 3. The part played by the Arts Council (1966-1998) 44 4. Early models in practice (1974-1983) 52 5. Reports and recommendations (1982-1993) 68 6 Assessment, evaluation and accountability - London Sinfonietta 91 7. Assessment, evaluation and accountability- Opera North 106 8. The cultural dimension - breaking down the barriers 126 9. Where we are now: a survey of the education policies of orchestras and opera 134 companies (1997) 10. Policies and practice 145 11. Players as teachers and their relationship with schools 164 Conclusion 189 APPENDICES 1. Interview with David Bedford 1 2. Interview with David Lloyd 6 3. Interview with Richard McNicol 9 4. Interview with Trevor Wishart 19 5. Interview with Ian Mitchell 23 6. Interview with Gillian Moore 32 7. Interview with Nigel Osborne 39 8. Interview with Duncan Fraser 47 9. Interview with Eugene Skeef 54 10. Interview with Opera North Community and Education team 62 11. Interview with Simon Foxley 70 12. Interview with Liz Heywood 75 13. Interview with Stephen Montague 82 14. Evaluation of education projects - teachers 89 REFERENCES 96 BIBLIOGRAPHY 103 3 LIST OF TABLES AND ILLUSTRATIONS Table 1 Opera North Community Education Department projects 107 April 1993 - March 1994 Table 2 Association of British Orchestras 1997 National Education 146 Programme Projects - Target groups, where specified, by participating orchestras and opera companies Table 3 Association of British Orchestras 1997 National Education 155 Programme Projects - Art forms and styles of music used by participating orchestras and opera companies. Table 4 Association of British Orchestras 1997 National Education 156 Programme Projects - Other art forms used by participating orchestras and opera companies. Table 5 Association of British Orchestras 1997 National Education 156 Programme Projects - Other styles of music used by participating orchestras and opera companies. Table 6 Music grants and guarantees awarded 1995/6 taken from Arts 162 Council of England Annual Report 1995/6. Table 7 Universities offering community music modules within a larger 170 music course - 1998 Table 8 Universities offering community music courses - 1998 171 Table 9 Association of British Orchestras 1997 National Education 174 Programme Projects - Target groups, where specified, by participating orchestras and opera companies 4 PREFACE In 1997 most orchestras and opera companies have an education team. Accounts of their projects in newspapers, television and radio programmes abound, all of them detailing the events, the performances, the reactions of participants, with no-one denying that they are 'a good thing'. As envisaged by pioneers of the 1970s, the creative music workshop involving professional players was intended to give direct support to school teachers and to enhance music in the classroom, but today's large- scale, high-profile projects mounted by orchestras appear to be developing into a full- scale industry in their own right. Such work has become a systematic economic activity: the funding raised for education work provides for the employment of a growing number of full-time, part-time or freelance Education Officers or animateurs. Publicity material from the companies is full of enthusiastic responses from those involved, but there is a marked absence of self-critical analysis which might challenge the theory and practice of these visiting artists. Funding for music companies is often dependent upon education work yet, since there is no over-seeing body concerned to ensure quality control, no-one has examined carefully what is happening or has debated the issues. In the absence of sustained critical appraisal, this thesis analyses and questions some of the claims made by education teams. Are they a creative voice for the whole community, breaking down barriers and offering the participants a sense of ownership? Do they share the resources of the orchestra or opera house and help teachers to deliver the National Curriculum? Could this be a redefinition of the orchestral institution, or is the work no more than a cynical attempt to raise a company's profile? Are they, as some critics have accused them of doing, acting as cultural paratroopers dropping in their forces to deliver small packages of one-off workshops with no clear strategy or contingency plan? The thesis does not attempt to be a comprehensive survey of the projects taking place; rather its purpose is to evaluate them, to put them in educational, musical and social contexts and to examine the underpinning theoretical and intellectual issues. In 5 the light of the prevailing cynicism surrounding the motivation behind some education work, perhaps the most important questions to ask are: what is being done? why is it being done? and who profits from it? On the assumption that there are benefits, the first task, therefore, is to define what these benefits might be. Early chapters of the thesis attempt to pinpoint historical elements which laid the foundation for today's education work by professional musicians. Starting in the early twentieth century, these sections cover the new philosophies and surrounding literature which gave prominence to creativity in the classroom. The chapters tie together the various strands of government reports, relevant books on music education, and developments in the school curriculum and instrumental service, documenting the work of some of the prominent composer- teachers who endeavoured to match music education to musical reality. The changing role of the Arts Council and its allocation of funding is examined through the evolution of the work of visiting artists in schools. The expansion of this work has taken place against the background of a rapidly changing statutory education system which has seen the break up of local authority music advisory services, the introduction of GCSE, the National Curriculum, and a change to local management of schools. These developments and their effects are traced form the 1950s onwards. Music teaching in schools has undergone a transformation in recent decades: the previous goal of attaining the highest standards of performance has shifted to one which puts creativity and participation at the forefront. Some teachers are ill-equipped to cope with these new demands and have welcomed the input of professional musicians. This study questions whether the new philosophy in music education is comprehensively applied, or even properly understood, by players whose training was towards the acquisition of highly developed technical skills. Early projects are described as well as the rationale informing them, and ensuing reports are summarised. The Gulbenkian Report (1982), The Arts in Schools. Principles, practice and provision, is of particular significance. As a first step, these reports are outlined in order to establish how the benefits were originally conceived and who they were intended for. Next, current education policies are surveyed and analysed 6 in order to define what benefits are claimed for those taking part today. On the basis of this definition the work of the orchestras and opera companies is examined more closely. In order to provide a richer picture of education projects in both the social and musical contexts, further information and data is provided by means of interviews with those working in the field, by case studies, and by evaluation. Three major assessments are offered: the work of London Sinfonietta, Opera North, and the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. The appendix includes interviews with some of the leading people in the field: including composers, animateurs, and teachers - David Bedford, Simon Foxley, Duncan Fraser, Richard McNicol, Ian Mitchell, Stephen Montague, Gillian Moore, Nigel Osborne, Eugene Skeef, and Trevor Wishart. Through analysis of this data several areas of controversy are identified; these are probed in the chapters which follow The last decades have been a period of complex social and cultural change, where classical music and the conservatoire system have lost their cultural hold on music education: orchestras and opera companies are in danger of becoming an anachronism.