`I remember my children when they were young; they would hum when they were happy. I don't see why we can't offer all children opportunities to learn to sing, dance and play instruments from a young age. If we did, the love of music would stay with them for life."
Maria Kelemen is just getting into her stride. A diminutive Hungarian-born Dutch citizen and Irish resident, Kelemen is the musician behind the international symposium, "When I Grow Up, I Want To Be A Musician", held in Dublin last week.
The main thrust of the debate at the symposium was the poor state of music education in this country. Much discussion arose from the speeches given by Sile de Valera, Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands; John Dennehy, secretary-general of the Department of Education and Science; Dr Eibhlis Farrell, head of the Conservatory of Music and Drama at the Dublin Institute of Technology; and Michael Dervan, classical music critic with The Irish Times.
Other speakers from countries such as Finland and Liechtenstein gave accounts of well-developed state-sponsored music schools offering manifold opportunities to children of all ages to learn instruments, music appreciation and theory.
In spite of Deaf Ears?, the comprehensive Arts Council report (1985) on the appalling gaps in music education in this country, the view of many of those attending the symposium is that music remains a marginalised subject, taught only in a selected number of schools and dependent solely on the individual skills and talents of specific teachers. Children who wish to learn an instrument must search out private tuition, which often requires significant financial and time commitments from their parents. Even then, they cannot be guaranteed quality teaching because there are no statutory professional standards with which teachers must comply. Sile de Valera expressed her concern about children's access to the arts. "I am acutely aware of the deficiencies that exist in providing music education to all of our children irrespective of their perceived talent for music or their parents' ability to pay for private tuition," she said.
However, following her opening speech at the symposium, de Valera left five minutes later, remaining only long enough to hear out one angry voice, that of Ken McCue, director of Marketown Music Collective. McCue spoke of several failed attempts to gain funding from both the Department of Education and the Department of Arts for this project. Run by the cultural wing of the Dublin Inner City Partnership, the Marketown Music Collective has been in operation for six years. It brings tutors into schools to teach music appreciation and to give instrument classes to 500 children in the inner city. In reply to McCue's plea for an explanation for the lack of funding, the Minister spoke of a new inter-departmental committee which will look into the areas that appear to relate to both departments. Michael Dervan of The Irish Times referred to the recent arts and music grant of £6.1 million for the state's 3,200 primary schools. "This is to purchase equipment and materials to enable children to participate in visual arts, music, drama, dance and literature. I leave you all to wonder about how much of this is likely to filter meaningfully into children's musical lives," he said.
Dervan conceded that bands, orchestras and choirs do exist and that good work in the area of music is being done at all levels of the education system. "But it is hard to avoid the conclusion that it takes place in spite of rather than because of the stance of the Department of Education," he said.
John Dennehy, of the Department of Education, spoke about the new curriculum for primary and post-primary schools. He explained how music would be taught across the areas of listening, performing (voice and instrument) and composing. He also quoted figures showing an increase in the number of those taking music as a Leaving Certificate subject: 3,300 in 2000 as compared to 1,700 in 1998.
Dennehy's speech brought angry reactions from the floor. Parents felt there seemed to be a huge delay in the implementation of the new curriculum for music in primary schools. "Only those from a privileged background whose parents have the time, energy and money - which usually means one spouse in the home with a second car available to transport the child to lessons - can hope to have a future in music," said one parent. "Yet we are about to provide an Academy for the Arts without this basic grounding in music education for all children." Teachers at the symposium confirmed that many of their colleagues lacked the skills, talents and indeed confidence to teach music. They also questioned the provisions made for in-service training for the new curriculum on music. "Teachers can't pass on what they don't have," said one exasperated teacher. "Twenty-five years ago, the standard of teaching music in primary schools was much higher."
"Teachers coming out of training schools now have a huge shortage of skills," added Anne McDonagh, a school principal in Swords, Co Dublin.
Dr Eibhlis Farrell, of the DIT's Conservatory of Music and Drama, suggested her own solution to some of the problems which were outlined.
"Each county should have a custom-built music centre and a Government-funded music teaching service to provide access for all," she told the symposium.
The upshot of the event was wonderful performances from the Finnish group, The Violin Kids, and the Dublin-based Young European Strings Chamber Orchestra in the National Concert Hall on Sunday. The symposium was also provided with some illuminating detail on the impressive array of state-sponsored music schools in many European countries.
A newly formed lobby group was also given the go-ahead to formulate a draft policy document on music education. So prick up your ears, Dr Michael Woods and Sile de Valera. The chorus has just begun.
