Madam, - John O'Conor's searching letter (May 30th) with regard to the proposals for the future of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland prompts me to add my own comment. It has been painful, as a former orchestra manager of the NYOI, working in concert with Joanna Crooks, as a former Board member, and as a former Head of Music in St Malachy's College, Belfast, to note the doggedness with which the board appears to wish to pursue this extraordinary decision to merge the constituent orchestras.
That the decision has proven almost universally unpopular is of no surprise, from both rational and sentimental points of view. And a number of grounds exist which seem to suggest that it is fundamentally the wrong decision to take, given the apparent responsibility which the board must demonstrate in its ongoing administration.
It has been said that the board is "out of touch" with the orchestral members. This is the sorry result of the lack of a dedicated and able administrative head - a general manager - which has created unwelcome distance between policy and implementation, and day-to-day running. It is significant that, in the first days of this controversy, among the first to resign from the board were the orchestral managers, vital communication conduits, and obviously disempowered by this board.
And, of course, without a general manager the rather delicate question of who takes ultimate responsibility for this fiasco seems nicely to have been side-stepped.
It has been said that one of the principal motivating factors urging the proposed merger is a marked fall-off in the number of young musicians of a required standard who make themselves available for membership and courses.
Am I the only one who sees in this a veiled and rather arrogant comment on the very fine instrumental teaching which goes on throughout the country, which criticises both teachers and their young charges? John O'Conor rightly highlights the excellent teaching at RIAM, but that is repeated in so many ways the length and breadth of the country, from Cork to Belfast. There is no lack of young musicians. Perhaps there is a lack of initiative in bringing them in.
This board, it would appear, has nothing new to bring to the future of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland. Perhaps it is time for a new board, and new directors, to inject new life.- Yours, etc,
Fr GERARD MAGEE Ballymena Road, Portglenone, Co Antrim.