# Classical musical instrument teaching in schools in the UK



## Jaws (Jun 4, 2011)

I belong to a society in the UK that is supposed to represent players of all ages of a particular group of orchestral musical instruments. In the UK learning to play a pop music instrument, and saxophone is in fashion. The society that I belong to and am about to leave appears to have members on the committee that believe that young people should be encouraged to take up the orchestral instruments that they represent, and that because young people are not doing so, then expensive instruments have to be acquired in order to help them. 

What I don't agree with is that some adults appear to have decided that orchestral instruments are "better" than bass guitar, keyboard, drum kit, and saxophone, and that not enough children are learning them. What right does an adult have to decide this? 

The society that I am about to leave has adults on the committee who appear to be trying to get more young people to study at music college. Music study at university is never mentioned. I don't believe that the adults on the committee of this society have the best interests of the young people in mind. The music profession for players on both instruments is over subscribed. One instrument is very oversubscribed in amateur music.

My question for discussion on this forum is, do you think that adults have the right to decide that if young people are not interested in playing orchestral instruments then they should be encouraged to do so?


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