I have been heavily involved in music from a very young age, first picking up the trombone at the age of seven and singing since before I can remember, so it has always been a great passion of mine. Playing the trombone has taken me on music tours to France, Belgium, Italy and Germany, led to me taking my Grade 8 exam in Christmas 2018, allowed me to play in the County Youth Orchestra and be accepted on to a National Youth Orchestra outreach course. There have been countless gigs and concerts and I have made many great friends along the way. Yet one of the highlights of my musical life was meeting Lord Black in November 2018.
Until his speech in the House of Lords in October I was unaware of Black, but his speech about the decline of music education in the UK struck me as very profound, and a lot of what he said rang true to me about the quality of music education in many schools since the introduction of the EBacc in 2010. However, I am lucky enough to be heavily involved in an incredible music department at the Windsor Boys’ School, which is truly exceptional and has been nominated a number of times for a Music Teacher award. We put on an extensive array of musical opportunities and performances, including big bands, orchestras, boys’ and girls’ choirs, chamber groups and many more. When I found out that Black would be visiting our school I was extremely excited to demonstrate the quality and quantity of music we do every day at the Windsor Boys’ School.
Following his morning meetings, we put on a small performance for him, including performances from our big band, orchestra, boys’ choir and girls’ choir, and he seemed to love it. Also in attendance were various heads and music teachers and they all seemed to be blown away by the quality and quantity of what we do here.
After the performance, I, along with a few of my peers, was eager to meet him and talk to him about the incredible work that goes on. To meet him was particularly memorable and important due to his position as chair of the Royal College of Music (RCM), an establishment that I have admired for years. Next year, I am hoping to apply for music colleges and conservatoires, and to meet the chair of one of the most prestigious ones in the country was a real privilege and honour. We conversed about the work that goes on here at the Windsor Boys’ School and how it is truly exceptional to put on the quality and quantity of music here on such an obscenely low budget, and also about music education in school and beyond, and how it is important to keep establishments such as the RCM going due to the incredible work they do.
Given his extremely prestigious status in the world of music, media and politics, I was taken aback by his humility and genuine interest in what we, as students, had to say. He was keen to speak to all of the students studying A Level music, and was very respectful of us both as a school and as individuals. He arrived at the school at 10am for meetings about music education with the assembled teachers and stayed until almost 3pm, attending the school remembrance service and ensuring he spoke to everyone individually and allowed them to tell him their experience of music both in and out of the classroom, and any concerns they had about the future of music education. He even hinted that he will try to come to watch our production of Kiss Me, Kate in November!
While he ensured that he took a moment to speak with everybody, he took a particular interest in one of my friends and a fellow trombonist Lewis Martin who, like me, is applying and auditioning for conservatoires. Lewis, being in Year 13, is already auditioning for conservatoires and had already been offered a place at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama prior to meeting Black, who was particularly interested in hearing about his upcoming audition at RCM, for obvious reasons!
Meeting Black was truly an incredible experience and one I will certainly never forget. I am excited to see what the future of music education holds, particularly as it is a field that I am looking towards as a career. I believe it is crucial to offer a wide range of educational opportunities, something which is a particular strength of my school. I am also excited to continue the amazing music we do on a daily basis and to keep doing what I love, and will do for life.
