On 3 January, the schools standards minister Nick Gibb issued a response to Julian Lloyd Webber's letter in The Times, in which Lloyd Webber rightly decried that ‘too many children are denied the joy of classical music’.
I cannot imagine having the gall to seriously suggest that there isn't a problem with music education in the UK because ‘all primary schools can sign up to the Classical 100, a free resource developed by ABRSM, Classic FM and Decca’, yet this is exactly what Gibb did. The Classical 100 is a great initiative that schools should get involved with, but it's not a replacement for a comprehensive, state-funded music curriculum. As with many things since 2010, this government is content to allow others to cover for its failures, taking advantage of the passion that musicians have for their art and their desire to see that passion lit in others.
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