pounds 180m boost for music in the classroom

SCHOOLCHILDREN are to be taught to play the recorder again as a part of a pounds 180m drive to boost music teaching in schools.

David Blunkett, the Secretary of State for Education, and Chris Smith, the Secretary of State for Culture, will this week double existing funding for music classes in a move designed to stimulate musical interest among the young, and identify talented performers for the orchestras of tomorrow.

The funding will enable schools, many of which are using instruments up to 30 years old, to buy new recorders, cymbals, tambourines and pianos and to replace torn and faded scores.

Music teaching is still compulsory in primary schools but many teachers are too busy with the core curriculum to provide proper classes. Part of the funding will be used to instruct classroom teachers in music teaching skills. The money will also be available to hire specialist tutors, fund school orchestras and bands and buy educational CDs, such as Benjamin Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.

There are now very few specialised music teachers in primary schools and many classes are run outside of school hours.

Central and local funding for music teaching has halved over the past five years. A survey for the Royal Schools of Music showed that the proportion of children playing musical instruments has fallen from 45 per cent to 41 per cent since 1994. Most children who learn an instrument now have private lessons, without taking part in school music activities. But many poorer children are missing out because their families are unable to afford tuition fees.

"Music services - particularly instrumental tuition - have been in decline for many years and this has left children in some parts of the country without access to such services," said an adviser to Mr Blunkett.

Most of the new money will come from the Department for Education's "standards fund" but part of the pounds 180m, to be allocated over the next three years, will come from the newly created Youth Music Trust, whose trustees include Sir Elton John and Lesley Garrett and which is funded by National Lottery money.

Last June Chris Smith announced that lottery money could be used through the Youth Music Trust to pay music teacher's salaries, fund after-school music clubs and help to buy musical instruments.

The core Department for Education funding will increase the amount of money local education authorities get to pay for music teaching. Provision of this teaching varies widely, with some inner-city schools regarding music as a luxury and offering little tuition to pupils.

The money will fund classes in primary and secondary schools, focusing on children up to the age of 14. Some of the cash will be ring-fenced for existing music activities and to try to prevent more cuts. The rest will be used to give more children the chance to learn an instrument or sing in a choir.