BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
It’s widely accepted that early exposure to classical music is essential for inspiring creativity in young people. This is being recognised through a new initiative which will introduce a selection of classical works to school children right across the United Kingdom.
The BBC yesterday announced its initiative which aims to expose all UK primary school children to a set list of ten pieces. The works themselves span nations and centuries, and will be presented through a film produced for the project.
The BBC will send performing groups, singers, and orchestras to schools right around the UK to encourage children to engage with the project.
The ten pieces chosen are likely to provide some young children with their first classical music listening experience. They include:
1.John Adams: Short Ride in a Fast Machine
2.Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 (1st movement)
3. Britten: “Storm” Interlude from Peter Grimes
4. Grieg: In the Hall of the Mountain King (from Peer Gynt)
5. Handel: Zadok the Priest
6. Holst: Mars (from The Planets)
7. Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 4 (3rd movement)
8. Mussorgsky: A Night on the Bare Mountain
9. Stravinsky: The Firebird suite (1911) (Finale)
10. Anna Meredith: Connect It
The tenth work on the list was specifically commissioned for the project, showing support for both new music and emerging composers.
Government supported agencies including Arts Council England, Arts Council Northern Ireland, and Arts Council Wales will work on the project with the BBC alongside other stakeholders.
This comes at a time when our own government has announced arts cuts of over $100 million across the board.
Australian music education expert Richard Gill told CutCommon in May the importance of introducing Australian children to music as early as possible.
“You’ve got to teach children the ins and outs of music…if you don’t give it to them early enough, they’ll never get it,” Richard said.
“What we want is musical thinkers – people who can think about what they’re hearing. Studying music early enough, all sorts of music, gives them access to a rich variety of repertoire. That’s what we want.”
The BBC is encouraging children to respond to the project in their own creative ways, whether it’s through dance, art, or making music of their own.
The film will be screened in the UK in October.
For more information on the Ten Pieces project go to: http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jun/16/bbc-ten-pieces-classical-music-primary-school-children
Image by Kristin Olsen, Wikimedia Commons.
