Paddy Heazell, formerly chairman of the IAPS Orchestra Trust, emphasises the importance of the arts in the curriculum
An awesome string of prospectuses litters the coffee table. Each
outdoes the next in its glossy depiction of eager children, avidly
pursuing ever more exciting activities. Happy smiling faces stare out
from every page. The bewildered prospective parent is left in no doubt
that every school puts homely care at the top of its list of
priorities. How to choose, that is the problem.
For no two families will priorities exactly coincide. Geography,
convenience, finance, and sibling needs will all affect the issue. But
let us assume that all other things are equal, that academic and
sporting records are exemplary, accommodation and facilities are up to
standard, teaching staffs are professional and caring, and any other
factors measure up. What then should ultimately decide the discerning
parent? I suggest it must be the Dream Factor. Can the preferred school
inspire their child to become, in Arthur O’Shaughnessy’s words, a
“dreamer of dreams”, who despite life’s vicissitudes may grow to be one
of those who “are the movers and shakers of the world, it seems”?
Not so very long ago, such an idea would be unimaginable. Golden
school careers were achieved almost solely by being good at being good
at school. This required little more than a submissive conformity with
the rules of the day. Work hard and play hard. Accept the dictates of a
relatively narrow and inevitably academic (non-vocational) programme,
show an enthusiastic proficiency at team sports, back the system – and
success was assured.
Pupils who began to show signs of thinking for themselves were
suspect and needed careful watching. Originality, creativity and
independence of thought were not necessarily considered as virtues to
be encouraged. The way ahead for the truly imaginative spirit was
rough: recall how Benjamin Britten was disparagingly put down on his
arrival at Gresham’s for presuming to be a composer; recall the
difficulties experienced by the would-be poet, Robert Graves, faced by
‘the bloods’ at Charterhouse; and the agonies of John Betjeman, as he
sought solace in the freedom of the Marlborough Downs to go and dream
his dreams.
Happily and not before time, things have changed in independent schools.
Artists, poets, musicians and actors are no longer the disreputable and
effete bohemian exhibitionists of yesteryear. This has happened not
just because of the move to coeducation in the independent sector,
revealing that what was once deemed fit only for girls is now seen to
be educationally no less fine for boys. It is also because even the
most academic of senior schools has come to recognise
the acceptable career possibilities that exist in the design studio,
concert hall or theatrical stage. So candidates for admission from the preparatory school
no longer need to rely solely on their proficiency in the dreaded
formal academic transfer examination. They can happily submit their art
portfolio, demonstrate their skill on the French horn and describe
their experience in revue sketches, debating or drama improvisation.
A
good CV has become highly advantageous. Hence the glittering
photographs of all those impressive activities in that prospectus.
There is still a misguided parental view that the only work that
really matters is that in the classroom and the only results that count
are academic. Apart from the outside chance that a career beckons for
the really talented and the very lucky or well- connected, the creative
arts have a vital part to play in the balanced curriculum. Their
intrinsic qualities in broadening the mind, heightening the spirit,
stretching the imagination and developing essential ‘life skills’ must
make them essential criteria in identifying a good preparatory school.
The role of the arts in school is not therefore essentially for
training for a future profession but for a fulfilled way of life. Music
should be seen as a source of joy and of deep personal satisfaction, a
means of intense self-discipline and self-revelation. As Sir Simon
Rattle recently stated, it is: “a fundamental need and not a luxury.”
Drama likewise. Boys and girls should be advised to apply their
theatrical ambitions not with a view to finding a place on the
professional stage but to developing their abilities to communicate and
present themselves confidently and effectively. Indeed, I regard
acting, improvisation and just standing up before an audience and
speaking with confidence and clarity as being among the most important
skills schools have to teach. How many a timid wallflower has been
transformed by the chance to act out a role on a school stage?
The gifted art teacher will claim that there is no such thing as a
child without artistic talent. However ham-handed, colour blind,
apparently unimaginative perhaps, every child can find some medium or
other, in three dimensions if not two, with machines if not tools, in
which to gain a true sense of self-satisfaction and achievement.
Cultivating a fulfilled life, developing a successful career, enjoying
a satisfying home, all benefit by the acquisition of good taste which
arises from a training in aesthetic awareness, both tactile and visual.
What a responsibility the art department has and shame to the school
that fails to resource it properly.
Music, in one form or another, is no less ‘for everyone’. Apart from
being almost uniquely a field where the child prodigy can outdo an
adult, it is very special in being the best non-athletic team game
there is! Learning to work in co-operation with others is very
important and deeply satisfying, not least because it must be
non-competitive. There are no winners and losers: all share a common
achievement and sense of fulfilment.
But music must be made fun. And the early stages of study of an
instrument can seem an all too lonely and nerve-wracking experience.
So, the challenges to the school claiming to provide a good music
programme are clear. In assessing just how effectively it does so, a
perceptive parent will surely look closely at how well its music staff
nurture and inspire the enthusiasm of the beginners, develop nature’s
own instrument, the voice, and work at discovering just which
instrument really suits the physique, temperament and aptitude of the
individual child.
This points to another problem with preparatory school music: the orchestra. Unlike senior schools, most preparatory schools
are generally too small to be able to assemble much more than ad hoc
bands of assorted players. Their wide range of ability and experience
means that novices are over-stretched while the best players are bored.
The selection of music playable and the standard achievable under these
circumstances will remain somewhat limited. This is where the IAPS
Music Courses come in.
The IAPS Orchestra was inaugurated in 1972, with the enthusiastic
backing of Benjamin Britten. The object was to gather the best players
in preparatory schools for a weeklong residential
course under top-flight professional conductors and coaches. Over the
years, this initial experiment has developed into a major provision for
orchestral and band players, as well as singers and jazz improvisors.
Younger beginners are offered shorter courses too. So, for over a
quarter of century now, IAPS Music Courses have pioneered orchestral
experience for the very young. Another useful test of a preparatory school’s
total understanding of its commitment to musical education is just how
many of its players are encouraged to take part in music courses and
play with ensembles outside the school. IAPS Music Courses are far from
being the only ones available nowadays.
So, back to those glossy brochures and that agonising decision. Let
the Dream Making activities be the ultimate yard-stick. Does the art
teaching enable the children to use their eyes and imaginations? Is it
inspirational, exciting, broad-based and capable of developing in the
young a sense of beauty, shape, design and taste? Does the drama
involve everyone, enabling the introvert and extrovert alike to rise
out of themselves, equipping them to express themselves and communicate
with confidence and charm? As for the music ... well, Shakespeare had
harsh views on the “man that hath no music in himself ”.
In all, let the essential question be this. Is the school of your choice a Dream Machine?
Information about scholarships in art and music offered by senior schools to pupils at preparatory schools may be obtained from the General Secretary, IAPS, Waterloo Place, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire CV32 5LA.
Scholarships for music or art in preparatory schools, where offered, tend to be on an ad hoc basis, and parents will need to inquire directly to individual schools.
Voice trials take place each year for cathedral or university
college choristerships. These usually bring a remission of fees and
certainly offer exceptional opportunities for all-round musical
education. Details can be obtained from:
The Choir Schools Association,
The Minster School,
Deangate,
York YO1 7JA.
Tel: 01904 624900
Email: info@choirschools.org.uk
Website: www.choirschools.org.uk
Finally, details of IAPS Music Courses are available from:
The Administrator,
Richard Smyth,
9 Polden View,
Glastonbury,
Somerset BA6 8DZ
Tel: 01485 833837
Email: richardsmyth@iaps.co.uk
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