Call for more school music

Musicians are calling for more pupils to learn instruments

Leading musicians are to press the government to help improve teaching of music in schools.

They are asking for a range of changes, including using it to improve the enjoyment of subjects such as history and geography.

Evelyn Glennie, Sir James Galway, Michael Kamen and Julian Lloyd Webber will meet the Education Secretary, Charles Clarke, as part of a campaign to encourage more children to learn to play an instrument.

They will argue that music is being squeezed to the margins of the school timetable and will point to a recent study which showed that two out of three six to 14-year-olds could not name a single classical composer.

'Lessons about taste'

"By denying music a proper place in the curriculum children are being robbed of their cultural legacy and it is our duty to do something about it," said Ms Glennie.

"As well as being stimulating, motivating and entertaining, classical music teaches us valuable lessons about taste, choice and interpretation, essential life skills which our children have the right to learn."

Teachers have complained that the national curriculum - with its emphasis on maths and English - is narrowing the range of subjects studied by pupils.

A study by the National Union of Teachers found music lessons were taking up only 45 minutes a week on average.

But earlier this year, Mr Clarke announced the creation of specialist music schools at secondary level.

He said each of these could become a "centre of excellence".