Paul Edis has reminded me that tomorrow, and Wednesday, there are performances by (very sadly) the final ever cohort of the BMus students at Sage, Gateshead.
The BMus course has been around, Paul reminds me, since before he was born, and many of the musicians featured on BSH were schooled by Birkett/Sinclair/Richardson or have some connection to it.
As well as jazz, over the next two days, there are all sorts of musical interests and disciplines on display reflecting the diversity of the students. Also, in amongst the student bands, there are cameos from Paul Grainger, Bradley Johnston and Thomas Dixon amongst others...
Full programme here: http://www.sagegateshead.com/event/future-grooves-2018/
This is so so sad and poses a question: Will the northeast ever again have such a justifiably proud facility for producing so many fine jazz musicians?
It also poses another question someone brought up at a local jazz jam after a young student revealed that, whilst music and jazz would forever be his passion, his future lay as a doctor/lawyer/Indian Chief etc and that a degree in jazz was the equivalent of becoming a graduate in Everyday Latin.
What colleges did Armstrong, Parker, Coltrane attend? Their Alma Mater was the street, the club, the bar - would they have been greater if they'd attended music school? No, but they'd probably have made it a lot sooner if they had had the access to today's educational facilities!
So let's show our appreciation of the work done by the tutors past and present at Sage Gateshead by attending some of the student gigs and - who knows? - maybe a peaceful demonstration of some sort?
Lance.
PS: Whilst bemoaning the demise of the above the real cause of the problem is the decline in musical education in schools. In many state schools, even the recorder is passe so what chance the saxophone? This means that real musical education is open only to the middle/upper classes.
Views, please.
5 comments :
That course will definitely not rest in peace. Not if I have anything to do with it! 😂
The course has produced some exceptional talent over the years. Such a shame to see it go! As a peripatetic drum teacher I know all about the decline of music education all too well. When a school says GCSE music will cease to exist due to lack of interest you know there's a problem. Here's hoping the new wave of jazz and pop bands (Vulfpeck, The 1975, Snarky Puppy etc) will inspire more people to take up a careeer in music and not look to just please their parents by becoming lawyers and doctors. Otherwise that would be a great tragedy indeed.
Sad times! Hope all goes well 👍
Well said Lance.
Music for all ? .... not these days! Learning an instrument has become unaffordable for many parents in the present 'jam' (pardon the pun!) society most folk find themselves in with a squeeze on everything (and errrr don't mention Brexit!!!) combined with the fact that music as a subject is being ever increasingly marginalised in schools. To quote the General Secretary of the musicians union Horace Trubridge "We may well only be hearing the songs and sounds of the affluent in the years to come" ...god forbid!
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