Private Passions

[LMcD]

Michael Berkeley has just been interviewed on Radio 4's 'BH' about today's edition of Private Passions, which was recorded at Chequers.

[Pulcinella]

Michael Berkeley has just been interviewed on Radio 4's 'BH' about today's edition of Private Passions, which was recorded at Chequers.

Was it draughty there?

[Ein Heldenleben]

Knock me down with a feather a politician who’s interested in Classical music AND is prepared to admit it..

[french frank]

Knock me down with a feather a politician who’s interested in Classical music AND is prepared to admit it..

He'd already been shopped by Classic FM. No point in denying it:

https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/sir-keir-starmer-flute-recorder-guildhall-scholar/

[Ein Heldenleben]

He'd already been shopped by Classic FM. No point in denying it:

https://www.classicfm.com/discover-m...dhall-scholar/

Having a passion for those sonatas is a major plus point from my point of view .

[LMcD]

Was it draughty there?

Dunno, but neither of them is sounding board.

[Ein Heldenleben]

with apologies for a political point

It’s almost as if he doesn’t realise he’s Prime Minister . He could sort out the parlous and near moribund state of music education tomorrow but “it’s a challenge .” No it’s not - show some leadership..
Only 5,000 doing music A levels and the answer seems to be that we need to ask what the exam leads to. How pathetically utilitarian.

[LMcD]

with apologies for a political point

It’s almost as if he doesn’t realise he’s Prime Minister . He could sort out the parlous and near moribund state of music education tomorrow but “it’s a challenge .” No it’s not - show some leadership..
Only 5,000 doing music A levels and the answer seems to be that we need to ask what the exam leads to. How pathetically utilitarian.

The teaching of modern languages is now clearly unfashionable, as well. They're among the first courses to be cut in schools and universities, so: fewer pupils>fewer graduates>fewer teachers>fewer classes.

[Ein Heldenleben]

The teaching of modern languages is now clearly unfashionable, as well. They're among the first courses to be cut in schools and universities, so: fewer pupils>fewer graduates>fewer teachers>fewer classes.

A doom loop.
The decline of languages is even more alarming.

[kernelbogey]

I listened to the first hour but found him rather boring, despite having interesting musical experiences to recount. Although I'm pleased to learn that he is - has been - a musician.

[vinteuil]

Michael Berkeley has just been interviewed on Radio 4's 'BH' about today's edition of Private Passions, which was recorded at Chequers.

... if anyone has been watching The Diplomat [series 3] (highly recommended!) and has wondered where the filming at 'Chequers' took place - it was at Coe Hall, Planting Fields -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planting_Fields_Arboretum_State_Historic_Park

.

[oddoneout]

The teaching of modern languages is now clearly unfashionable, as well. They're among the first courses to be cut in schools and universities, so: fewer pupils>fewer graduates>fewer teachers>fewer classes.

I don't know if it's a case of unfashionable, there are other factors at play I think, but the net result tends to be the same. If demand for language teaching falls because of smaller classes at GCSE level then the provision of language teaching is gradually eroded which feeds through to A level and beyond.
The high school my children attended and at which I was a governor for 13 years could hardly have had a better set-up for provision of, and interest in, modern languages, despite being marooned in the middle of a large rural county where, at the time, there were still a lot of people who didn't tend to move around much, let alone go to foreign parts. Due to links with equivalent schools in Holland, Germany, France, and Spain hardly a month went by without a student exchange taking place, there was an arts festival that rotated between 3 of the schools, there were work placements abroad for some students(in addition to the usual Year 10 'home' placements) uptake of French, German, Spanish at GCSE was good and results excellent. That all fed through to the 6th Form College and A level uptake.
However there then started to be a slow but noticeable decline in pupils choosing languages at GCSE to the point where, despite various efforts, it was no longer possible to offer 3 languages and German was dropped as the one with the lowest demand(single figure classes). French remained compulsory from Year7/8 entry with Spanish as second language option when GCSE choices were made. It wasn't clear what the cause was although the pupil view that languages were hard(especially German) was thought to have a lot to do with it, and perhaps the rise in alternative options related to IT - this was from about 2006 on. Inevitably the lower demand fed through to A level modern language options. It wasn't an isolated or even local trend and was underway before a certain unfortunate national decision made things even more difficult for schools and colleges at home and abroad.

[oddoneout]

with apologies for a political point

It’s almost as if he doesn’t realise he’s Prime Minister . He could sort out the parlous and near moribund state of music education tomorrow but “it’s a challenge .” No it’s not - show some leadership..
Only 5,000 doing music A levels and the answer seems to be that we need to ask what the exam leads to. How pathetically utilitarian.

But isn't that now the core of what passes for education in this country? Drilling 'useful' subjects into children from the earliest opportunity to ensure they become productive members of society. Life affirming or enriching subjects have no place in that - can't have people enjoying themselves instead of generating more wealth for others.
It occurs to me that this approach might also have contributed to the decline of modern foreign languages that was already underway. What use to an individual in a post Brexit world and one that also sees no value in learning for its own sake.

[Ein Heldenleben]

But isn't that now the core of what passes for education in this country? Drilling 'useful' subjects into children from the earliest opportunity to ensure they become productive members of society. Life affirming or enriching subjects have no place in that - can't have people enjoying themselves instead of generating more wealth for others.
It occurs to me that this approach might also have contributed to the decline of modern foreign languages that was already underway. What use to an individual in a post Brexit world and one that also sees no value in learning for its own sake.

Was it an economist who remarked that the trouble with GDP statistics is they measure everything except what makes life worth living?

[french frank]

Only 5,000 doing music A levels and the answer seems to be that we need to ask what the exam leads to. How pathetically utilitarian.

I don't want to divert the thread from its proper subject, but being a privileged child of a middle middle-class tradesman, I didn't associate studying languages at university with subsequent work opportunities. And it wasn't spoken of in my year (though I suspect quite a few had teaching in mind). My interest in languages opened up horizons which have been the joys of my life (the more lucrative teaching career didn't last very long as I wasn't cut out for it). If I have any way of repaying now, it's in sharing what it gave me