THE SOUND OF WRONG MUSIC
Henry Kelly is angry about what he
suspects is Mr Blair's preference for pop over classical
YOU'LL PARDON me if I'm angry. You see, in the last few weeks the following things have happened: our country, through Lottery funds, has given more than £40 million to breathe new life into Brighton pier, with which I have no com- plaint whatever. Meanwhile, in Manch- ester one of the world's great orchestras, the Halle, hardly settled into its new, won- derful concert hall, has been forced to flog a piano in order to survive. The Liverpool Philharmonic, having spent almost three years planning a tour to Japan, was told the tour was cancelled because of 'spon- sorship shortfall', when the band was with- in weeks of departure. And every single day — yes, every single day — I have received letters, phone calls or messages in some form or other pleading with me to say something, do something (as if I could) to try to make it clear that the present gov- ernment, far from being interested in the preservation of, not to mention develop- ment of, the musical side of our culture, seems to think that asking rock stars, `yoof television icons and other such luminaries of our transient popular culture into No. 10 Downing Street is sufficient to stamp them as culturally sophisticated.
Let me give you a glimpse into my post- bag and use two letters to make the point. Both come from the same neck of the woods, both are on the same subject and both are cries for help which are being ignored by a Labour council — yes! the same party that occupies No. 10 Downing Street.
The cause of my anger is to be found in Halifax, where after more than 30 years one of the finest centres for physical edu- cation and musical excellence is threat- ened with closure by the .Labour- controlled Calderdale council because it needs to cut £4.5 million from its budget. The centre for this excellence is Wellesley Park, where in buildings which used to be the Duke of Wellington's barracks and are Grade II-listed, more than 2,000 children of all ages have been learning and playing music since the centre was founded in 1967. When they are not in situ, the physi- cal education side runs judo classes, gym- nastics and various other similar activities. The nub of the matter is that, come 1 September, the £400,000 which the council has been providing over the last year to run the centre will be withdrawn. Instead the council has offered a so-called rescue package whereby the schools would be turned into charitable trusts, £50,000 would be offered towards setting them up and the musicians and athletes encouraged to find the balance as best they can. The estimated rental alone of the buildings used currently by the schools is £110,000.
Ron Suddaby, who lives in Halifax and who has been involved with the judo sec- tion for a quarter of a century but who also feels passionately for the commitment to musical education in the area, told me, `One Wednesday night in February, Calderdale council decided to close down the music service and school of physical education as "luxuries we can no longer afford". One councillor accused those of us who protested against this as having "warped priorities".' Ron ends his letter: `We are talking here about the leisure and sporting activities of 4,000 future citizens in a town that has more than its fair share of juvenile miscreants who torch cars, van- dalise and mug because they are bored and "have nothing to do". This apart, we are likely to lose 20 full-time teaching jobs and about 50 part-time coaching jobs where teachers look after judo, dance, gymnastics and swimming. The apt phrase here is cul- tural vandalism.'
Ron Suddaby is not an emotional or unreasonable man. The Halifax newspaper, the Evening Courier, has been following the story carefully for months, and as far back as January was sad to report: 'Dozens of job losses are expected as a result of plans to axe the Calderdale schools of music and physical education while at the same time thousands of children could be forced to give up their favourite hobbies. Both schools are to be closed to save money.'
Is it any wonder I am angry? What on earth are we doing if our cultural priorities dictate that Brighton pier is worth saving but the Halle and the children of Calderdale can look out for themselves?
Here is another letter on the same sub- ject, from Harry Santjuste of Doncaster. `Whilst reading out your requests from children playing musical instruments, please', writes Harry, 'spare a thought for the persecuted children of Calderdale. Their philistine council is hell-bent on destroying not only decent education but a Saturday music school where young and old can perform and learn about the very best of classical music. I grew up in Halifax and well remember that many schools had their own orchestras despite all the priva- tions of post-war Britain. The Calderdale battle is, I fear, already lost, but nil des- perandum.'
Peter Denton, one of the parents involved in trying to save the Calderdale music service, tells me that Calderdale is a `model' of its kind to which other councils in Britain and from across Europe had come over the years to learn, listen and use as a blueprint for their own music schools. Are we to throw this out for a few pounds? Mr Denton points out that one way to save the school would be to increase the very small fees which operate at present, there- by 'defeating the whole purpose of some- thing which since 1967 has been providing this area with copybook musical education for children and adults who otherwise would have no access whatsoever to such facilities'. Indeed, cuttings I have been sent from the Courier record the Calderdale music centre's annual concert held in Hali- fax's Victoria Theatre, which included gui- tar ensembles, a senior citizens' orchestra, and the Calderdale youth and youth wind orchestras. More than 300 players aged from five years to 90 took part. This is what a Labour-controlled council wants to throw on the scrap-heap, pleading economics as the reason. Are they mad, or only pretend- ing to be?
By the time you read this we will have had the local elections; the Education Sec- retary, David Blunkett, will have visited Calderdale to discuss this and other mat- ters; and the deadline for the end of an era will be even closer. 1 cannot begin to tell you how deeply angry I am at this 'cultural vandalism'. Never mind the pounds and the pence and never mind the listed build- ings, what about the children who by autumn may have nowhere to play and lis- ten to the world's most beautiful music? What is to become of them; what is to become of the enthusiasm with which they look forward every week to rehearsal and every now and then to live concert perfor- mance? Why should they be sacrificed on the scrap-heap of local authority eco- nomics by a party representing a govern- ment which has boasted of its Cool Britannia status and is never done in telling us how culturally 'smooth' it is? Smooth it may be when it comes to Introducing the so-called great and the good into Downing Street. But if you judge the civilisation of a decent society by the Way it treats its young, its old, its poor and its dispossessed, then let's agree to add another criterion: let us say that in 1998 we shall judge the civilised nature of Tony Blair's government by the way it treats the crisis that is confronting the people of Calderdale, who face the imminent loss of their beloved music and physical education centres at Wellesley Park, Halifax. There, I told you I was angry. Aren't you? PS: In the local elections, the Labour party lost six seats in Calderdale — might that make them listen?
The author is a presenter on Classic FM.
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