A new and additional music venue is planned for London (Report, 17 December), possibly at the awkwardly sited London Museum. At the same time the ENO struggles to fill seats and, as Ian Jack reports (5 December), classical lieder are only heard at one or two centres, such as the Wigmore Hall. Classical music simply does not attract large audiences, apart from those for the Proms, which dominates the summer months. Even so, the Barbican and South Bank are not good enough for Simon Rattle, despite the major refurbishment of the Royal Festival Hall carried out just 10 years ago at considerable public cost. For smaller concerts, there is also Kings Place, added to London’s classical music facilities in 2008. Rattle is a renowned conductor, but there are many more on the international circuit. Are we sure that this new proposal is anything more than a vanity project?
Professor Mike Bury
Wrotham, Kent
• It seems a study has suggested £34m is required to convert the Barbican Hall from classical concerts to jazz concerts. On what planet are the study authors living?
Dennis Hawkins
Leominster, Herefordshire
• Adult life is busy. The prospect of investing time and effort in a new skill or interest is one few of us consider, let alone realise. This makes school years even more valuable, as they are the time we discover, pursue and develop lifelong skills that define us.
I wholeheartedly agreed with Michele Hanson’s article about giving children ambitious opportunities in music (A certain age, 15 December). Musicians have campaigned tirelessly for years against the gradual erosion of its status in schools and fought to promote its ability to develop higher-order thinking skills. But let us be bolder. If a core principle of education concerns the exposure of children to opportunities, then we should instead strive to look beyond the increasingly unbalanced hierarchy of subjects – and acknowledge that all of them have the potential to influence a child’s future.
Charles Janz
Head of music, Ibstock Place school, London
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