Marek Michalak

Ow no, that's terribly sad. I should hope the company can be rescued from administration. It would be a sad to stomach the loss of traditional organ building company such as Mander 😒

While I applaud the BBC for their initiative to get young kids to get interested in classical music, I do take an issue with trying to boil down Western Classical music to a selection of only 10 pieces......and not one by them is by Bach(!!!), who was so influential and inspirational on so many composers who came after him. There is nothing from before Handel, even though there is plenty of music that could have been chosen here, particularly from these very shores. No Purcell either But if this makes more young kids interested in classical music then go for it, better than nothing I suppose.

I hope it's not going to be held against me as a sign of my mental age..........but I am REALLY interested in that Peter and the Wolf in your link

Vox Humana, I agree with most of what you are saying. I have no idea what musical education in schools looks like at the moment in the UK. My personal opinion is that schools should ideally provide the opportunity for every child to learn the basics of playing an instrument of pretty much their choice (some restrictions may have to apply) and also provide music education in terms of giving an overview of how music developed in the world over the centuries and milenia. Music and culture are closely linked together so it could be a great stepping stone to combine with learning about other cultures, but not to the exclusion of learning about our own culture also. I think children should have their minds opened about music and playing instruments before they reach their mid teens when for some it becomes far too important to appear cool to their peers and adjust their lives around that concept. Schools should also talk to their local church and arrange for a little "adventure" visit to the organ once or twice a year with smaller groups. There are some interesting programmes in continental Europe of intorducting kids to the organ by telling a story and the organ provides the accoustics backing to the story, giving tonal voices to animals or particular charatcters in the story line etc. I don't know if such things are commonly used in the UK but it could be well interesting for a young audience. And just seeing the console of an organ for younger kids can be overwheliming and get their interest up in the instrument. But schools are having ever more obligations put on them which must be funded from existing budgets and I don't see my vision of music education coming anywhere to the top of spending priorities in the foreseeable future. I'll leave that argument right there. Anything more is not for an organ forum but rather for a political debate over an afternoon pint or two.