Jeremy Hunt MP: Five hours culture for fifty pence

Jeremy Hunt MP is Shadow Culture Secretary.

Last week was another classic example of a flaky government announcement coming unstuck. This time it happened literally within minutes. Andy Burnham, clearly responding to requests from Gordon Brown to make announcements - any announcement - that might give the impression of government initiative (the "vision" thing) announced a plan to give all children a "right" to 5 hours of cultural activity.

By 8.20 in the morning he had been forced to admit to John Humphrys that it was only an "aspiration". Then it emerged that we do not currently measure how many hours of "culture" children receive. Many may be getting more than 5 hours, some undoubtedly less, but how can you have a policy without being able to measure whether it has worked or not?

Next John Dunford of the Association of School and College Leaders slammed the proposals given that no one had thought out precisely where in the curriculum these five hours would sit. Next to cookery? Instead of citizenship? Nearby the 5 hours of sport that have already been promised and not delivered?

Finally we worked out that the amount of money assigned to the pilot areas for the project was less than 50 pence per child per week - getting five hours of culture out of 50 pence needs a course in magic, let alone culture.

Andy Burnham rightly received near universal derision for an ill-thought out "eye-catching initiative" that should never have made it past the drawing board. More's the shame, because culture does matter. But if the government were serious about policy, they could start by taking a look at:

• Red tape that is putting more and more schools off organising school trips, including cultural ones. Parents for example worry about volunteering in case they get sued if something goes wrong.
• Bureaucracy over things like music festivals, which mean piles of forms have to be filled in especially if children are involved. Why do CRB checks have to be repeated time after time - driving both organisers and volunteers potty.
• Provision of music lessons. There is lots of evidence that learning a musical instrument helps both literacy and numeracy, yet up to 40% of primary school children who would like to are unable to learn an instrument.

Comments

[Sally Roberts]

Thanks, Jeremy, for highlighting how ridiculous it is for the Government to try to "pigeonhole" culture and give it a certain number of hours a day!! As someone who values the artistic and creative part of my life and always has (thanks to my upbringing!) I think this is desperately sad and reduces the arts to something mundane and menial! I was incredibly lucky growing up - my father was a highly cultured man who adored music, especially classical and taught me almost everything I know! My mother had a theatrical background so from her I learned about the written and spoken word. My brother played the piano from a young age and used to practise for long hours every day so I was used to having music in the house the whole time. Admittedly this is a somewhat unusual family background and many children grow up, sadly, with no exposure to the arts at all! But how can you measure something like this in terms of hours a day!? Are you going to jot the time down on a sheet every time a piece of music is played to the children... It is typical Labour rubbish!

[michael mcgough]

As I mentioned on an earlier thread many outer London schools hire coaches for cultural trips into town.These have always been difficult to fund but with the new low emission zoning adding £200 to each and every hire of most available vehicles these will not now go ahead.
As usual Labour's non-joined up thinking and unintended consequences of ill researched new measures take there toll.
We are bankrupts led by thieves and idiots.

[Tony Makara]

If I remember correctly drama and music took up four periods each when I was at school, so amounted to a good six hours of proper study, that combined with English Literature brought my arts studies upto nine hours away. Today there is no proper study of the arts to enlighten the young. One of my most vivid memories of that time comes from going with the school to watch a little theatre production of the Craig and Bentley story back in 1974 and for the first time in my life actually being made to think whether law is always just. I also remember the school taking us to see the Merchant of Venice at the guild hall and the way that everyone was talking excitedly about the play all the way home on the coach. The arts bring people alive, be they popular arts or higher culture.

Sally Roberts, I was very interested to read how you were always surrounded with culture as a youngster. Our home was very similar except the fare was mostly from Hollywood musicals and the vocal power of Donald Peers, Roy Orbison, Enzo Pinza, Mario Lanza, Deanna Durbin, Kathryn Grayson, and Jane Powell (My Favourite even today!), music and particularly singing was everywhere. Sally, interesting to read that your mother was in the theatre, my own mother had a similar arts-bases career, of sorts, she was one of those glamour girls who sold refreshments in a tutu at the local Palais cinema. In fact she was there working one of the nights there was a riot during 'Rock around the clock' back in the 1950s.

One thing is for sure, our kids need the arts. I feel that the arts I learnt at school and the arts I was exposed to at home, made me appreciate human creativity, made me understand that life isn't mechanical but can be inspired and lifted by the arts. How many of us have listened to a concert, watched a play, read a book, viewed a movie and felt completely buoyed by it afterwards? The arts are life affirming and vital to developing a child's appreciation of human creativity. A future Conservative government must allow the arts to flourish and allow young minds to flourish with it.

[Sally Roberts]

Tony I am interested that you too were surrounded by music! I remember having a record of Mario Lanza singing Christmas carols which I loved!! Deanna Durbin - yes I remember her as well, the Mozart Alleluia which she sang in the film "100 men and a girl" was something I used to sing as well - I had singing lessons at school and continued with them for quite a long time after leaving.
I wanted to pick up on Jeremy's point about music festivals as I used to be a very keen competitor in them, for solo singing, speech & drama and in my school choir. I think it has always been the case that many forms had to be filled in - I certainly remember my singing teacher doing so on my behalf - but maybe it's got worse now?

[Tony Makara]

Sally Roberts, reading your comments brings joy to my heart. I love music, to such a point that I even run a fan club for Jane Powell, which is my hobby, as well as collecting music and musical films. Fascinating to learn that your voice is trained, I was a fair singer too before my voice broke and once played a singing albatross in a school music festival. The magical inhibition-free days of primary school! Sally, I can see that like me music is a big factor in your life and it seems our upbringing was a prime factor in that. How important it is that our children also learn the joy of music and other fine arts. Sally, Please feel free to enjoy this clip of my favourite singer!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dj8SFYB5y4

[Winchester whisperer]

I'm suprised they haven't combined each hour of culture with a portion of fruit and vegetables.

[TFA Tory]

Five hours of New Labour's dumbed down culture -

Strictly Come Dancing
X factor
Big Brother
Ant and Dec
Pop Idol

We need a counter-cultural revolution!

[David Sergeant]

I bet most voters havn't heard the condemnations of Burnham's scheme. No doubt Tories in the Westminster village are chuckleing at Burnham but unlike them Burnham has got off his backside and spoke to voters. Until the Conservative leadership is prepared to continually respond to Labour "initiatives" Labour will continually score (small) points.

[Neil Wilson]

Unfortunately, Burnham was in the Liverpool echo last week, repeating the lie that the eighties were a difficult time to grow up in. They couldn't have been that bad, after all, he still chooses to wear purple eye shadow, as his appearance on Question Time revealed.

I wouldn't pay too much attention to this announcement. I suspect that it will sit prominently in the 'Big Book of things New Labour said they would do and didn't (or 'how to catch headlines'), somewhere near 'British Day' and 'equipping the armed forces properly'.

[Sally Roberts]

"Please feel free to enjoy this clip of my favourite singer!"

Thank you Tony - I did, very much!

[Sally Roberts]

P.S. Tony I am only sorry that there probably doesn't exist a clip of you as The Singing Albatross!!

[Bexie]

My first record was Carnival of the Animals, it did not occur to me to buy popular music until much later, I think my first "popular" record was Oxygene.

I dont think that culture as such can be taught, it is an environmental thing. I was encouraged to enjoy the classical arts, and went to a school very much dedicated to music (St Michaels Tenbury BTW). Folks who do not have the exposure to ancient and classical music, never get an interest. Perhaps one way to encourage this would be to arrange shool outings to the ENO or similar.

For the whats on your Ipod, or in my case the cd autochanger in the car, it includes Beethoven and the KLF. And Oxygene. I have just removed a Corvus Corax CD.

[Tony Makara]

Sally, unfortunately no such clip exists, at the time my grandad did have a super8 camera which even had colour film, but no sound, so I'm assuming thats why it wasn't filmed. I think its sad these days that schools are banning parents from recording sports days and harvest festivals because so many wonderful memories are lost. Once again the majority is being punished because of a tiny nasty minority. I'm glad you enjoyed the clip of my idol Janie! Here is a little more from the worlds greatest coloratura soprano.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmvUl8dhHf0

[Sally Roberts]

Thank you Tony for that clip - shows the mark of a true artist when they can sing so many different styles equally brilliantly!!!
Now - before we risk the wrath of the Editor for turning this into a sort of musical love-fest, let me pick up on Bexie's point about school outings! These are invaluable for helping to educate children to love the arts - I imagine I am not the only person who went to school in the 60s and 70s who used to be taken to the Ernest Read childrens' concerts at the Festival Hall - do they still exist? Unfortunately, as Jeremy points out in his piece we have the problem of The Great God "Elf n' Safety" and our litigious culture which makes everyone terrified of being sued! No one wants children to come to harm on a day out - but surely there is a happy medium?

[Tony Makara]

Sally, yes, children must be allowed to attend events. Being of a certain generation I remember how we all used to look forward to school nature rambles which took place often in the summer months. We would collect items and bring them back to save in the cover of books. I also remember how we were even allowed to go into churchyards and take impressions off stones using a special crayon, then when we got back we would mount these around the classroom where they would stand proudly on display for weeks on end. There were even walks around our village and I also remember a trip to a local textile mill, to show us how it worked. All those events were great learning experiences and a real chance to interact with the outside world. What a contrast with today's sheltered and claustrophobic world of the childhood. It feels like we were free to be children and todays youngsters are hostage to fear at any corner. You may remember an interview with some children that was done on a news programme last year in which the youngsters were asked about life. One little girl of about nine or ten said "I always worry that someone might try to murder me" That one sentence says it all. Our children are living in very fear of their lives because they have had anxiety drilled into them by an over-bearing and over-protective educational system.