Interview: Julian Lloyd Webber
A month or two ago I was doing a lot of research for a freelance feature I was doing about music at a grassroots level, particularly focusing on a government initiative called In Harmony. Unfortunately I never really got enough interviews to build something out of it, but the one plus out of it is that I can write about it on this website instead (something I was, at first, hesitant about doing) – and develop it as an ongoing feature, and something different to what you usually would read on music sites. Grassroots music, and the potential it has to help young people and communities, is something that is not really written about much in the wider press, which is a real shame.
Whilst researching initially, I did manage to ask world renowned cellist Julian Lloyd Webber (pictured above with children from Lambeth Music Service and London mayor Boris Johnson), one of the chairs for the In Harmony project and an advocate of grassroots music, a few questions about the project and grassroots music in general.
Max: How important is it for children to become involved in music at a grassroots level?
Julian: Music is a great way for children to develop a real passion in life – playing a musical instrument is a skill they can enjoy themselves and share with others. Getting involved in music from a young age is also a real bonus; you learn faster as a child and so can build up your ability quickly – seeing results is always a great motivational force. As such, I believe it’s very important for children to get involved with music – and at grassroots level it’s all the more effective.
M: How did you get involved with the In Harmony project?
J: I was asked by the government to chair In Harmony – which involved spearheading the project as a whole: promoting it, its aims, deciding the final form it should take and choosing the winning entries. In Harmony as a scheme was inspired by El Sistema in Venezuela. I’d seen the remarkable happenings in Venezuela, including when the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra came to perform in the UK, and was very excited about doing something similar for children in the UK. Since the 1960s, Venezuela’s Sistema has changed the lives of over 270,000 children – many from the country’s poorest areas. Hearing how their lives have been transformed for the better is the best demonstration of the amazing power music has. This is something I passionately believe in, so being involved in In Harmony, and having the government funding to make this possible, is a dream come true for me.
M: How difficult was it to decide which three bids would benefit from In Harmony?
J: Very. We had applications from many many children’s groups, youth organisations, councils, schools and communities. All of these would benefit enormously from In Harmony, but unfortunately we only have the funding to support three projects at the moment. Hopefully in the future all of these groups will be able to take part.
M: What made you decide on the three bids in West Everton, Norwich and Lambeth?
J: Though the competition was tough, these three bids stood out from the rest. All three were backed by really inspirational teachers, careful and detailed planning and enormous benefits for their communities.
M: If this pilot works, can you see something like In Harmony being rolled out nationwide?
J: Definitely. I’m certain the first three projects will prove successful and once the government sees the benefits to the children and the wider communities, the only thing that could hold this back from going nationwide is funding. Prevention is better than a cure though – investing in children’s futures through In Harmony, and helping society as a result, demonstrates better value for money than any alternative I can think of. We’ll have to wait and see what the government decide, but in my opinion, Venezuela has made the right choice.
Hopefully, I’ll be doing a few more articles on grassroots music on The Musical Chairs, so stay tuned.
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Posted on January 26th, 2009 by Max
Filed under: Interviews, News
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