Thoroughly Good Classical Music

The Benedetti Foundation’s most recent music education Sessions programme for young people concluded at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London on Saturday. The London Session performance was a characteristically uplifting event that saw string players of all ages and levels come together in a mass ensemble to work on a new version of Shostakovich’s Jazz Suite No. 1, arranged by Paul Campbell. Suitably buoyed, proud parents waved excitedly at their offspring on stage and in the auditorium.

Less of a concert and more of a shared performance experience, this ‘sharing’ was a memorable event for all participants — one designed to set a fuse that might ignite later, recalling memories for those of a certain age of the same experiences made in county youth music services and music hubs. The joyful exuberance was difficult to ignore.

This not insignificant practical endeavour (there were in the hall over 30 individuals dedicated solely to pastoral care in addition to staff and tutors) underlines the ongoing success of Founder and Artistic Director Nicola Benedetti’s vision for accessible music education in the UK — a programme that has reached well over 75K musicians from primary to postgraduate since its inception in 2019 — making music education for string players available more widely than ever, and delivering an experience that will see even the most cold-hearted of observers leave with a spring in their step.

Participants in the London Sessions explored multiple creative pursuits during the programme — expression, storytelling, sound production, freedom, improvisation, physical and mental wellbeing, and understanding the context of music. The concluding sharing event was a memory-making experience (in no small part thanks to the effervescent energy from the Foundation’s creative team Calum Huggan, Lucy Drever, and Patrick King) that no doubt builds anticipation amongst the participants for the next one — and, beyond that, for a life enriched with appreciation for, and perhaps even a life in, music. The sight of 50 or so primary school children taking their first steps onto the QEH stage was a potent visual sign of a pipeline for future performers (if that’s the path they choose) — and another necessary reminder of the value music education brings. Those in the bubble get it. Those outside of it still don’t, can’t, or won’t.

In all of her communications, Benedetti is relatable to every member of the audience without being condescending. Every statement she makes not only carries a compelling argument, but also frames that argument as a question — one that promotes consensus as well as collaboration. Commentators often point to her role as Artistic Director of EIF as the key illustration of her leadership skills, but this overlooks innate abilities clearly visible in everything she does — demonstrated in the content of Sessions and, pointedly, in the Benedetti Foundation’s growth from startup to mature arts participation endeavour.

In its company accounts filed in late 2024, the Foundation’s fundraising activities raised a total of over £1 million — £370K from individual donations alone. Some resolute sign of appreciation. Just under two thirds of that spend goes directly on delivery.

In her lengthy introduction to participants and audience alike, conductor Rebecca Miller summed up the Sessions’ values-driven approach, highlighting how the activities provided an opportunity to learn about listening, leading, responding, risk-taking, tolerance, and respect.

This is not new — nor is it unique to young people. This is precisely what a slew of training and development companies are delivering at scale to global organisations right now. It’s a growth industry. It takes a good creative leader to adapt that into an inclusive strategy for all ages.

Gushing might risk independence or rigour. Yet the truth is, when you’re in the presence of something that reminds you of a similar experience you had as a kid, it’s difficult not to get swept along. There was a whiff of envy on the back row, thinking about how the youngest present were sharing the stage with legend Wynton Marsalis. How I’d love to be present when, later in life, they make the connection.

Is there a sting in the tail? Does the Benedetti Foundation’s success risk it being seen as compensation for the failure of the state to reinstate music as a critical force in education? The political will probably won’t get shored up with money any time soon. In the meantime, the model is there, proven and effective. The question is: how do we make this systemic, as it should be?

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