National Centre for Arts and Music Education

Lord Berkeley of Knighton Excerpts

Wednesday 23rd April 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I thank the noble Earl for introducing this. I do not have the specific answers that he seeks. I am very happy to take this away and look at it in more detail. However, the most important thing is that all these areas are integrated across the piece, so that every aspect of work benefits from the skills that he has rightly raised to ensure that things are not put into a silo and that everyone can benefit.

[Lord Berkeley of Knighton (CB)]

My Lords, as my noble friend Lady Bull and the Minister have said, AI could be very important. However, as my noble friend will remember from her days as a dancer, and speaking as an instrumentalist, physical presence in the room is everything if you are learning about movement or bowing a violin. Where will this national centre be? Also, this should not cover up the real need for more music in schools for physically hearing music and thus finding that one has a vocation, where excellence can then be introduced.

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

The noble Lord raises an interesting point. The national centre will be an umbrella organisation, building on the existing hubs and working with schools. It is critical that everyone realises how important schools and the physical presence is in the room are. In my own experience, having a company such as Opera North take education into a primary school in my ward and teach every child in one of the most deprived parts of Leeds to play a stringed instrument taught me more than anything how important those aspects are. However, we must harness the opportunities and not get held back by failing to recognise that things are changing.