Today I bought the latest issue of Gramophone, and the Letter of the month for this month (February), from Bill Proctor of Chiselhurst, Kent, reads as follows:

You quoted a piece in The Times about getting children to practise, however reluctantly, as “an important part of the educational process” (Taking Note, December, page 17).  The cello seems to be an instrument particularly designed to put small children off: probably because of its size and lack of dignity.  I suffered myself as a child.  My eight-year-old son suffered even more: cello practice on Sunday evenings was a nightmare for all concerned and even though he graduated to the local schools’ string orchestra he was delirious when able to give it up at secondary age. Ten years later, a very streetwise young man taught himself jazz guitar from scratch and within six months was playing more than passable Hendrix riffs.  At 23, he is now progressing with Bach, Haydn and Scarlatti at the keyboard, while perfecting his technique on drums. He is quite clear of the reasons for his new facility: playing an instrument as a child, particularly in an ensemble, taught him to read the line, to feel the beat and to relate to other players - the key requirements for any musician.

Even if my son does not progress to professional status, he has been won over as both performer and listener and his whole life has been enormously enhanced as a result. Will someone in the government wake up to the need restore instrumental and vocal tuition to the proud place which it once held in the elementary school system?  It would involve quite a lot of our money, but it would produce a substantial number of more fulfilled and satisfied future citizens.

This is as deeply felt a presentation of the no-pain-no-gain theory of education as you could hope to read.  I dislike educational compulsion of all kinds, but there is no question that it can often compel people to become interested in things that they would otherwise ignore.

So, I agree that teaching music even to those reluctant to learn it might indeed “produce a substantial number of more fulfilled and satisfied future citizens”.  But what else might it produce?  What about those who are put off music by being forced to do it?

I just cannot accept that for people to aspire to heaven, they must first be put through hell.