Should I Learn the Guitar or Violin at School
The Violin is Losing Out to the Guitar as Instrument of Choice in Schools
Researchers from the Institute of Education in London have come up with some startling information …
The guitar will soon overtake the violin as the most popular instrument taught in schools.
Well of course it will !!!
This news is being heralded as something of a shift in taste - nonsense !
Get all the kids who are interested in learning any instrument they want, give them a free choice and see what they go for ?
I guarantee a huge majority in favour of the guitar.
What’s more it’s nothing new - I’ll bet it was the same 40 years ago !
The premise is ridiculous … a choice based on no choice.
I could not learn the guitar when I was at school, it was not an option.
Even now a government minister is pledging £40 million to buy violins, flutes and clarinets to African drumming sets and bassoons.
I really wonder what percentage of teenagers would sooner play the flute than the electric guitar ?
Give them the choice, also proper teachers !
Music teachers who teach classical instruments are all capable and, from my experience, play to a high standard.
The odd few who teach guitar are mostly … !
The government wants to improve interest in learning musical instruments, and wisely so.
They believe, correctly in my opinion, that it leads to better behaviour, stability and a more rounded personality etc etc.
If they are serious, then they need to engage young people’s musical tastes. Once you engage then you can introduce new styles of music to broaden their horizons.
You are onto a loser if you are trying to musically connect with someone who listens to Green Day and The White Strips by offering them the opportunity to learn Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on a recorder.
Give kids a chance to actually learn the guitar and other ‘more modern’ instruments in schools, not as an extra curricular that has to be paid for either, provide guitars as they do other instruments, not some god-awful nylon strung acoustic which is all but impossible to play either.
Only then will we actually see what is popular and, just perhaps, what is possible !
Do you have an instrument of choice ?
What would you liked to have learnt at school given the opportunity ?
Femme Fatale said,
November 23, 2007 @ 6:04 pm
Rod,
What the real world is like!
Not really bothered about learning an instrument, but would love to have learnt to sing and dance
FF
xx
Rod said,
November 23, 2007 @ 6:17 pm
FF
an interesting point which makes me wonder why, for example, tap dancing is so widely taught to youngsters - seems to be much in the same vein as playing the tuba !
It’s never too late to learn to dance - give it a go - you could end up on the new programme I am touting to Simon Cowell …
Strictly Come X Factor in the Jungle
The winner likely being a girl who does the tango in a bikini whilst eating worms !
Happy Hoofing
Rod
[edited due to 500 typos, I will now cease the experiment of dictating to my trained monkey typist - he shall resume his duties as my butler]
Witches of Eastwick said,
November 23, 2007 @ 6:25 pm
Rod,
We would have dearly loved to have played the ceremonial Japanese drums…. but that was only last week
Suppose we must have been a school’s basic nightmare, witches without any noticable talent for anything musical. Can it be brought out in a youngster? Our guess is that schools will never have the resources to teach either individuals or small groups for longer than 15mins a week and parents pay. So given the choice today, we would opt for guitar and be better at it than you 
… please note the competitive edge…
WoE
Rod said,
November 23, 2007 @ 6:52 pm
WoE
you need no musical talent to enjoy playing an instrument.
I have no musical talent what so ever !
I did teach myself how to play the guitar though.
Anyone who is dedicated and willing to learn can learn to play songs by the likes of Jimi Hendrix et al - the real skill is writing music !
I can play Oasis songs with my feet but try writing something like Live Forever !
Cheers
Rod
Nigel said,
June 21, 2008 @ 4:26 am
I agree that it’s obvious that the guitar would be of more interest to the majority than the violin. And rightly so. Not knocking the violin, it is a fine instrument, and not just for classical music, but the guitar is much more widely used in contemporary music, and far more suited to personal accompaniment, songwriting, etc.
I would have thought keyboards would have been a strong competitor though. And I agree that there are many great instruments, and that it is just a good thing to encourage people to learn whatever they want to. It is also great to learn to read music, which is of course largely transportable from instrument to instrument. And it should be borne in mind that many people do manage to move from instrument to instrument until they settle on one that suits them or simply enjoy being a multi-instrumentalist.
It seems to me that the govt is happy to spend money on instruments, but not on developing new programmes that address contemporary needs. This is most likely why they prefer classical and band instruments, because that’s what the music programmes are geared towards teaching. Alternatively or additionally, it could be the desire to force an appreciation of high-art on the masses.
I wish I had learned to read music at school, and I wish I had learned to play any instrument well. I now play guitars and bass guitars (badly), and used to play the drums (reasonably). I am trying to learn the sax at the moment, and would like to get a synth (to play with). I also own a keyboard, digital piano, flute, and uke, but can’t play any of them (ha ha).
Of the classical instruments, I love the sound of the cello, but it’s not that portable for school kids, especially girls to lug around. The guitar is about as big as you’d want to have to lug, IMO.
I also find it interesting how the govt is happy to foster an interest in many expensive and high-maintenance instruments. For instance, a good woodwind is still expensive, easily mishandled into not working, and unhygienic to share. A decent quality and highly playable guitar on the other hand is now available inexpensively, is more robust, and easier to learn to maintain reasonably well. It of course is a C instrument, like the piano, and therefore has the widest range of music available for it.
Yes, it sure seems to me that whoever is in charge of music education doesn’t really understand music or the nature of musical instruments, and is probably a music snob as well.
stratcat said,
August 13, 2008 @ 5:23 pm
I teach guitar to primary school kids.
I am employed by a county music service. Its great, I am so busy with so many young keen kids. I teach mainly pop and rock styles but there are issues. I cannot photocopy or distribute other peoples music as its against copyright so I have to write in the style of… type tunes. This works OK with the younger kids but by 10/11 they want the real deal and TAB books are not cheap. Most kids parents would have a fit if they were asked to buy them.
With regard to the funding of other instruments you fail to realise how classical music still rules as far as our political masters are concerned.
The advice and direction is driven by the middle and upper class’ who see little value in “popular” music. Indeed the politicians constantly harp on about singing and have recently had another push to “embed singing” into the curriculum. Why? Because every one has an instrument, it won’t cost the government a penny!
Ok then we’ll do karaoke style pop songs…. not a chance they want you to sing folk songs from other countries.
Believe me it winds many of us music teachers up as well
Rod said,
August 13, 2008 @ 6:26 pm
StratCat
thanks for the great comment and welcome to the site - hope you’ll return.
Great to hear you are teaching the guitar and I’m not surprised you’re busy.
I wonder with regard to copyright whether you could teach main riffs or chord progressions, write it out yourself then photocopy it.
It could get round the issue via the “fair usage” route ?
I agree completely about the classical bias and think it’s nonsense.
I love classical music and think it has an important place but it is limited.
Most of the instruments require you to be in an orchestra to be of use but a guitar sounds great solo !
It’s also (potentially) quiet - who wants to be in a house with somebopdy learning the tuba !
not a chance they want you to sing folk songs from other countries.
Good grief - shaking head !
Cheers
Rod