This is my way of sharing ideas about contemporary music (which for this purpose, means ‘classical’ music of the 20th & 21st centuries) and about preparing the next generation of musicians.

When talking about the next generation I mean ‘musicians’ very much with a ‘small m’, because one of the things I feel very strongly about is that for too long, music education has been based on the conservatory model, with teachers often dismissing students as lacking in promise, talent, potential or whatever, in a system that often insists on ‘ear tests’ before admitting students to lessons at all!  This means that the innumerable benefits of musical activity are denied those who do not fit the conservatory model. More later.

Likewise, I want to share ideas about where contemporary musical thinking is going. I know where mine is going, and it’s in the opposite direction to those who want to go back to tonal structures and write in styles called ‘neo’ this, that or the other!  Issues such as this, and others, will be explored in time.

I look forward to some interesting discussion as a result of my posts over a period … possibly an extended period, because, in view of all the things I have to do, I think this blog might take some time to develop!

Robert Lennon