Evolving from the ‘old’ to the ‘new’ ABRSM

RONALD Smith brought a very different perspective to the ABRSM. His arrival as the Board's Chief Executive – jettisoning the historic title of ‘Secretary’ – seemed to signal that the ABRSM might, at last, be prepared to accept the need for change. There was a sense at the time that the Board was too much a bastion of the independent school sector, and so Smith's appointment from being an LEA county music adviser was all the more striking. Some saw it as a long-overdue recognition by the Board of the significance of state-school music in British music education. For the post-war development of LEA music provision had given new vitality to the training of young musicians, opening up opportunities through the development of networks of local youth orchestras, ensembles and choirs. The Leicestershire Schools Symphony Orchestra had shown just what could be achieved on a county basis, and its work with the composer Michael Tippett had been the inspiration for others. Meanwhile, there was powerful advocacy for the idea of moving classroom music away from the dominance of music ‘appreciation’ (usually delivered on a talk, chalk and listen basis), which in many children's experience usually entailed passive reception, and to make it a creative experience, involving pupils’ own composition and performance. A big influence here was John Hosier, then a BBC producer, for his use of the BBC's resources to create inspiring music education programmes.