Nigel Kennedy asserts that lazy teachers at music colleges stifle individuality in violinists and focus solely on perfecting technique (“Classical ‘factory line’ takes the joy out of Beethoven and Brahms, says Nigel Kennedy”, (News).
At the Royal Academy of Music, there are 24 violin professors, whose ages range from 30 to 92 and whose approach is enormously varied. What they have in common is a tireless dedication to nurturing young musicians and preserving at all costs their students’ evolving artistic personalities as communicators through music. We encourage students to take risks in live performance and follow their muse.
There are 103 violin students under my care, who are destined for multiple careers in music. I don’t recognise the perfectionist clones described by Nigel Kennedy, because they don’t survive as musicians. Our students do. I look forward to welcoming Nigel to the Academy to persuade him that he has got this wrong.
Professor Jo Cole
Head of Strings
Royal Academy of Music, London
Silence on climate change
The key element missing from Hillary Clinton’s campaign was the emotional force of Trump’s campaign, plus any hope for the future of the planet (“The shock lessons for liberals from Brexit and the Trumpquake”, Comment). Thanks to TV programmes about the natural world, of which Planet Earth II is a shining example, the public is well aware of the dangers of global warming, even if David Attenborough is prohibited by the BBC from uttering the words “climate change”.
In the same vein, global warming did not feature in the Brexit debate or the US presidential election, even though Trump’s position – that climate change is a hoax invented by the Chinese – is absurd. Although Trump is a major climate change denier, most politicians, like much of the media, are in the minor denial camp. They take the view that it is happening, but now is not the time to deal with it as it is going to upset voters or persuade viewers to switch off.
Dr Robin Russell-Jones
Chair, Help Rescue the Planet
Stoke Poges
Middlesbrough? Where’s that?
When your columns are rightfully full of analysis about how the actions of a London elite have left the blue-collar towns of the north feeling overlooked and how this has led us into perilous waters, I note Paul Doyle’s supposed preview of the Middlesbrough v Chelsea game (Sport, last week). In its 900 words, Middlesbrough is mentioned only once, as the location of the game. The other 899 are devoted to the tribulations of one Chelsea player and his manager. What is right and proper for the news section of the Observer needs reflection elsewhere.
Paul McNamara
St Albans
Brexit no longer feasible
Leave campaigners absurdly assumed that the EU they painted as so malign would turn benign on negotiating exit (“Europe’s leaders to force Britain into hard Brexit”, News). Meanwhile, the Remain campaign did not point out that this would happen, assuming, I suppose, that admitting that the EU could be vindictive wouldn’t help their case.
The election of a US president on a protectionist manifesto changes everything. Now we know that Trump will close down international trade, groups such as the EU will resort to protectionism. It will be impossible for the UK to survive economically outside the EU. We need our leaders to call off Brexit and tell people that what they voted for is no longer feasible.
John Wilson
London
UK changed rules, not EU
Your headline, “Consumers caught out as EU furnishes the UK with crippling copyright laws” (News) is contradicted by the article itself: “Professor Lionel Bentley, director of the Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law, says it was not required by EU law.” Thus, it is the government (allegedly under pressure from Vitra) that furnished the crippling laws, not the EU.
Martin Westlake
Brussels
Elderly care crisis looms
It was disappointing for the elderly who need care to hear Philip Hammond dismiss talk of a “crisis” or “looming chaos” in health and social care.
The call for action from councils, the NHS, charities, parliamentarians, the Care Quality Commission and care providers for the autumn statement to tackle the social care funding crisis was deafening and services face a funding gap of at least £2.6bn by 2019/20.
Without urgent action, the quality and safety of care of our elderly is at risk. Proper funding is the only way they will be able to enjoy dignified, healthy and independent lives. The social care crisis is happening now. The government cannot ignore it any longer if we are to have a society that works for everyone.
Cllr David Hodge
Leader of LGA Conservative Group
Cllr Nick Forbes
Leader of LGA Labour Group
Cllr Peter Reeve
Deputy Leader of LGA Independent Group
Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson
Leader of LGA Liberal Democrat Group