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Why we must learn these music lessons
Cuts to arts education don't just impoverish culture but society as a whole, says BEN LUNN
STARTING POINT: London Symphony Orchestra with 50 LSO On Track young musicians from across East London and Guildhall School musicians in Trafalgar Square, London, conducted by Simon Rattle

CLASSICAL musicians, over the past five years especially, have finally begun to realise that there are inequalities in our industry.

Throughout history, there have been musicians and composers who have sought to address societal woes, even being overtly political, only for their music to be robbed of its message after their deaths, or worse, its message stolen by those who stand in complete opposition to the values they espoused.

Many musicians, across many genres, have understood society in Britain and globally to be far from perfect and have tried to do everything they can to fight against the injustices of the world. And, thanks to the pandemic and massive radical uprisings over the past year, the brains behind the funding bodies and management of arts institutions have announced: “Enough is enough, Black Lives Matter. We are all in this together and we are doing everything we can to make our society more just.”

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