More than not having paid attention at school, it seems, or not having done the right thing by a relationship, the number one sorrow was a lack of musical ability.
You might think that such a result would be seized upon by politicians – particularly now that lip service, at least, is being paid to the British quality of life. You might even wonder if music might be given some priority in the constant tampering with the British education system. So far, however, there is no sign.
Most comprehensives, already heaving unsteadily at their brims, barely have time to manoeuvre their students through the latest targets and curriculum hoops, let alone familiarise them with anything so outdated as classical music. This, despite the fact that research has shown that children who learn a musical instrument earn, on average, half a grade higher at GCSE than those who don't.
What is regrettable is that one adjective can lead to such generic dismissal, vast swaths of great art discounted through one flick of the tongue. And in our brand-loving age, labels stick. Lacking fashion sense, though not for want of trying, classical music has become synonymous merely with yesterday's elitism.
So thoroughly stigmatised has it become, in fact, so effectively demarcated, that it seems, like Latin, an alien, long defunct language. And several centuries of great music have become marginalised from mainstream culture and education in a way that the broader spectrum of literature or fine arts have not.
Granted, classical music is often longer and more complex than "pop" music, but there is no other great stumbling block to its appreciation. In what other area of learning would we discount all that is not brief and straightforward? There would, on these grounds, be little left.
Despite our increasingly results-orientated age, however, there are many who still believe passionately in the less quantifiable value of music. And there is growing recognition for projects such as the Venezuelan El Sistema, which uses classical music to change the lives of underprivileged children. The project is phenomenally successful: today it boasts 250,000 Venezuelan young participants, it has transformed countless lives and its main orchestra is lauded as a national asset. Although it may be too late for British adults unable to play instruments, we would surely hope more for the young.
- The Guardian