Peter Varley wrote:

>As we lived on a council estate, I didn't do music at school - children
>from the posher parts of the town did music, but we did woodwork instead.
>This was particularly fortunate, as it meant I could decide for myself what
>I liked.  I didn't have to subscribe to the politically-correct theories
>that every sort of music is as good as every other sort, and I didn't have
>to pretend to like Bartok and Penderecki in order to pass exams.

I lived on a council estate too and made a fatal mistake of failing the 11
plus despite (I now realise) being much brighter than most other children
around.

In my secondary modern we learned no music and no languages.  They wasted
our time with a total of 1day a week on PE and games and another day spent
on woodwork, gardening etc.  We did general science (not physics biology
etc).  So when it came to exams and I wanted to take physics O level I was
in difficulty.

Later I scraped a degree in maths.  At that time I believe I was the third
in the school's history to get a degree after 15 years from an annual
intake of circa 100.  That is a disgrace.

If I had listened to classical music as a boy I'd have got beaten up.

Perhaps these experiences and a sense of injustice have made me a bit
more forthright that many people find comfortable.  I said before that
psychiatric treatment should come with Penderecki.

Regards

Bob Draper