David Runnion wrote:

>In Spain the system is a complete mess.  There are constant exams ...

That sounds ghastly!  The positive element of the UK system is that
children (/students) are discouraged from taking exams either just for
the sake of it or if they are not ready - my teacher has, for example,
deliberately "slowed down" on one young instrumentalist who would be
technically capable of doing her grade 8 -- but mentally and emotionally
she needs another 18 months.

>the whole thing produces musicians who can do-re-mi up hill and down but
can't draw a sweet sound during a 4-octave scale ...

And yet they continue with it? My sympathies ...

However, there is also the risk of too little understanding of the notes.
Again, listening to teachers over here, I find a number of them saying that
there are fewer pupils working on music theory to school matriculation of
university level; as a result, there are many who play quite nicely but
without any wider understanding either of tonality or historic implication.

In theory, that should make no difference. But in practice ...

CR