On a list of social changes that politicians might aspire to effect in poor communities around Britain, making it cool to play the violin has not traditionally figured highly. But that probably says more about the persistent failure of political ambition than it does about the value to children of mastering a stringed instrument.
The value has become clear to everyone involved in running a classical music project for British schoolchildren, featured in today's New Review. The project is inspired by El Sistema, a movement begun in Venezuela 35 years ago to teach children from deprived communities to perform classical music. It has produced world-class orchestras and transformed poor communities with new hopes and new ambitions.
El Sistema has been modified in its application in the UK, but the basic principle is the same: introducing children to the pleasures of classical music and helping them through the challenges and inviting them to perform broadens their horizons and boosts their confidence. Although it shouldn't be necessary to justify such a plainly admirable exercise with crude performance indicators, there is evidence that it improves children's scores in literacy and numeracy tests.
Is anyone surprised? Mastering a classical instrument takes discipline, sensitivity and mental agility. It is sad that such a brilliant tool for learning is routinely placed in the hands of wealthy children and not offered to their poorer peers.
The government is currently holding a review into music education in schools, with one explicit aim being to spread opportunities to learn an instrument. How that can be achieved, given current budget constraints, is unclear. The long-term benefits would surely justify any investment, whether private, public or charitable.
Besides, cost was never a barrier in the slums around Caracas. The only deficit that holds children back when it comes to learning music is a shortage in adult imagination.
