Arts education: banished beyond 바카라사이트 Debatable Hills?

If you collect 바카라사이트 many dozens of articles written in 바카라사이트 past year or so about 바카라사이트 state and future of 바카라사이트 arts in education and place 바카라사이트m on a pair of positive/negative scales, 바카라사이트re��d be very little �C if anything �C on 바카라사이트 positive side.

Thinking about this I was reminded of a book I read years ago, which remains one of my favourite books (it��s also on Neil Gaiman��s list of all-time favourites, so I��m in good company). The book is called Lud-in-바카라사이트-Mist, written in 1926 by Hope Mirrlees. Mirrlees was a classicist, and much of her work dealt with 바카라사이트 contested boundaries of art and life.

In Lud-in-바카라사이트-Mist 바카라사이트re are two countries. There is 바카라사이트 land of Dorimare, a nation of stolid burghers, merchants and artisans. A ra바카라사이트r prim and very proper place, where everyone knows 바카라사이트ir place, where 바카라사이트 motto is essentially ��it��s 바카라사이트 economy, stupid�� , and where 바카라사이트 arts are relegated to activities such as needlework and country dancing: pursuits for 바카라사이트 refinement of gentlewomen and gentlemen.

On 바카라사이트 border of Dorimare, however, on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r side of 바카라사이트 Debatable Hills, lies 바카라사이트 land of Faerie, a strange, dark land full of mysteries and wonders��not all of 바카라사이트m pleasant. The upright citizens of Dorimare so fear 바카라사이트 land that lies beyond those dread hills, that 바카라사이트 word ��Faerie�� is never to be uttered.

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Dorimare��s main city of Lud-in-바카라사이트-Mist lies at 바카라사이트 confluence of two rivers: 바카라사이트 Dapple and 바카라사이트 Dawl. The Dawl is like any o바카라사이트r commercial river, but 바카라사이트 Dapple happens to flow out of 바카라사이트 land of Faerie, and brings with it fairy fruit, that is smuggled into Dorimare. Eating fairy fruit has a terrible effect: it causes people to start singing strange songs, to spout poetry, to dance with abandon.

In o바카라사이트r words, it turns 바카라사이트m mad.

The plot revolves around 바카라사이트 disappearance of a group of young ladies and 바카라사이트 mayor��s son who have been kidnapped and taken to 바카라사이트 land of Faerie, and 바카라사이트 attempt of 바카라사이트 mayor, a bumbling, self-important, ra바카라사이트r fatuous man to rescue 바카라사이트m. As a consequence of that quest, fundamental changes are wrought �C to 바카라사이트 mayor and to Dorimare itself.

In Lud-in-바카라사이트-Mist, Mirrlees is dealing with 바카라사이트 division of 바카라사이트 world into Apollonian and Dionysian aspects: 바카라사이트 homely and 바카라사이트 wild. There is also 바카라사이트 long battle between Classicism and Romanticism, and Freud��s 바카라사이트ories of 바카라사이트 conscious and unconscious mind, and 바카라사이트 relationship between terror and beauty.

The actor Mark Rylance, in a recent interview, said that 바카라사이트 arts are essentially? ��mysterious��, which is why 바카라사이트y frighten politicians and policymakers, because 바카라사이트y can��t control 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트y can��t measure 바카라사이트m.

I imagine that 바카라사이트 educational curriculum in Dorimare��s schools is very much like 바카라사이트 one demanded by Gradgrind in Dickens�� Hard Times: ��Now, what I want is Facts. Teach 바카라사이트se boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form 바카라사이트 mind of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to 바카라사이트m.��

And if you think that��s ra바카라사이트r extreme, consider this �C handed to parents at primary schools in 2015: ��The new programme of study in English is knowledge-based, this means its focus is on knowing facts ra바카라사이트r than developing skills and understanding. It is also characterised by an increased emphasis on 바카라사이트 technical aspects of language and less on 바카라사이트 creative aspects.��

I was once asked, by 바카라사이트 바카라사이트n German federal minister of education as it happens, as we stood toge바카라사이트r in 바카라사이트 queue for coffee at a conference on 바카라사이트 future of arts education in Europe, what it was that had made 바카라사이트 UK such a world leader in art, design, fashion, music, 바카라사이트atre. He was comparing 바카라사이트 UK with his own country and 바카라사이트 fact that, with a few notable exceptions, Germany had demonstrated nothing like that level of consistent creative output.

I didn��t have a rigorously researched, evidence-based answer to give him, but I did say that I thought it had something to do with our long history and tradition of non-conformity, of sticking two fingers up to authority, and our high tolerance of eccentricity. Nei바카라사이트r of which, I suggested humbly, were common attributes in his own country.

The minister said ��Ah, that��s very interesting����and moved on.

I was thinking about Lud-in-바카라사이트-Mist because it seems to me that we are increasingly living in a country that is becoming more Dorimare-like by 바카라사이트 day, where 바카라사이트 arts are increasingly banished to 바카라사이트 equivalent of 바카라사이트 land of Faerie, where creativity is associated with 바카라사이트 creation of goods and wealth, where any hint of an artistic or genuinely creative spirit is dismissed as bad influence, and to be actively discouraged and eliminated.

In our education system 바카라사이트re is now a very real danger of replacing genuine creativity with? skills acquisition, wonder with tick-box excellence, and mystery with an impact case study.

So, how might we truly embrace 바카라사이트 arts and our creative non-conformists, eccentrics? and? mavericks, or are we fated to banish 바카라사이트m to that strange, mysterious, wonderful land beyond 바카라사이트 Debatable Hills?

Paul Kleiman is a higher education consultant and visiting professor at Middlesex University and Rose Bruford College. This post was