BBC musicians offer alternative way ahead
NewsA BBC insider calling himself ‘Johnny Morris’ has published an alternative strategy for classical music, sending up the official discredited policy.
Representing an unspecified group of musicians, the new strategy prioritises Quality, Agility, Impact and Common Sense.
The musicians commit to:
– Creating agile ensembles that can work flexibly and creatively, working with more musicians and less executive/management wastage, cutting salaried administrative posts across the BBC English Orchestras by around 25%.
– Reinforcing the distinctiveness of the BBC’s five unique orchestras, artistically, educationally and geographically serving their own audiences whilst fulfilling their collective role in providing the widest range of content across Radio 3 and BBC platforms.
– Halving spending on superfluous BBC executive roles, freeing up resources to launch new training initiatives, providing more opportunities for people to engage with classical music, building audiences and creating extraordinary experiences.
– Creating a centre of excellence for our broadcast orchestras, giving audiences access to the full range of our high-quality orchestral content, including new and archive performances, educational content and concert listings.
– Taking the difficult decision to remodel management in such a way as to ensure that the musicians’ collective expertise is maximised both on and behind the concert platform and commissioning processes.
Johnny Morris, the BBC’s Chief “Alternatives” Officer, says: “This is the second major review of classical music at the BBC in a generation. The first one published in March 2023 was a unworkable and negative.This new strategy is bold, ambitious, and good for the sector and for audiences who love classical music. That doesn’t mean that we haven’t had to make some difficult decisions, but equally they are the right ones for the future. Great classical music should be available and accessible to everyone, and we’re confident these measures will ensure more people will engage with music, have better access to it, and that we’ll be able to play a greater role in developing and nurturing the musicians and music lovers of tomorrow.”
Ho-hum.
More here.
Uh huh. Anyone can run anything, right? The continued disparagement of expertise.
Yes!
Expertise: the musicians.
They’ve been disparaged for too long, and are perfectly capable.
Unlike the current incumbents of high salaried self importance who frankly couldn’t run a bath.
I don’t think it’s about not having any managers or other administrators – some of whom do indeed have considerable skill and expertise and are essential to keep things running smoothly. The same, alas, cannot necessarily be said for all managers, and certainly not at some parts of the BBC as we have all seen over the past few weeks. This appears to be about not being weighed down by excessive numbers of ineffective middle-managers at the expense of, well, the actual music. Many organisations are top-heavy and could operate far more efficiently by removing some bureaucratic non-jobs and putting greater trust in the experience and expertise of the musicians.
Exactly that, J!
I suspect NHS staff at all levels, would agree!
I think this, obviously ‘satirical’, commentator was suggesting maybe so-called ‘management expertise’ was a poor substitute for full orchestras, locally based, appreciated and rewarded properly!
Johnny Morris eh?
Of course he was the presenter of Animal Magic whose catchy Signature tune was hijacked by W1A
clever alias name or what?…!
Right, put the lunatics in charge of the asylum. That’ll end well.
Johnny and most of her colleagues – executives and creatives alike – should start learning how to code.
Amusing but naive. Whoever wrote that has no understanding of the scale of savings the BBC was (and probably still is) looking to undertake.
Fabulous! All very sensible, forward looking and cost effective ideas. And I mean that sincerely. It’s actually very easy to both support and encourage quality. And the long term ramifications are only beneficial to all.
There are many better ways to run the BBC orchestras but this is not one of them. These are complex organisations, requiring careful, skilled management – and the idea that major orchestras can be run, presumably during teabreaks, by musicians whose skillset does not extend (in a regrettably large number of cases) much beyond playing notes written by someone else, under the direction of someone else, to a schedule drafted by someone else, and then heading for the nearest exit within 30 seconds of the end of rehearsal – is deluded. Please note, also, that these ensembles do not exist for the benefit of musicians, but to serve the needs of a national broadcaster and its audience.
And consider the undisputable fact that at least one of the senior (not “middle”) BBC managers responsible for the current debacle is themself a former orchestral musician who thought they could “do management” and has since been promoted far beyond their basic competence. With results that we can all see.
Bravo Johnny Morris. You’ve an innate understanding of the musicians and Suits in the business and succinctly put.
Who wants to listen to a load of clipboard bearing managers in whatever outfit?
Despite the musos paying the Suits their inflated salaries, they are still treated with disdain. Happens in the majority of organisations.
World has gone mad.