“One of Britain’s biggest exam boards has been forced to change their A-level syllabus after a teenager won her campaign to ensure female composers were studied on the course,” reports Paul Gallagher in Wednesday’s (9/9) Independent (London). “Twyford student Jessy McCabe launched a petition last month after discovering that there were no women amongst the 63 composers featured on the Edexcel program, which covers a range of musical genres and eras, and none on the exam board’s proposed syllabus for next year. The Girls’ Day School Trust, the UK’s leading network of independent girls’ schools, joined leading academics and composers in backing Ms. McCabe’s campaign. At a meeting this week the 17-year-old received a personal apology from Mark Anderson, Managing Director of Edexcel’s parent company Pearson, and an assurance that the course will change. … Ms. McCabe passed on a list of female composers suggested to her by people who signed her petition, or supporters on social media, for the company to consider when restructuring the A level. … Judith Weir, renowned composer and Master of the Queen’s Music, also supported Ms. McCabe’s petition and will now be involved in Edexcel’s collation of female composers for the new syllabus.”
Posted September 10, 2015
