Are British kids more talented for music than Germans?

[Torsten]

Hi, would you say that British, Irish, Australian and American kids are generally more talented for music than German ones? For example, the UK produces much more pop music per capita than Germany so can you generalize and say that some nations are 'more talented for music' than others based on the amount of pop music they produce or are there other factors such as the amount of classic and folk music produced that count?

Many thanks,
Torsten

TOEIC listening, photographs: A rural scene

[NoelHolburn]

Although i was a music teacher for fifteen years in the UK, i have no experience or contact with music education in germany, so i cant give an informed opinion on any comparison. However, I can say that music education in the UK has formidable strength and popularity, and music making in the form of informal choirs and orchestras in the UK is also highly popular. The UK also has a very good reputation for music education amongst the young - indeed some would say its the best in the world. One thing for sure, is that the worlds most prominent and unquestionably best music school for the young ( my old shool - "Chethams" ! ) is based in the UK, in Manchester. Students at the school even back in the 1970's, came from all over the world to study there.

However, as a trained musician, I can also offer the opinion that historically Germany has been far stronger than the UK in terms of musical development and composition. Germany has given the world Bach ( who in my opinion is the most important musical figure to have ever graced this planet ) Beethoven Buxtehude Brahms, Schumann, Schubert, Wagner and many others ( and Mozart if you want to include the german speaking world )........whereas all the UK has given the world in terms of popularity and prominence, is Purcell and Britten. ( No disrespect to the many lesser english composers from the renaissance and baroque periods ) Britten has written some excellent operas, but he doesn't quite fit in to the world class league that the germans have achieved........historically !