If children are not inspired by the arts in their formative years, then the open-mind door closes.

Whenever I drop off my daughter at the School of Music in Valletta, for some reason, I always get the mournful tune of the Song of the Volga Boatmen stuck in my head. If you’ve never heard it, it’s one of the saddest Russian folk songs: the boatmen in question were forced to spend their days and nights pulling heavy weight barges up and down the Volga River; and the sorrowful notes conjure up grey dull skies, sore legs, plodding and ugliness.

And while I wait for the lessons to finish, on a rickety chair, next to a window with a broken pane, in a landing painted the colour of a much-squeezed teabag, it all feels miserable. The school, now based in a part of St Elmo primary school, is no Fame School of Performing Arts: it’s the opposite of an environment that inspires creativity.

Actually, only parts of it are based here, because due to space limitations, there are bits scattered all over Malta – including Marsa, right next to the prostitutes’ corner. This sort of defeats the purpose: a performing school needs to bring together all teachers and all students in one hub.

The school, now based in a part of St Elmo primary school, is the opposite of an environment that inspires creativity

Up to a few years ago, the school used to be housed in a beautiful palazzo in Old Bakery Street. Whenever you walked past, you’d hear the violins, the clarinets, the drums, teachers clapping to the beat and bellowing over the instruments’ din: “And one, two, three…”.

But the palazzo needed maintenance; the funds did not seem to be available, and one fine day it was decided to lock the door and ‘temporarily’ move everyone elsewhere. Three years down the line, it is still in limbo. At one point there was media talk of a new purpose-built school in Qormi.

Qormi?! We’re in the midst of the V-18 preparations, we are all encouraged to feel proud of Valletta being chosen as the European culture city and so on, and yet someone comes up with the bright idea of moving the culture school to Qormi.

I have over the years written here about the state of the school, way before my own daughter started attending here. I still decided to send her here for the simple reason that it has the best music teachers in Malta; and because I believe that belonging to a centre abuzz with musical activity is more conducive to a holistic appreciation of arts.

As a country, we are seriously deficient in this. Nelson Mandela once said that if the cultural life of a country is strong, then its soul is strong. I am not too sure where our collective soul stands. Case in point of our soullessness: last week’s atrocious approval by Mepa of the demolition of the old Naxxar buildings right in the village core, to make way for modern flats.

Also, I’ve noticed something over summer while at the beach, eavesdropping. Over and over, whenever I sat next to a group of young foreign men, I’d hear them discuss news, books, girls, music. Whenever I had a group of young Maltese men next to me, then all I’d hear for the whole morning was “dal-l***” and “f’*****oħtok”.

Research has linked active music-making with increased language discrimination and development, mathematical ability, better-adjusted social behaviour, and improvements in problem-solving. Our society is not providing that.

Let’s keep in mind that this is quite new phenomenon: there was a time when music was played across the generations in church and at home. If a member of the family played an instrument, everyone would be dancing and singing at large extended family parties. Now families have shrunk and entertainment has moved out of the homes. And of course, whatever the bishop, may think, most of us no longer go to church.

If children are not inspired by the arts in their formative years, by going to concerts and learning to express themselves through an artistic medium, then the open-mind door closes; and we’re stuck with a generation of people that is unable to appreciate the beauty around it and can only express itself through swear words.

We really need to act on this. And I am not prattling on without a solution. I too, like Joe Mizzi, have my ‘Plan B’.

Remember the museum of Maltese history and political development that is supposed to be housed in the ground floor of the new Parliament? Well, stick that somewhere else, like the Presidential Palace, and use the space as the new location for the national school of music.

Imagine: the first thing we’d hear as we go in Valletta would be live music and the first thing we’d see would be young people being taught how to appreciate the arts.

What an ode to joy. I can’t think of anything better than that.

krischetcuti@gmail.com

Twitter: @KrisChetcuti