A world renowned authority on creativity, Sir Ken Robinson, has urged Music Manifesto supporters to be part of a revolution in education.
Speaking at the Music Manifesto's State of Play conference, using a mixture of humour, anecdotes and heartfelt pleas, he condemned current systems of education as being "rooted in ways of thinking that belong in the 19th Century, not the 21st Century".
In an increasingly complex world, Sir Ken identified creative thinking, capability (recognising the strengths that are unique to them) and confidence as the three most important assets for children and young people to develop in order to thrive and contribute to the world.
"It's about cultural identity and it's about economic change and these two things to me are connected, which is why I believe our current systems of education are inept. Most national governments seem to believe that the way we meet the future is to improve what we did in the past. You see that as the principle instinct of the Education Reform Acts in the UK. Let's have a bit of embellishment, let's have some enrichment, but let's not lose sight of the fact that it's all about literacy and numeracy and raising academic standards. And I believe that that ideology is completely bankrupt."
He argued that innovative thinking, flexibility and adaptability are critical, fundamental basic skills. He cited personalisation and cultural education as absolute priorities.
Sir Ken demanded an end to ways of educating children that "kill creativity stone dead in most people". He argued for new ways of looking at "intelligence" and a recalibrating of what the focus of education should be.
"We need to resurrect education around the idea that children are entitled to have their ways of thinking developed and their best forms of intelligence promoted."
Sir Ken praised the work of the Music Manifesto and innovative initiatives like Musical Futures and Creative Partnerships and concluded that while the Music Manifesto alone "won't save the world - it can make a big difference as part of a broader movement.
"There's a Dance Manifesto, you should be making common cause with them. There have been people for generations pushing for a richer, more progressive, more child-centred education and there are people all over the world trying to do this and you should connect with them.
I think history is on our side. Things are moving in this direction. We should help our politicians, we should help the bureaucracies, but we shouldn't depend on them. It will come from meetings like this, from people who are doing the work, setting the agenda not being subject to the agenda. That's why this shift is happening in the first place.
If we have forms of education that lift people's spirits, which open their hearts, which make them commune with other people on issues of value and taste, and which give them confidence, we may not be able to predict the future but at least we'll have a sure hand in creating and making it one that's worth all of us having."
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Read the full transcript of Sir Ken's speech, with notes on the references he makes, by downloading it as a PDF