Class is a significant barrier in classical music, according to a reader responding to Symeon Brown's argument about class and race. The reader states that many celebrated black classical musicians often come from middle-class families who could afford the necessary instruments, tuition, exam fees, and travel for serious musical training.
The reader highlights the experience of their white, working-class son and his black, working-class friend. Both received scholarships to specialist music schools and attended top conservatoires. However, they were later judged too privileged for widening-participation support at master's level, despite their families being unable to fund postgraduate fees and living costs.
The letter also points to recital venues in the UK that demand conservatoire-trained performers but do not offer payment, sometimes even declining to share collection money. This practice, the reader suggests, excludes individuals who need to work for a living, reinforcing class barriers within the industry.