
John Carter
Jul 1, 2018
The MoD is making plans for the Corps of Army Music to vacate Kneller Hall by 2020 because "There is reverberation of sound and it is too loud, which is damaging to the musicians ears". (Defence Infrastructure Organisation March 2016).
If this should happen, it would irredeemably undermine the musical standards and morale of the British Army and its bands.
I suggest that it is important that this historic music school should survive, to keep the footprint of bands and the traditions of the Royal Military School of Music at Kneller Hall, founded by HRH Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge in 1857, by Whitton Village, next to what is now, the Rugby Stadium in Twickenham, where it is well established, popular, and carries home a world-wide reputation, for the excellence of its teaching, by highly qualified civilian professors of music.
The future location of it, the school of music, is currently subject to much speculation between the music services of the Royal Marines, Army and Royal Air Force, with shortened odds on a Tri-Service Defence School of Music to be co-located with the Defence School of Logistics and Policing at Worthy Down, Winchester. However uncertainty persists as to how soon the disenfranchised army musicians will be marched to RMSM Portsmouth, RMSE Chatham or Gibraltar Barracks, Minley, because of the health and safety issues currently at the Kneller Hall Site.
I am petitioning the MoD to keep the Kneller Hall Site, with its Grade 2 listed buildings, as The Royal Military School of Music in Twickenham. A centre of military band music excellence, well resourced and in unison, well beyond the MoD's lack of 20-20 vision.
Other music schools, and venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, have taken measures to minimise reverberation of sound to meet health and safety regulations.
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