LCME Ambassador underscores the value of professional music

Parents should allow children to get a balance of creative areas such as literature, drama and music, says John Howard, Professor of Music at the University of West London and Ambassador for London College of Music Examinations (LCME).

- By Kamanthi Wickramasinghe

One of the highlights in his illustrious career is his contribution to Chinese music. Prof. Howard is the winter examiner for the International Institute of Music, Speech and Drama (IIMSD) and is currently on a visit to Sri Lanka to attend the institute's LCME prize giving as the chief guest.

Prof. Howard has composed music for the Chinese orchestra since 1983 and also for the Hong Kong Chinese orchestra, which is a very prestigious and professional orchestra. His music has been performed in Australia, the UK, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Taiwan, Zimbabwe, Israel and Singapore. Speaking about his interests in Chinese music during an interview with the Daily Mirror, Prof. Howard said that it's important not to be Western-centred, which is why he developed an interest in Chinese music.

"Composition has been central to my life, and I'm interested in various traditional music in places that I go to. I like to listen to it and learn about it," he said.

Speaking about Sri Lankan professional music, Prof. Howard said that it's quite interesting. "I know quite a lot of Indian music, and we've had a couple of attempts to create Indian music, but it still didn't work in the UK, partly because we couldn't find the right partners. But I've maintained a strong interest in it. But Sri Lanka has its own flavour of music. Sri Lanka is also an interesting party because of its geographical location. I love history, not just music and I like to know what Ceylon was like. In India, the music is divided into north and south, and you've also got the influence from the East. The Javanese and Indonesian influences have wonderful traditions and theatre as well. In this part of the world, I love theatrical traditions as well," he said.