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Tom Service talks to Schools Minister Nick Gibb about how far English schools have come since Ofsted’s latest report suggested that music provision is still inconsistent across the country.

Plus, we head to a Bristol primary school to hear Sound and Music’s new initiative ‘Minute of Listening’ in action.

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The American conductor and writer Robert Craft has died. Best known for being Igor Stravinsky’s amanuensis, interlocutor and interpreter – they shared the conducting of 150 concerts together – we delve into the archives to hear Craft interviewing Stravinsky in 1958 and reflecting on how his relationship with Stravinsky affected his own reputation as a conductor.

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In this new regular feature on Music Matters, leading figures from the world of music step onto the Soapbox to give their personal opinions on an aspect of classical music today.

Today, we hear from the American conductor James Gaffigan, who makes the case for what a modern Music Director ought to be.

Let us know what you think about the issues raised on the Soapbox – email musicmatters@bbc.co.uk

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Tom speaks to author Fabian Huss about his new book ‘The Music of Frank Bridge’ which makes the case for a re-evaluation of Bridge’s work and attempts to shed some light on music which has perhaps been unfairly overlooked in favour of that of his pupil Benjamin Britten. Early 20th Century British music historians Kate Kennedy and Daniel Grimley review the book.

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