Royal Academy of Music Review falls short on gender equality issues says leading lobby group

The 1725 Group, a UK-based research and lobby organisation working to end sexual misconduct in higher education, has criticised the recently published Review on Safeguarding Arrangements at the Royal Academy of Music, highlighting its lack of focus on gender inequality. 'This is particularly important in classical music,' a spokesperson for the group was reporting as saying in yesterday's Observer newspaper. 'Where there is a culture of celebrating male authority, and any awareness of the gender, race or other inequalities that enable harassment to occur are seen as peripheral to the music itself.'

The independent review, commissioned last year after widespread allegations of harassment and abuse at the Royal Academy and published last week, has also been criticised by Norman Lebrecht who has described it as a 'mild rap across the knuckles' for the RAM's administration. Lebrecht broke the story of abuse at the RAM on his Slipped Disc website in November 2019.

Meanwhile, the RAM has welcomed the review saying that its recommendations are already being acted upon, ' including an external anonymous reporting system' and that it 'will be implementing the remaining recommendations in full.’

Both the Review committee at London University and the 1752 Group have been contacted for further comment.