REALITY TV programmes such as Channel Four's Big Brother and The X-Factor on ITV are breeding a generation of schoolchildren who think that becoming famous is more important than any other ambition.

The irony of the current Celebrity Big Brother is that the only non-celebrity in the house had to convince the others she was a pop star. Despite no recognisable musical talent, Chantelle Houghton is likely to get a record contract when the series is over.

So with thousands of schoolchildren longing to leave school and follow in her footsteps - or become famous some other way - you'd be forgiven for thinking teachers were tearing their hair out.

But not so. In fact this has led to a craze for music and youngsters are picking up musical instruments like never before. And not only is music teaching kids to hone skills they never thought they had, it's also helping them train their brains for the less glamorous subjects.

At one Worcestershire school, St Barnabas CE First and Middle, in Drakes Broughton, near Pershore, all 81 pupils in year five are learning a brass instrument this year.

Teacher Moira Gutteridge has never known anything like it. She says that, despite a cluttered curriculum, the benefits of music are now being recognised by the education profession and children.

"I think people are beginning to understand the value of music now, although of course agendas do differ in other schools," she says.

"But the benefits of teaching children music are enormous because of the way it affects the brain and how that in turn affects the learning of other subjects."

Scientific research suggests that learning to read music and play an instrument can really feed the mind.

"It's well-known that there is a left side and right side of the brain which are used for different things," says Ms Gutteridge.

"Music is the only discipline that uses both sides of the brain and taps into the networks that link the two halves. By connecting the pathways in the brain by learning a musical instrument, the students do better in their other subjects."

St Barnabas in Drakes Broughton has been thankful for a grant from central government and a charitable trust but the resources for music in state schools can never compete with those in the independent sector.

Like Ms Gutteridge, Martin Schellenberg, the director of music at Abberley Hall, says children do not need much persuasion to pick up an instrument these days.

"Sometimes in the past they might not have particularly wanted to do it because they think that music might not be the coolest of subjects," he says. "But I consider myself a porthole and, in the future, I hope they hear a piece of music and think, 'That's what that nutty teacher used to go on about,' and they'll open up that porthole when they're old enough to get on Amazon and buy themselves a CD of Beethoven, Bach or Mozart."

So how important is learning to recognise the notable composers, compared with aiming to be the next Will Young, who made his name on ITV's talent show Pop Idol?

"It does angst me when the quality of music is diluted because it needs to be looked at properly," adds Mr Schellenberg. "Music is all around us and it's immensely important, just as important as reading, writing and maths. Music is integral to life."

A survey published last week showed that one in nine Worcestershire teenagers said that aiming for TV stardom was more important than turning up to lessons and one in six believes they will actually become famous.

It is something that Alan Curless, the executive director of the Learning and Skills Council in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, finds seriously worrying.

He says these fame-hungry teens should realise that the odds of being picked for a reality television show such as Big Brother were about one in 30 million.

"The truth is that the majority will not achieve fame. It's essential that they gain a minimum set of qualifications, such as five GCSEs instead," he says. "If making money is the reason a young person wants to become famous, then by staying on in education or training they can significantly increase their earning power by gaining essential qualifications."

But the emphasis is on fun rather than fame or financial gain at another school called St Barnabas, the Church of England primary in the Rainbow Hill, Worcester. Here music is given due prominence in the curriculum and many children learn an instrument from an early age. Music co-ordinator Esther Penwarden is enthusiastic about the benefits she sees in even the youngest ones.

"It brings out their confidence," she says. "Children who don't perform quite so well in other, academic, subjects, find success through music."

Just as long as they realise that success shouldn't be judged by an appearance on the next Big Brother.

PANEL

Top 10 reasons why young children say they want to be famous

1 Money (56 per cent)

2 Success (56)

3 To prove people wrong (26)

4 Wanting everyone to know who they are (19)

5 Have always wanted to be famous (11)

6 An easy way of learning money without qualifications (9)

7 To feel accepted (9)

8 They think it is the only way to be successful (5)

9 Not knowing what else to do (3)

And who they want to be...

Richard Branson, JK Rowling, David Beckham, Freddy Flintoff, Tony Blair, David Attenborough, Frank Lampard, Stephen Hawking, Ms Dynamite, Alan Sugar.

Survey of 777 16 to 19-year-olds by Learning and Skills Council

BLACKBOARD

No shake up for the school milk after all

THE Government is to retain subsidised milk for primary school children despite being told the scheme is a waste of money.

Food and Farming minister Lord Bach said ministers had decided that the £1.5 million-a-year scheme still had a "valuable role to play".

The Worcester News reported last week how a report by consultants London Economics, commissioned by three Government departments - found the rationale for the scheme was weak and the benefits for children were small.

But Lord Bach said their findings had been rejected by ministers.

He said: "Along with my colleagues from the Department for Education and Skills and the Department of Health, I have considered all relevant factors including the recommendations in the report.

"We have agreed the scheme has a valuable role to play and should remain unchanged."

The consultants' report caused an outcry in the dairy industry but was welcomed by the British Heart Foundation which said the scheme should have been abandoned long ago and that it would be better to subsidise fruit or even bread.

Pupils failed by their teachers

TEACHER training and development strategies are partly to blame for the one million children being failed by schools, according to experts.

Statistics revealed by the National Audit Office (NAO) suggested that the education of almost one-in-four children at secondary school is substandard.

Some poor schools are taking four years to improve, blighting pupils' entire secondary education.

Other schools are being closed because they are failing to improve despite total investment of more than £1bn last year, the independent body says.

Julie Olsson, of Effective, a teacher training agency, says teachers must be given the opportunity to develop their leadership skills.

: "The current training regime at many schools is failing. The teacher training system must place more emphasis on the regular personal development of teachers so they can enhance their skills.

"This kind of training is common in the business world and it must become central to the continual professional development undertaken by teachers."