Classical Star?

It would appear that BBC 2 is running a series akin to the one on finding a pop superstar (not sure what it's called in the UK), but this time for classical musicians.

The blurb says: 'Under the watchful eye of Academy Director Matthew Barley they will learn new skills and face tough challenges. How will they cope in such a high-pressure environment? And who will make it past the first week?'

The academy has 9 students aged 14 to 19 who will learn new skills, get masterclasses etc, but it seems that at the end of each of the first two weeks three students will leave. The final three will battle it out for a prize.

I'm not sure what to think about that. Much of me thinks that this is not far off child abuse, in the case of the little ones. What are they doing out of school when they are of compulsory school age (but maybe it was all recorded in the summer holidays)? But then what is the difference between this and the Young Musician of the Year? That they sleep at home? But many of those kids are at boarding school anyway.

It just seems an awful lot of pressure for such young children. Then again, if they play well enough, does that make them able to cope with this? I hope the programme had good psychological advice.