A few months ago, Pearson Edexcel released the set works for their new A-level music 2016 syllabus, with examinations starting in 2018. The list was heavily criticised for the lack of female composers and an online petition was founded to persuade Edexcel to rethink their choices on their set works. The petition was successful and on 17th December 2015, the syllabus was updated with a number of pieces substituted for female composers. Most notably, David Bowie's 1977 album "Low", featuring the single "Sound and Vision", was removed.

As you may have heard, on the 11th January, David Bowie sadly passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. His death shook many fans around the world and his legacy should be remembered for years to come. Therefore, it would seem appropriate for Pearson Edexcel to reinstate Bowie's album back onto the A-level music syllabus, to give the upmost respect to this iconic legendary artist.

People do need to know that this isn't an opportunity to criticise Edexcel about the recent changes; adding female composers in order to maintain a balance is the right thing to do. However, removing such an influential force in global popular music will undermine the gravity of the popular music area of study.

If you do decide to sign this petition, I highly recommend spreading this petition around social media, in an effort to get Edexcel's attention about this issue.