This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
OPINION At the time of writing this article, we await Staffordshire: a singing county


doing it. I sometimes wonder whether we haven’t missed the point of education.' The professor’s vision for education may


be quite tongue-in-cheek but he alludes to a serious theme: what is the purpose of education and what should children be taught? They are big questions and they won’t go away in a hurry, irrespective of which government is in power. They are also irritating questions, because the answers change over time.


So what and how should children learn? I’m not sure that the current curriculum review will provide all of the answers but I think we know that the case for music is compelling, both in its own right and as a means of significantly enhancing children’s lives. Research consistently (and to some annoyingly) shows that learning to play a musical instrument and singing significantly aid children’s growth and development. That led by Professor Anne Bamford in 2010 showed clear evidence that learning to play a musical instrument in schools increases pupils' self-confidence and self-esteem; their empowerment and responsibility; it enhances aspirations for learning and improves attendance and behaviour. That compiled by Professor Susan Hallam showed the power of participating in music and its profound impact on children and young people, especially: developing perceptual, language, literacy and numeracy skills; enhancing personal and social development, general attainment and creativity, physical development, health and wellbeing.


the coalition government’s National Plan for Music Education which will set out its aspirations and drive some of the resources to be allocated for delivery. In Staffordshire we’ve taken the view that we shouldn’t be regarding the plan as the answer to the questions but rather a stimulus for us to think more, think further and think more deeply by talking with schools, the children themselves and their parents. We are all different and need different opportunities, different learning styles, different content, different pathways. So, there is certainly no single answer to the question but, unlike Charles Ives, we cannot leave it unanswered. We are now all busily forming our Music Education Hubs in response to the Henley Report. In Staffordshire there has been a long tradition of, and healthy appetite for, working in partnership with a range of music organisations to secure the best opportunities for children and young people. Staffordshire Performing Arts, the county’s music and dance service, itself delivers a whole range of inspirational music education programmes in and out of schools. However we recognised a long time ago that we couldn’t provide everything that schools, children and parents wanted, nor did we have a monopoly on good ideas, new initiatives or ways of delivery. For example in the last decade we have


been working regularly with Make Some Noise (the Youth Music Action Zone for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent) since its formation in 2001 in providing high quality and innovative music learning programmes for children who have the least opportunity in particular wards and areas of the county. We've also worked with Manchester Camerata, Sound It Out Community Music, Lichfield Cathedral and Sing Up, delivering workshops for young people and continuing professional development for teachers. More recently we have been delighted


to have teamed up with Yamaha Europe and Coventry Performing Arts to run a pilot scheme with Class Band, a programme where whole classes of Year 7 pupils learn a musical instrument together as a band – more specifically a symphonic wind band. Coventry began its work in January 2011 and the results so far have been really encouraging. The Staffordshire pilot began at the beginning of this term in three very different schools: Moorside High, Norton Canes and Walton High. We are particularly excited by this initiative and will report on its progress in a later edition. We are very lucky to have a music adviser from Staffordshire’s Education Transformation Division who works very closely with us and is able to guide, advise and challenge the work that we do by setting it in the context of schools and the specific issues and challenges that they face and providing key data on


9


participation and attainment and advice on methodology and outcomes. And so the concept of a music education hub in Staffordshire is not a million miles away from the ways in which we have working for some time. The partners with whom we are working have already attended an initial session to discuss some of the high-level issues. The key driver for us all is determining what difference the hub and its partners, individually and collectively, will make to children’s lives. We have been talking closely with Stoke-


on-Trent for some time about how we might develop this and configure the hub as a sub- regional entity and particularly how we might address its governance across two local authority areas to sustain, grow and develop the fantastic work that is already taking place and to seek new ideas and new developments. Like an irritant to an oyster, I hope the question that Oxford University’s Professor Dunbar alludes to continues to irritate us and annoy us and stimulate us all – governors, heads, teachers, government ministers, heads of music services, professional musicians, arts and music organisation managers and administrators, and Ofsted inspectors – to continue the debate on the purpose of education. Further I hope we all grasp this opportunity to help shape the purpose and future of music education. For who knows what strings of pearls can be grown!


Nigel M Taylor has led music services for more than 25 years and is currently head of Staffordshire Performing Arts, the county’s highly regarded music and dance service. He is a member of the national executive of the Federation of Music Services as the West Midlands regional representative. Outside his work with music services Nigel is known as an innovative conductor and has held conducting posts with ensembles such as Birmingham Sinfonietta, Corus Brass Ensemble and Voce.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36