NEWS
Music education in rural areas in jeopardy
In a new report launched at the beginning of March, youth music development charity NYMAZ spells out how digital technology could revolutionise the way schools provide music tuition. But it warns that poor broadband in rural areas is limiting young people's access to equal life opportunities. “We’re adding our voice to the growing campaign for better broadband in the countryside”, explains Heidi Johnson, director of NYMAZ. “Children in rural areas are missing out because it can be too expensive and time-
consuming to provide them with a well-rounded music education offer. We have worked with schools across England to identify a high-quality, cost- effective way of offering remote instrumental tuition and live-streamed professional performances to pupils in isolated areas. Yet, there’s still one big sticking point: reliable, superfast broadband access.” NYMAZ has partnered with UCan Play, the University of Hull and Music Education Hubs to develop Connect: Resound, an action research project exploring how technology can enable better and broader access to music education. The focus is on live, online learning, where pupils are connected with instrumental teachers virtually but in real time. The project also provides enrichment opportunities, for example, schools can tune into live broadcasts of music performances from the likes of The Hallé Orchestra, as well as interviews with bands such as Hope & Social regarding their careers in music. Heidi Johnson, director of NYMAZ, continues: “Music Education Hubs serving areas with a large rural population are hindered by cost, transport and logistical barriers. By incorporating the Connect: Resound model of virtual tuition into the weekly schedule, teachers could spend less time travelling and more time teaching.”
Following a successful pilot in North Yorkshire in 2014/15, Connect: Resound rolled out its approach to four additional areas, working in partnership with the local Music Education Hubs - Cornwall Music Hub, Cumbria Music Hub, Durham Music Service (lead partner in the Durham and Darlington Music Hub), and East Riding of Yorkshire Music Hub. This phase has been supported by public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and the JP Getty Jnr Charitable Trust.
Share a Pencil Day gives UK pupils the opportunity to help 124 million children not in school
124 million children in the world are missing out on an education, and many more have to share even the most basic tools for learning, like pencils.
The first ever Share a Pencil Day takes place on 17th May 2017. Pupils will be asked to share a pencil for a single lesson, an afternoon or the whole day, to experience what learning is really like for many children across the globe.
The event will give pupils in schools across the UK the opportunity to learn about the issues faced by many children around the world trying to access an education while living in zones affected by conflict, natural disasters or extreme poverty, and who lack the basic tools and teachers they need to learn.
Evan Lewis, the founder of Hope, the organisation behind Share a Pencil Day, said: “Education is the single most important thing a child can have to lift themselves and their families out of poverty and lead a better life. All over the world millions of children do not have access to education, or lack the basic tools they need for learning. “By experiencing the difficulty of learning without the basic classroom materials on just one day, our school children can start to understand the daily struggle faced by millions just to receive the education they deserve.
“Share a Pencil Day is a fun, interactive way for schools and children in the UK to get involved. Not only does this make children aware of the difficulties faced by others, but teachers also have to work around the constraints this creates.”
www.nymaz.org.uk/connectresound
www.hope.co.uk
No debating Solihull School’s competition pedigree
Pupils at Solihull School have been making their mark after coming out on top in a series of debating competitions.
Providing debating clubs for all sections of the school, from junior school through to sixth form, Solihull played host to four national competitions in two weeks.
The leading independent school won the central England round of the ICYD under-16 Oxbridge competition, while also emerging victorious in the ESU Mace contest to ensure progress to the regional final.
The school also hosted Oxford and Cambridge competitions, with 130 students attending each event. Two of the host teams then made it through to the final of each prestigious contest.
Eve Colyer (17) and Joe Gilyead (18) and Oliver Rooney (15) and Tom Williams (16) represented the school at the Cambridge finals, while the same teams will go on to speak at the Oxford finals later this month. With more than 100 students actively part of debating at Solihull, school teams participate in more than 20 fixtures each academic year.
www.solsch.org.uk March 2017
www.education-today.co.uk 11
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