FEATURE FOCUS: CULTURAL EDUCATION


staffing and resources to funding and the national context. Alongside bespoke concerts for school audiences we have designed and successfully delivered many innovative creative music-making and singing projects in schools, often culminating in a performance during the Festival. While these one-off experiences can be highly impactful, we were keen to explore the potential for longer-term programmes that would also respond to identified local and national needs. A number of key developments during 2011-13 were the catalyst for a more strategic approach. The publication of the 2011 National Plan for Music Education (NPME), the subsequent formation of the Gloucestershire Music Hub, our role as a partner within the Hub, and the re- positioning of Learning and Participation at the heart of Cheltenham Festivals, all played a role in developing our thinking about the scope and format of our music education offer. The Henley Review and Ofsted surveys had concluded that music education in primary schools was patchy: expectations of pupils were often low; there was limited opportunity for listening and critical engagement; and classical music was often deemed a ‘step too far’ [Ofsted report: Music in schools: what hubs must do, November 2013]. Teachers were crying out for support with whole class listening as a catalyst both for developing music lovers, and as an intrinsic part of the music-making process. Furthermore our Hub had identified the need for investing in non-specialist primary teachers as an urgent imperative for achieving consistently high- quality music education locally.


Other Hub partners were perfectly positioned to fulfil the four Core Roles as set out in the NPME: whole-class instrumental tuition, affordable instrument hire and lessons, and performance opportunities in ensembles and choirs. We already had a solid track record in creating large-scale high-quality music experiences for pupils, one of the Extension Roles, and were actively exploring how and where we could make most difference and add value to the broader landscape of cultural and music education.


Our research and consultation culminated in an ambitious and highly collaborative year-round music education programme called Musicate. In


December 2022


our research into music education projects, we had not come across anything else that brought together teachers and their pupils with musicians. Through our partnership with the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire final-year undergraduates (classical and jazz) would be matched with a Gloucestershire primary school for a year, working regularly with two different teachers and their pupils to develop musicianship in children through listening and creative music- making. Regular CPD training focused on active learning would develop the skills and confidence of these often non-specialist teachers as well as the musicians, equipping them to bring music alive in the classroom. The programme aims were to: • inspire children to both love and critically engage with music • equip primary teachers and early-career musicians (Musicats) with creative approaches to music education • develop the confidence and communication skills of Musicats


Musicate was founded on inclusion - the belief that everyone can access and enjoy unfamiliar genres of music; collaboration – the sharing of practice and practitioner learning; and listening – if you don’t hear music, how do you know what music you might enjoy? The combination of training, joint planning and a curriculum based on musical building blocks, supported by a playlist, enabled teachers and Musicats to develop their pedagogy and respond creatively to the curriculum as necessary for the particular group of pupils in each class. In advance of a school visit all aspects of the day’s music activity were co- planned by the teachers and Musicats with the support of a dedicated mentor, and on the day all delivery was co-led. Through discussing and then sharing delivery, the teachers and musicians learned so much from each other, and were able confidently to develop children’s understanding and appreciation of music through active listening and responding. Children’s listening skills improved significantly, as did their oracy as they improved the ability to articulate what they did or did not like about a piece of music.


Reflecting on six years of Musicate, the positive impacts of the programme are clear to see. The emphasis on active, as opposed to passive,


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learning has resulted in a network of teachers and musicians who have the confidence, skills and strategies to engage children in music and creative music-making, both in the classroom and beyond. Musicate is an ongoing journey for us, one that is hugely exciting as we look to work with our largest number of classroom teachers ever in our next iteration. We will also train young music leaders who have followed both formal and non-formal routes into music, enabling a more diverse and inclusive offer. It means that the benefits will be felt even further across Gloucestershire, and that key skills in delivering quality classroom music education can take root in the county, creating a strong base to continue building. And, who knows, we might also inspire some future music leaders and teachers. There are, of course, some things in the wider ecosystem of music education that will need addressing to truly take advantage of this, particularly around funding. This will need to come at the level of policy change. In the meantime, we will keep working with teachers, young music leaders and pupils in embedding skills and supporting music-based learning. In fact, with teachers having the tools and confidence to deliver strong music education in the classroom, we would go further and advocate for placing music at the centre of primary education alongside other core subjects. This could only bring advantages, as pupils develop critical thinking, empathy, social and other skills that support learning in other subjects. And of course, have the opportunity for and confidence in creative and self-expression. All of which have long-reaching benefits for young people. If we enable all teachers to be music teachers, we will get to a point where we can start challenging inequalities in who has access to music education. And potentially see ripple effects into challenging inequality more broadly as the skills young people develop will help to raise aspirations and leverage opportunities both musical and more widely in education and the long term.


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