mcnichols_name_keynote (1).pdf

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music &urriculum@ letters to the "rime %inister and his Secretary of State. *ndrew 9loyd Webberpaid for a half7page in one of the broadsheets to publish the correspondence. :attle challenged&larke to a television debate but &larke refused.

In the end 5enneth &larke asked Frankie Williams) %usic *dviser for &ambridgeshire) ?;ow do Iget the music profession off my backA@ and) taking her advice) he abandoned his revisions.

*t the time I was heavily involved here and abroad in classroom pro0ects) teacher training andhelping orchestras to develop education programmes that focused on music in the classroom. Iremember telling an audience of teachers at an INS1T session I was leading in Bienna that we in1ngland now had a music curriculum that meant that every child between the ages of C and !D inevery state school must now be taught composing) performing and listening with understandingas core concepts.

The *ustrians were astonished) and ?visionary@ was the word most used in response. 1nglandwas hailed as the world leader in classroom music. -Thanks to the old music services it wasalready a leader in the production of superb instrumentalists. &ountries as far apart asScandinavia and #apan began to emulate our classroom practice.

Euring the !+4s and +s I was invited to schools in !D countries to demonstrate and lead

pro0ects in creative classroom music -and including speaking before the education committee ofthe 5nesset.

* practical music curriculum in the classroom presents problems) not least of which is that musictakes time and the curriculum has become severely overloaded. For years now there has been alack of consistency in /overnment in defining what constitutes a music curriculum. * politicalthrust has developed towards taking music out of school time.

In !+++ lottery money was used to launch Youth Music, of which I was one of the first trustees. Itsbrief was to e3pand music outside school time.

* pressure has built up to teach that which is assessable) together with a belief that performingconstitutes a musical education.

In 2 Eavid 6lunkett -then Secretary of State for 1ducation and Skills pledged that “Overtime, all pupils in primary schools who wish to will have the opportunity to learn a musicalinstrument” This resulted in Widening Opportunities) an initiative through which centralgovernment funded a first year of whole7class instrumental tuition for primary school -5S 2children.

In 2D Eavid %iliband) as 1ducation %inister) called a seminar on music in schools at the :oyalpera ;ouse) &ovent /arden at the end of which) despite that fact that much of the discussionhad been about the training of primary school teachers to deliver music and the changing ofpolitical rhetoric to proclaim that music in schools is important) out of the blue) he proposed theidea of a music manifesto to draw together the contributions of the many music organisationssupplementing the provision of school music. The Music Manifesto was promoted as a

government initiative despite the fact that most of the contributing organisations were doing thiswork already. In essence it was a cost7free gesture of /overnment support for music in schoolswith much of the musical activity taking place outside curriculum time. It was clear to me that theseminar was not a listening e3ercise by the minister) but an occasion to launch an initiative uponwhich he had already decided.

Sing up! is another /overnment music initiative. ;oward /oodall has spearheaded a wonderfulcampaign and there is no doubt that singing is an important component of children$s musicale3perience. It costs little) reaches large numbers of children but) as :obert 6unting$s article inthe Spring issue of the N*%1 maga<ine says8 ?Singing is not enough@. Indeed it isn$t=



In Harmony, a community development programme aimed at using music to bring positivechange to the lives of very young children in some of the most deprived areas of 1ngland) isgoing to be farmed out to the *rts &ouncil of 1ngland) 'outh %usic) and the private sector)despite the government saying the schemes have had a Gtransformational effect on childrenG.This at a time when Sure Start programmes are being cut.

Such initiatives create a further danger. Widening opportunities and Sing (p= are funded directlyfrom central government. In some schools this enables the school to withdraw the cost ofcurriculum music from its budget. When the central government funding is withdrawn -at the endof the pro0ect schools budgets are committed elsewhere and music is no longer funded.

In Widening Opportunities) after a year of free tuition) parents or schools must pay for continuingtuition. The take7up for this has been e3tremely variable. *nd there is a real risk -unless theteacher is skilled in in0ecting real musical decision7making into what can all7too7easily becomerote learning that in the early struggle to master techniHue) true music7making will be lost.

Nordrhein Westfalen -the :uhr area has launched a similar initiative called #edem 5ind ein

Instrument -#e5i which is already drawing some critical comment in the informed /erman pressas an ill thought7out and costly initiative.

I cannot be alone in seeing all of this as part of a political move to take music out of thecurriculum and devolve it and its costs to organisations outside the education system.

We music educators have been at fault in allowing this situation to arise.

We have perhaps encouraged politicians to believe that learning an instrument is musiceducation.

We have failed to challenge those who claim that singing is all the music education children need.

We have allowed ourselves to be seduced by the idea of the %usic %anifesto and thus enabledpoliticians to take credit for the outreach efforts of professional organisations.

We have allowed a culture to develop that accepts that the most important thing about teaching isthat what we teach is assessable. Indeed we have sometimes allowed ourselves to bedragooned into teaching only that which is assessable. 'ou can$t and shouldn$t predict outcomesif you are truly encouraging the children to work creatively.

We have allowed music to be dumbed music down in the classroom. I was shocked to read) inMusical Futures) a teacher writing that ?the unit incorporating classical music did not last longerthan a week) as the students were simply not interested@. n whom does this reflectA

We accepted &*$s recorded e3emplars of what we should be aiming at in 5ey Stage J musicteaching> a series of sub79loyd Webber songs which were pitifully unimaginative andundemanding. Euring the same period the 9ondon Sinfonietta and the 9ondon Symphonyrchestra were devising creative pro0ects around the music of 6erio) Barese) Stravinsky)%essiaen) 9igeti) Stockhausen) 6ritten et al that were e3citing and stimulating secondaryyoungsters in some of the most difficult areas of 9ondon.

Why do we need to offer so much ;eavy %etal in our classrooms when the pop music industry isdoing such a thorough 0ob and all7pervasive 0obA I see riffs everywhere in teachers$ lesson plans.:iffs are fine) but they are simply the application of techniHue. If they do become part of our



musical diet in class) they should only be a small part. ur 0ob as music teachers is to encouragecuriosity and inventiveness. *s "ierre 6oule< said in his letter to #ohn %a0or in !++2) we shouldbe e3ploring with our youngsters all the aspects and riches of all sorts of music.

This is what Tony 9ittle) the ;eadmaster of 1ton) the "%$s old school) says on his school$swebsite8Through the si centuries !ton has "een educating "oys much has changed, "ut the essence ofschool life has remained as descri"ed in the mid#nineteenth century "y William $ory, an !tonMaster%&e wrote that at a great school it is not 'ust (nowledge that is ac)uired, "ut most importantly the*arts and ha"its* t hat last for a lifetime%

When we click “arts and habits” on the website we et William Cor! himself"

You go to a great school not so much for (nowledge as for arts and ha"its+ for the ha"it ofattention, for the art of epression, for the art of assuming at a moment*s notice a new intellectual

position, for the art of entering )uic(ly into another person*s thoughts, for the ha"it of su"mittingto censure and refutation, for the art of indicating assent or dissent in graduated terms, for theha"it of regarding minute points of accuracy, for the art of wor(ing out what is possi"le in a giventime, for taste, for discrimination, for mental courage, and for mental so"erness% #his so$nds like a precise definition of what we all know creati%e m$sic in the classroomcan offer to p$pils&

*nd this is what is on offer at 1ton this week in addition to music in the classroom8

Mon Sep -. /0-- School &oncert :ehearsalTue Sep /0 #unior String rchestra rehearsal

6and "ractice&hamber rchestra :ehearsal

Wed Sep /- Treble K *lto %ahler rehearsalThu Sep // #unior &oncert 6and rehearsalFri Sep /1 Treble K *lto %ahler rehearsalFri Sep /1 rgan :ecital

Now let me turn to the website of %ichael /ove$s alma mater) :obert /ordon$s &ollege)

*berdeenMusic plays a central role in the life of 2o"ert 3ordon4s $ollege%The Music 5epartment is spread "etween the 6uld &oose and the 7unior School, and comprisesnine mem"ers of staff and eight visiting instrumental instructors% We provide a common coursefrom 8rimary - through to Senior /, 9ntermediate / courses in Music with 8erforming, and Musicwith Technology in Senior 1 : Senior ;, and &igher and 6dvanced &igher courses in Senior < :Senior =%The 5epartment also offers instrumental lessons on the complete range of orchestral and "andinstruments, as well as voice% !very wee(, a huge num"er of pupils ta(e advantage of theconsidera"le opportunities that eist, "oth in the curriculum and in a vast range of etra#curricularmusical activities%$entral to the wor( of everyone in the Music 5epartment is a desire to encourage pupils to"roaden their musical hori>ons and to give of their very "est at whatever level they can achieve%

&learly both schools consider that music makes an important statement about the Huality ofeducation they offer to future "rime %inisters and Secretaries of State. Why then do the currentholders of these offices not aspire to offer a similar Huality of in'school musical education tothose they governA

In a recent issue of the N*%1 maga<ine #onathan Savage wrote an eloHuent summary of The;enley :eport$s recommendations and of educationists$ concerns. ;e emphasises that ;enleysays

-:ecommendation ! that

http://www.etoncollege.com/william_cory.aspx





Schools should provide children with a "road Music !ducation, which includes performing,composing, listening, reviewing and evaluating%

-:ecommendation + thatWithout the o"ligation for music lessons to "e part of the school curriculum, there is a realconcern that the su"'ect might well wither away in many schools ? and in the worst casescenario, could all "ut disappear in others%

Savage also Huotes a recent article by :ichard %orrison in The Times deploring the fact thatamong many head teachers) governing bodies and politicians the notion that music and art are awaste of curriculum time is still a widely held fallacy% %orrison goes on to e3press concern thatinitiatives such as Sin (p) and outreach work by arts organisations can be used by /overnmentto argue that there4s no need for music to remain in the curriculum%

;ere) to illustrate the last point) is %ichael /ove at Huestions in The &ommons on !!th #uly 2!!8Mr Stephen *epb$rn +,abo$r- .arrow/8 *s the Secretary of State says) the /overnment haveannounced this new system of funding music in schools. If it is) indeed) a bidding system) whatassurances can he give to the schools and schoolchildren who will inevitably lose outAMichael o%e8 I do not believe that any school or child will lose out. The honorable gentleman isvery lucky that on his doorstep sits the Sage centre) which is an outstanding e3emplar of music

education. The funds that we have available and the national music plan that we hope to unveilthis autumn will ensure that the already high standards that e3ist in areas such as south Tynesideare augmented even further in future.

We all know what music can do in education . Singing is fine. 9earning an instrument is fine -forthe tiny percentage who follow it through for long enough to make any real music but the realeducational value of music in school) to my mind) lies in the benefits of inventing and performingin the classroom. This activity is all about creative thinking) problem solving) and workingtogether and therein lies our future. It leads to an understanding of the processes of music butalso of the processes of society.

We need to convince %ichael /ove that classroom music is a rigorous sub0ect and contributes avital element in a youngster$s education that other sub0ects cannot not provide. This doesn$t

mean time spent teaching all to read music) nor does it mean set works. It doesn$t mean simplylearning an instrument . We need to convince him that our role as music teachers is

to offer a taste and knowledge of music that our pupils might not normally e3periencebut

may en0oy and develop in later life>

to encourage real artistic decision7making)

to develop our pupils$aesthetic 0udgement) disciplined debate and e3cellent presentation)

and to broadening their minds and their hori<ons.

This is surely the music teacher$s task and privilege.

I$m not suggesting that kind of brutality we indulged in against 5enneth &larke in the !++s wouldbe effective today) but we are all aware of the power of modern technology in mounting acampaign. I am aware that *lan :ushbridger of the /uardian) :ichard %orrison of the Times and%ark 1lder at the ;alle rchestra are among the many non7educational professionals who arealert to the dangers) are concerned for the future of music in schools and are prepared to take upcudgels on its behalf..

%usic calms the human breast) facilitates and encourages dialogue) civilises us.



(nless we are ultimately prepared to settle for a music7less curriculum) for music to be donee3clusively out of school hours) and for a culture of instruction -instrumental lessons) singing) wemust argue for a new political rhetoric and for political decisions that convince head teachers andgoverning bodies of the importance of music in the classroom as part of every child$s educationalentitlement.

*nd we must do it now.

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