Music Mark Monthly

March 2013

Editors Introduction Welcome to the first issue of the monthly newsletter for The UK Association for Music Education Music Mark,

within which I hope you will find a good mix of past and present items to attract your interest. The newsletter is one

of the family of publications carrying over from NAME to the new association, alongside the annual book, the termly

magazine and occasional bulletins. Together with the associations website, this newsletter is one of the most

immediate ways of pulling together and distributing information to members, so please do send me items relating

to any music education aspect and context for future issues.

Lis McCullough

Music Mark News

Music Mark Summer Symposium: The Potential of Music

Saturday 15 June, CBSO Centre, Birmingham

A music education symposium exploring progression and pedagogy.

Music Mark Autumn Conference: Raising the Bar the highest quality music education for all

Friday 15 Saturday 16 November, Manchester Central

Visit http://www.musicmark.org.uk/training-and-events/our-conferences for more details.

London Region Network meeting (formerly NAME meeting)

Wednesday 17 April, 4:30 - 6:30pm, The Cass School of Education & Communities, University of East London

Open to any London member, the principle item on the agenda will be Philip Flood, from Sound Connections, talking

about the new qualification for music educators (Certificate for Music Educators CME). The event is free.

Please contact Chris Dalladay, former NAME London Region Representative, at c.dalladay@uel.ac.uk to indicate

attendance.

York Music Hub discount for primary schools

York Music Hub offers a discount for their Wider Opportunities programme to any school where a teacher joins, or is

already a member of, The UK Association for Music Education Music Mark. There is now also a further subsidy for

signing up to Sing Up. Contact Tim Brooks, former NAME director, at tim.brooks@york.gov.uk for more information.

The final NAME Regional Conference

John Finney (former NAME Eastern Region Representative) reports:

The Eastern Region NAME Conference held in Cambridge on March 9th

brought together sixty music teachers from all

phases and sectors of music education, and from as far away as Liverpool, Hereford and Newcastle. The place of the

voice in a broad and balanced music education and how we sustain its use in diverse curriculum contexts called for

presentations from classroom music teachers holding powerful knowledge to reveal fresh and novel ways of working.

Bringing together learning from practitioner research, examples of wise practice, the findings from large scale

research, challenging questions set to provoke fresh action and, of course, the satisfaction of making music together

provided a model of CPD that was welcomed and appreciated, and those attending left with a rich bank of ideas and

resources.

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Look out for the Music Mark Magazine

The first issue of the new associations termly magazine has just been published. In it you will find

the same rich variety of articles that regular readers of the NAME Magazine have enjoyed in the

past. In this terms issue we range from Higher Ed to the Early Years; from a PRU to the US; from

Kodly to The Big Noise. Read From the archive and ponder how much has changed, or not, over

the last 45 years!

Other News

Curriculum consultation

On 7 February 2013 the Secretary of State for Education announced a public consultation on the draft National

Curriculum that will run until 16 April 2013. Visit https://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/ and scroll down to

Reform of the National Curriculum in England for more information and for the relevant documents.

NB. The Music Programmes of study for Key Stages 1-3 are available at

http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/m/music%2004-02-13.pdf (you may need to copy and paste this

address into your browser).

News from Brent Music Service (www.brent.gov.uk/bms)

Brent Concert Band at The Nationals: On Sunday 14th April, Brent Concert Band will be

performing at the National Concert Band Festival in Birmingham (tickets available from

http://www.birmingham-box.co.uk/event/national-concert-band-festival/ ).

The band, who gained the top Platinum Award at their last visit to the Nationals in

Glasgow in 2011, will be hoping to come home with the top award once more. This will be an exciting pre-cursor to

their forthcoming 6-day tour of Belgium and Germany in July.

Battle of the Bands: In response to the requests of local Heads of Music, Brent Music Service (as the Brent Music

Education Hub) is delighted to present a new event for pop, rock, soul, folk, reggae, jazz, other popular or world

music bands. School-nominated bands will be battling it out from 7.00pm on 1st May at Claremont High School.

Music professionals will judge the entries, which can include sets of original or cover titles, and the winning group will

receive a brand new Yamaha Electronic Drum Kit for their school, supplied by Brent Music Service.

Rock the Cavern

Richard Jones, Assistant Head of Solihull Music Service and Director of the National Rock and Pop Festival, has sent

the following report:

On Monday 4th March over 500 performers, parents and supporters from Solihull went to Liverpool to Rock the

Cavern. The concerts were organised by the Solihull Music Service. The afternoon concert 12.00pm 3.00pm

featured 9 Solihull School bands performing 20min sets on the iconic Beatle Stage and then at 4.00pm the Live

Lounge was taken over by a sold out audience to watch a concert by Solihull Music Service and Saturday Music

Centre groups. Solihull Music Service is the only authority outside Liverpool to use this iconic venue, with the aim of

inspiring the next generation of musicians! Please visit www.solihull.gov.uk/musicservice to read comments about

the event and view photos. See news about the Rock and Pop Festival 2013 in the Events section below.

The Ensemble: A newsletter for the El Sistema movement in the United States

Search online to see examples of this and email TheEnsembleNL@gmail.com if you wish to join the mailing list.

Social network Schooble

UK-based software company Paritor, supported by the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM),

launched the social platform Schooble on 20 March at the Music Education Expo. Schooble

connects everyone involved in the sphere of education in a highly secure and interactive

environment, allowing users to create their own unique online space.

Visit www.schooble.com for more information.

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Oldham Music Service concerts

Gerard Booth, Director of Music for Oldham Music Service (http://www.oldham.gov.uk/info/200229/music_tuition ),

has sent the following report:

Over the five nights from March 11th

to March 15th

, the Queen Elizabeth Hall in

Oldham hosted a series of concerts that offered some music making of

tremendous variety. The Music Centre staff (and hopefully the students, too!)

were absolutely delighted with just about everything that took place over the

week. It was a truly exceptional festival and it certainly is a festival in all but

name offering as it did an amazing

range of age groups and musical genres

with one common denominator

underpinning the whole thing:

musicianship of the highest quality.

Friday night was a concert debut for the Adult Community Department. These

groups have really taken off in the last three or four years and their concert

on Friday evening included choirs, bands and a ukulele group.

Early Years film

Sound Connections have released What's That Noise? Of interest to anybody working in the early years sector, this

15-minute film highlights the importance of child-initiated music play and gives suggestions about observing,

supporting and extending children's musical play. See the YouTube link at http://youtu.be/vCdh1XDsydA

Youth Music paper on non-formal pedagogy

Douglas Lonie, YMs Research and Evaluation Manager, presented a paper on the place

of non-formal pedagogy in English music education at the first international

Community Music and Music Pedagogy conference at Ludwig Maximilian University in

Munich, February 21-23. In his talk he drew on the Communities of Music Education

report commissioned by YM and written by Jo Saunders and Graham Welch at the

Institute of Education, London University. That report, published last autumn, can be

accessed at http://network.youthmusic.org.uk/resources/research/communities-

music-education

Innovate funding from Sound Connections

Sound Connections have just announced the return of 'Innovate', the programme

that incubates and develops new music projects with disadvantaged young people

across London. There is up to 4,000 per project available, with a closing date for

applications of Wednesday 10 April. You can find full details of the scheme at

http://www.sound-connections.org.uk/news?newsId=2327

Sound Children a joined up approach to musical play . . .

Music Mark members Drums for Schools (www.drumsforschools.co.uk) are about to

launch a new range of Early Years music resources for nurseries, child-minders and

parents, giving them not just award-winning musical instruments, but also the ideas,

training, advice and support they need to deliver inspirational music sessions that bring

out the musicality in young children and foster all-round healthy development. The

catalogue and website for shopping and support will be available from April 2013 at

www.soundchildren.co.uk

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Events & Conferences (in date order)

MEC Spring seminar

Tuesday 16 April, NCVO Conference Suite, London

This seminar will examine the new curriculum for music education in England, with an opportunity

to discuss, contrast and compare with Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Officials from the

Department for Education National Curriculum Review Team will be in attendance for the full day.

Go to http://mecspringseminar.eventbrite.co.uk to book your place.

Early Years Up Beat conference

Tuesday 16 April, Brew House Arts Centre, Burton on Trent.

This event is aimed at anyone who has an interest in early years, creative learning and family engagement. Spend the

day with sector specialists, including Alison Street, Margareta Burrell and Linda Bance as guest speakers, and learn

new and innovative ways to engage early years children and families in music and movement activities. Visit

http://www.make-some-noise.com/UpBeat-Conference.html for more information.

Musical Babies

Thursday 25 April, 9:3015:30, Gateshead Old Town Hall, NE8 1HE

The Musical Eyes Network is proud to present this CPD opportunity, featuring

Colwyn Trevarthen and Sandra Kerr. More information at http://www.20000voices.org/news/musical-eyes-cpd-

musical-babies/. Musical Eyes is a 20,000 Voices early years network funded by Youth Music. Find out more about the

network by visiting the website: http://musicaleyes.org.uk/ or email kate@musicaleyes.org.uk.

Gateshead and South Tyneside Music Education Hub concert

Saturday 27 April, Dryden Centre Great Hall, Evistones Rd., Gateshead NE9 5UR

The Gateshead and South Tyneside Music Education Hub is welcoming the Kennemer Youth Orchestra

from Haarlem, the Netherlands, in a concert shared with the Gateshead Youth Orchestra. The

programme includes the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 25 K503, (soloist Xiaofen Song, prize winner from

the Royal Scottish Conservatoire), Finders Keepers Suite by John Treherne (Head of Gateshead Schools

Music Service), Borodins Polovtsian Dances, and Bernsteins West Side Story Suite.

Tickets are 5 (3 concessions) from 0191 4338690. More information available at www.g-y-o.org.uk

Westminster Education Forum Keynote Seminar: The future for the examination and qualifications system in

England Wednesday morning, 26 June, Central London

This seminar will bring together key policymakers and stakeholders to discuss the future shape of Englands

examination and qualifications system, as plans are put in place for the most significant changes since the

introduction of GCSEs in the 1980s. It is timed to follow the conclusion of Ofquals current inquiry into the quality of

marking, and includes a keynote address from Glenys Stacey, Chief Regulator, Ofqual.

Visit http://www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/forums/agenda/examination-system-agenda.pdf for more details

and http://www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/forums/book_event.php?eid=565 to book.

South West Music Conference

Friday 5 July 2013 at the Wiltshire Music Centre (usually at Bath Spa University)

In partnership with music hubs in the South West (South Gloucestershire, Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol,

Wiltshire, North Somerset and Bath Spa University). Do you teach music? Would you like some new ideas? Just

starting? Want to consolidate your knowledge? Improve your skills? Network with other music leaders? Open to all

teachers, music leaders and student teachers. Workshops on singing, inclusion, early years, recorder teaching and

lots more! 60 per delegates. More information and booking available after Easter. For more information contact

Christine Wright, Teaching and Learning Adviser Music, South Gloucestershire Music Hub, at

christine.wright@southglos.gov.uk

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Rock and Pop Festival 2013

Saturday 13Tuesday 16 July. O2 Academy, Birmingham

The National Rock and Pop Festival is a non-profit event run by teachers for pupils in education. This year the Festival

is moving to Birmingham. Tickets for the festival are available from the O2 Academy 08444 772 000 (24 hrs) or

www.o2academybirmingham.co.uk or www.ticketweb.co.uk. Band application forms are now available from the

following websites and you can also download the poster to spread the word: www.solihull.gov.uk/musicservice and

www.rockandpop.org.uk (the official site).

Orchestra in a Field

Saturday 20Sunday 21 July, Glastonbury Abbey

Highlights include huge promenade performance of Britten's opera Noye's Fludde, plus Mozart, Wagner, Dvorak &

Strauss; bespoke orchestral gigs with Rachel & Becky Unthank; one-off musical experiences from contemporary

talents including members of Portishead and Goldfrapp; new score to

accompany the classic 1928 silent movie The Passion of Joan of Arc; the

Scrapheap Orchestra; and the British Paraorchestra.

Visit www.orchestrainafield.com/ for more details and to book.

Dartington International Summer School

27 July31 August, Dartington Hall, Devon

Dartington International Summer School celebrates its 60th year this summer. The summer school

is the leading event of its kind in Europe, where each year almost 1,000 people of all ages and

abilities amateurs and professionals; beginners and experts come together in a celebration of

music, song and dance, involving a range of different instruments, different styles and different

eras. For more information visit www.dartington.org/summer-school.

ROH Write an Opera course

The next Royal Opera House Write an Opera course takes place in August. Application deadline Friday 31 May. Visit

http://www.roh.org.uk/learning/teachers/write-an-opera for more details and an application form.

SMA Celebration Concert

Tuesday 5 November, Royal Albert Hall, London

The Schools Music Association of Great Britain is 75 years old this year and, to celebrate, will be

holding a concert in the Albert Hall for the benefit of the childrens charity Barnardos. The on-

stage choir of 1200 young people (KS2) will also take part in an exciting world ocarina playing

record. For more details go to the SMA website at www.schoolsmusic.org.uk, and click on the SMA

Events tab.

N.B. Sometimes weblinks that go over more than one line dont work when you click on them in a pdf document. If

that happens here, copy and paste them into your browser.

Please email details of possible items for future issues to Lis McCullough at support@musicmark.org.uk, marked for

the attention of the Newsletter Editor.