Don't get me started!!
I am a peripatetic instrumental teacher.
I can't/won't say too much, except to say that donating instruments will do nothing.
There needs to be a seismic change in the way that music education is funded and valued in schools before anything will change. Buying instruments is the least of the problems, believe me.
I agree that seismic change is needed. However I hope that James Rhodes' campaign will shed some light in the public domain about the importance of music education at all levels. I can't imagine anyone being anything other than appalled by that so-called "music" lesson given by the poor untrained teacher who said she hated it and was utter, utter rubbish at it.
I've had a long and heated debate with my sister on this - she is involved in music education and despairs... can I interest you in this proposal that she forwarded to me (to which my response was "Holy cr@p on a spiky stick!"):
There’s a fresh threat to music education
The Government have launched a consultation on the newGCSE, AS and A level in music.
The deadline for the responses is Friday 19 September 2014.
While the
aims of the reforms are good, the actual proposals will do little to support and encourage musicality and risk undermining music in schools.
Why we are concerned?
We need an up to date, relevant qualification for the musicians of the future -and this isn't it.
The Government has only properly defined
one area of study: ‘music composed in the western classical tradition between 1700 and 1900.’
Not only does this artificial timeframe make no musical sense, but musicians of the future will only be able to study classical music written before 1700 and after 1900 if they take this as a separate area of study.
On top of this, the Government are proposing to increase the percentage of music assessed in a sit-down exam and limit the role of performing and composing.
It is also proposed that the amount that is examined in a sit-down exam - with all pupils assessed at once in a formal setting – is increased to
40% of the overall qualification.
As it stands, there is no guarantee that the new GCSE will be rigorous, broad and relevant to budding musicians.
Similar concerns apply to AS and A level.
Here’s what you can do to help
Respond to the DfE’s consultation by Friday 19 September.
As with our
Protect Music Education campaign, you can respond to the consultation by copying and pasting our template response into an email to
gcseandalevel.consultation@education.gsi.gov.uk AND consultations@ofqual.gov.uk.
You can also tell us on
Twitter what pieces of music you think should be part of the reformed qualifications that were written
#before1700 and
#beyond1900 that pupils should learn about as part of GCSE, AS or A level music.
Best wishes,
The Protect Music Education Team