Drake Music Curriculum Development Initiative

My Blog has moved!

2011-06-10T02:28:00.000-07:00

Dear reader,

my blog has moved! It can now be read at http://www.drakemusic.org/blogs/jonathanwestrup

best wishes

Jonathan Westrup

Drake Music

A response to Toby Fox's recent Teaching Music Editorial

2011-05-25T03:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Toby,

I really enjoyed your blog; it was honest, funny and relevant. Most importantly it's that rarest of things in music education at the moment, an authentic voice from the coal face. I echo your feelings about Music conferences being potentially awkward spaces for music teachers; I sat through a conference at the IoE late last year about the future of music education, and when the absence of teachers in the crowd was politely raised, the questioner met with a distinctly frosty response from the stage.

As a teacher who really struggled in my first job, the key thing is professional isolation. In order to reflect on things that happen, and to have a motivation to read widely and discuss contemporary issues, you need colleagues, sounding boards. I struggled just to keep going, often running the dept on my own; like you, I had no motivation, let alone time to keep up with the wider zeitgeist. I did care, it just passed me by, especially with no team to share it with. Think about nurses; they must suffer from the same kinds of issues in terms of being too busy to keep up with the latest research in the Lancet; but what they do have are colleagues, big teams of like minded, supportive staff.

I definitely benefit from being part of a small close-knit team in the music charity I work for, and I know I'm fortunate. We need wider teams of musicians from different backgrounds working together in schools throughout the week; not just one-off summer projects, e.g. the ubiquitous African drumming for two days in July. That’s why musical hubs – as recommended by Henley – are potentially a great idea. It links people in and increases the offer for all students in music. And it also goes a long way to helping classroom teachers care about keeping in the loop. Good luck with Hairspray!

NB: Toby's editorial can be found at http://www.teachingmusic.org.uk/mod/blog/blogitem.aspx?lngBlogID=1

Three reasons why Music must stay in the National Curriculum

2011-05-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

Like politicians in the House of Commons, I try to avoid using particular individuals to make a point. But sometimes, that's the only way to bring home a message.

The three musicians pictured here are all unique in their own ways, as every student is. But what they have in common is that they all face physically disabling barriers to music, and they have all benefitted in the last five years from having access to formal music education, including accredited courses.

Charlotte White (top left) performed an abridged performance of Bach's Cello Suite No.1 Prelude, composed music for a festival in Norway and was recently profiled on Radio 4. Despite gaining A* in many of her other GCSE subjects, the only accreditation realistically on offer for her back in 2008 was Bronze Arts Award, which she achieved. Many accreditation boards were unable (or unwilling) back then to accommodate her performances done using assistive music technology.

Bradley Warwick (top right, seen here with Music certificate) has always been passionate about music and wanted to follow the same accreditation pathways as his non-disabled contemporaries. He was the first student to pilot Drake Music's 'Introduction To Music' Course in 2008-9, achieving Level 1 passes in all four units (GCSE equivalent D-G) He presented his work to PGCE students at Bristol University in 2010, using his VOCA (Voice Operated Communication Aid). With this qualification achieved, he has the opportunity to pursue more music courses in the future, should he choose.

Jordan Andow (above) attended a mainstream academy school in Bristol and wanted to take Music GCSE. However, the way his option blocks were organised meant that he couldn't pursue this, but the school supported him by paying for Drake Music to work with him in twilight (after school) sessions for two years. He achieved a Grade D pass in GCSE Music, and has continued to compose music for film soundtracks in his spare time since then.

My point? Disabled students like these have the most to lose if Music drops off the National Curriculum. At present, it is their main access to music every week (as it is for the majority of students) and their potential passport to follow accreditation pathways in music in the future. That said, this access and the quality of the provision is extremely patchy across the UK, with many music teachers needing more support.

But change is coming: Drake Music, alongside other organisations and individuals, have put access to formal music education for these students on the map in recent years. As part of out Curriculum Development Initiative we are currently teaching BTEC Performing Arts to seven disabled students in Bristol; a further six at a school in Stroud are halfway through the 'Introduction To Music' course. The numbers are going up and up and increasing numbers of SEN/disabled students will be looking to take a bigger part in KS3 lessons, extra curricular groups and to take GCSE, BTEC, A Level and beyond.

It would be ironic if, at the point at which the 'glass ceiling' is about to broken, Music dissapears from the NC and becomes out of reach once more to those with least access to it.

What's it like teaching BTEC Music in a special school (part 4: The Performance)

2011-05-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

Suddenly, it's all going live...

After all the students' hard work, a performance opportunity arrives...two to be exact, on the same morning. We are invited to perform at the junior school site of our school, as part of an open day celebrating 'Hello'(the national year of communication - especially students who use VOCAs or Voice Operated Communication Aids)

None of my students will be using a VOCA on the day, but they most definitely will be communicating something: we have a 'mash-up' piece mixing pop chantuse Jessie J and doom-metal maestros 'System of a Down'; also, a 'JBs' style funk work out in the style of 'Pass the Peas'. So, music to get moody to; then music to get groovy to.

The students doing the 'JBs' number are using a multitude of instruments to perform: Tom plays bass using three coloured switches, one note on each; he has a pattern written out to play when required - my colleague Alex will hold up a large 'P' to him to signal it's time for the riff. Really it's no different from taking three notes off a keyboard and blowing them up into brightly coloured circles, rather than keys. Much more attractive to play.

Sid plays the Soundbeam with a Fender Rhodes keyboard sound; Jack plays Trumpet using two head switches, one note on each switch. I've written out a graphic score for him to play his pattern from. He understands completely what to do, and plays the pattern perfectly, in his own time.

The piece is great both times, the students show no signs of nerves. Particular standout moment is when Sid plays his solo and everyone else drops out; it's just him, me on very quiet arpeggios on my acoustic and a tambourine/ congas loop on which to hang it all. He grins at me as the notes ring out and swirl around the otherwise silent room; he has the crowd.

The Jessie J/ System of a Down track really packs a punch in comparison to the JBs piece; it begins with a moody drone played on a keyboard by Colin; hitting the two Cs (an octave apart) simultaneously and cleanly is a big achievement for him. Above this drone plays the monster 'System' riff - chopped into four sections and launched by Niall using his hand to play the switch (cyclic trigger mode - each time he presses it, it plays the next sample) It's drama of the highest order, probably equally at home in Wagner's 'Ring Cycle' at some climactic point or other.

The middle section is quite different; Sarah uses a switch to trigger samples of her singing lyrics from Jessie J's 'Price Tag'; it's in many ways a more empowering way for her to sing than using a microphone; she can place the vocal in the performance where she likes, repeat it at will, make choices about the effects used on it. Equally Sarah has been the main driver in the arrangement as a whole, showing a real flair for suggesting how the sections should fit together.

Next up in the performance, Colin does a clapping section with me, using a heavy delay (echo) on the microphone nearest him, so that the sound clatters around the room. Lastly, it's full circle back to the opening, moody drone/ monster riff. The crowd applauds, we tick some more assessment boxes in their BTEC Performing Arts folders, and as the last notes fade away, I'm left in slight awe once again about just how well young people respond to live performance. Put that in your E Bacc pipe, Mr Gove, and smoke it.

What's it like teaching BTEC Music in a special school (part 3)

2011-03-18T09:36:00.000-07:00

I really liked the advice given in the Ofsted 'Making more of music' report for primary schools: "start with sound". It's so simple it's brilliant; don't spend the first 5 minutes talking, spend it playing. It's a bit like my first french teacher, Mrs Mack, who would enter the classroom and then speak in French for the first few minutes until the cleverest kid in the class worked out the gist of her question. You definitely knew which lesson you'd arrived at.

In fact, I do spend the first few minutes of this weeks session talking - mumbling - but only to the laptop; it's a habit of mine, as I work through the routine of getting the software up and running, instruments etc. God knows what the kids think...

Before the first class arrives, we have been asked to try and fix the school Soundbeam (update the drivers - bit like re-taking your test again); I'm not 100% certain I'll achieve it in the time I have, but happily we have a visiting Drake Associate Musician from London with us who is willing to give it a go. He duly fixes it in 10 mins (without any mumbling) This school are lucky in this instance; many more schools can't or don't fix their Soundbeam and it gathers dust in a cupboard.

Class 1 arrive (three students): one of the students (call him 'Sid') has returned after a few weeks absence; he's another fantastic student, full of laughs, and a thoughtful player of Soundbeam; he plays the beam with his left hand and can control his movements enough to play steady sequences of notes within the scale he is in. At the same time, he can use his right thumb to press a switch and control effects. In recent sessions he was using it to turn a filter effect on and off. With the filter on, it gives the impression of the instrument sound (in this instance a dulcimer...look it up...) being played quietly and softly. Then, when he turns it off, we're suddenly louder again. It's a trick of sorts - the volume isn't actually going down or up - but it's very effective and Sid understands what he's hearing i.e. playing louder/ quiter and can respond accordingly to changes in the music. Today he uses a Rhodes keyboard sound which fits in just nicely with the 70s funk sound (see below)

In the spirit of improvising, I invite him and the rest if the group to just make random choices: Sid can play any of the notes in his scale in any order; Tom (see last blog entry) can choose any combination of his bass switches; Jack (also back after an absence) is playing two switches: one with his head and one with his right hand - both switches have a single trumpet note on it, a high C on the head switch, the lower G on the other (makes sense to have the highest note on the highest switch) I add reverb and delay to the trumpet notes to give them oomph; if it takes you a fair time to position yourself and then to press a switch, you normally want something more than a paltry xylophone 'plonk' at the end of it all.

The piece we play is basically a funk jam in C, bit like the JBs doing 'Pass the Peas'. It's a good tempo, and has a swing to it. We play together, and then leave gaps for individual students to solo - and to hear themselves without the others. It's an effective piece, but we have to unpack the topic of improvisation further than this. It's not just playing randomly; it's playing randomly and then picking out individual bits that work, and then repeating/ developing these. So next week, I explain to the students, your aim is to pick out some patterns; nothing major, maybe just a 2-3 note riff you can find and then recall and repeat. But you've got to just play to reach this point in the first place ("start with sound")

Class 2 are doing the same session as Class 1 at the moment; the only girl in the group (call her 'Sarah') gives a perfect answer to the question: "What does improvisation mean?" ("it means making it up on the spot") Of all the students I worry that she is enjoying the sessions; sometimes - and this affects all music teachers I suspect - you're so busy dashing around setting up instruments, giving advice, demonstrating a technique, that we don't ask students often enough for their feedback. In the 'white heat' of setting up the BTEC course for the first time and running it, I feel like I've neglected this a bit. I don't mean simply asking "are you enjoying this?" but more "what are you enjoying, and for what reasons" (currently in the process of setting up tutorials to rebalance this)

One of the other students, Colin, is really starting to show flair in the way he plays the keyboard; even though we have taped off the rest of the keys - to help him focus on one C major scale - he duly ignores this and proceeds to range across the entire set of keys, up and down scales, two-noted chords played in thirds - with both hands at the same time; I notice also that he is quietly singing to himself as he does this; I ask him what he is singing and he replies that it is from a Vimto advert, his favourite drink. I quickly get a microphone set up so we can capture this; Colin has the natural flair of a showman, he loves improvising.

On the other side of the room, Sarah is playing Soundbeam with increasing confidence, using her right arm/ hand. Although we started off with a trumpet sound, I can sense she is unimpressed and so enquire if she'd like a different sound; "yes" comes the reply, "guitar". After trying some sounds out, she settles on a nice, pingy, stratocaster with a tremolo effect. She responds much better to this sound and I know how she feels; getting the right sound makes all the difference to your motivation to play, like having good quality colours to paint with.

We jam along and after half an hour, the session draws to a close; I make a mental note to look up Vimto adverts on YouTube, so I might sing along with Colin; I promise not to mumble.

What's it like teaching BTEC Music in a special school? (Part 2)

2011-03-08T14:31:00.001-08:00

First week back after half-term; Class 1 is still down on numbers - only one student present today (I'll call him 'Tom') but he's a fantastic musician. We want to start looking at improvisation today, traditionally a potential vipers nest to teach; I explain it as 'planned Vs made up on the spot'. This isn't strictly true - John Coltrane usually had some idea what might be about to happen - but this is the challenge of teaching Entry Level, that is, making concepts accessible. Music is a generous mistress in this point; even the most seemingly prosaic ideas can be understood on a sliding scale of difficulty, without losing any integrity.

Our take is to begin with a game of 'Just a Minute' i.e. having to make up stuff on the spot about a subject you've just been given. We take it in turns to talk, whilst the others form an audience, each holding a switch with a buzzer sound. It really is difficult to do and we find ourselves buzzing in with glee.

Next step is to ask Ben, my Drake colleague to play two short pieces on his sax, one improvised, one an actual tune (by Courtney Pine as it turns out). I ask Tom if he can tell which one was improvised, which is not an easy question. He looks unsure until I point out that you can often spot the 'planned' piece because it has a melody, which usually repeats.

On to the practical: I explain to Tom that he will have three switches, each a different colour (see picture above). Each switch plays a different bass note. You can hold the switch down to produce long notes, or use short presses for shorter notes. It's a lovely, gloopy sub bass sound. I tell Tom that he can choose any combination of switches to play in any order he sees fit - improvisation in it's simplest form. At first he plays the switches with his elbow, resting his chin on his hand as he does in very comical fashion, as if he is about to snooze off. As he endlessly holds down the note, a deep resonant bass note hums out of the speakers until it becomes slightly unnerving.

His (excellent) teacher, who always sits in with the class, suggests he employ a more sophisticated approach, using his fingers. Tom looks bemused, but lifts his elbow off the switch and begins pressing different switches. In turn, a multitude of different notes begins to filter out of the speakers. He quickly begins to connect with the music he is making and we all join in: me on guitar, Ben on Sax, his teacher on keyboard (a rhodes sound) He starts to find patterns in his playing - first the red and yellow switches, then the yellow and blue; he discovers a technique whereby you can rest your hand on both switches and blend the notes.

The entire piece sounds unmistakably like 1970's era Miles Davis i.e. 'In a Silent Way' which is not to say we aimed for this, but it's where we've arrived at by chance. We play for the next ten minutes without stopping - no words, no analysis, just music. It's what we call a 'magic moment' whereby 'stuff' just 'clicks'. My only concern is that the technology we are using to give Tom access to playing - Soundbeam - is not a common instrument (although it is more commonly found in special schools) and so the school would struggle to replicate the performance without us there.

This is the biggest challenge of all, to come up with lo-tech equivalents of what we do using 'hi-tech' equipment, and not lose the accessibility or the quality. It's what mainstream teachers struggle with every day and I can't ask them to try harder if I myself am not using the same equipment. So it's the equivalent of the 'recession buster' idea - trying to do the same kinds of things you usually do, but with less resources.

Class 2's piece is a case in point - a version of 'Pachelbel's Canon' using 6 switches, MIDI drum pads which use a bass sound from Reason - via our macbook laptop, a very nice harpsichord sound on a USB keyboard (again sourced from Reason software) . Today is the re-run of the cancelled performance before half-term. All the students are here this time plus invited friends from the mainstream secondary school next door, a very supportive crowd.

The warm up goes well; Student 1 (call him 'Niall') uses a chin switch to play which, as it suggests, involves him pressing a choice of three switches using his chin (the switches being attached to head) It gives him more control and speed than trying to play it with his hand (which can take him anything up to a minute to press). When he presses his switch, it triggers a drum fill, and then plays the first note of the sequence. The drum fill lets everyone else know we're back to note '1' again, plus it sounds great - completely at odds with the seriousness of the Canon. Then it's onto the next player (note 2, note 3 and so on), all attempting to be played with a sense of a steady pulse, and in the correct order.

Our drum pad player (call him 'Colin') is a really hands on musician; not for him to be using drum sticks to play the pads, but his fists. He must play one pad for each note of the sequence. We've put photographs of the other players on each drum pad to help him match his notes to the right person. He can play the sequence perfectly, but his attention can wander and he is bursting with energy. We need to get a performance in quick...

In the end it goes smoothly; the students are alert to when it's their tun to play in the sequence - especially Niall who has the heavy responsibility of being note no. 1. These students work incredibly hard on what is a tricky piece for any KS3 age student, disabled or not. But I get the strong sense they enjoy being challenged, even though it is last period on a Wednesday. These are intelligent students who love Music. It's a professional privilege to try and give them the access to performing that they so richly deserve, are entitled to. Even in his wildest dreams, Pachelbel couldn't have imagined this particular gig but I'll wager that he would have loved it.

What's it like teaching BTEC Music in a special school? (Part 1)

2011-02-17T05:45:00.000-08:00

Invisibility is a common problem in our work. Loads of people - including many in the music sector - simply haven't heard of us; and if they have, their knowledge is sketchy at best. This is no criticism - just try me on a 'starter for 10' on the finer details of workings of the ISM or the MEC, and I'd struggle. In my experience, because a lot of what we do involves non-mainstream technology/ gadgets/ gizmos...it's often difficult for people to 'get' what we do, it just seems too 'out there' and specialised.

I want to help demistify Drake Music. And the best way to do that is to simply describe what an average day is like - if such a thing exists - for an Associate Tutor like me, making music with music students who also happen to be disabled. Better still, describe my work week-on-week, the highs, the lows, the inbetweens. Many of the approaches and equipment we use can be assimilated successfully by other music educators, both in mainstream and special schools; but I hope that this bridging of a gap can be helped along by unpacking what happens in a Drake Music session - in this case, BTEC Entry Level Music.

So, this week...

We arrive and unpack the van - about 4-5 cases, 3 rucksacks, mic stands...guitar, saxophone, keyboards...it is a lot of stuff, but we need/ use it all. Wherever possible, we do use the equipment the school has - it's better for them in the long-term, so they can run their own sessions independently (as long as they can hang onto the non music-specialist staff who learn to use it...)

The session is run in a decent sized room, and well equipped in terms of computers/ projector etc. More than often, we're put into rooms resembling shoeboxes, and that's before you try to fit three wheelchairs into them. We get set-up quickly; hardware, software, wires etc. Many people's reaction on entering the room is that we are about to launch the next Apollo 11 mission (and it's true that we have more computing power in one laptop than they did on the entire craft)

You may have noticed I say 'we' - it's nearly always two tutors. It works best this way e.g. one person to run the computer, one to be 'front of house' talking and playing music with the kids. LAs often want to do this kind of work with one tutor. It rarely works, stressful for the tutor trying to do it all, a unsatisfactory experience for the kids. All music classrooms should ideally have two adults e.g. a teacher and a freelance musician, especially if they're using a lot of technology.

Back to the session...we open the software (Ableton Live/ Reason) and check everything is working. We use switches to launch audio clips; set up keyboards with gaffer tape blocking off many of the keys, to help the students focus on one particular scale; get the mic working; test the Soundbeam; check, check and check again. Mainstream teachers would need extra time and another person helping to get to this stage of preparedness (I know this, having been a classroom teacher in a mainstream secondary school previously)

Then, the TA who accompanies the first BTEC group (three physically disabled students, all with varying access needs) arrives to say that none of the kids are in, mainly due to illness. It's disappointing - we hoped to perform a piece today to an audience. Frequent absences is a key barrier to disabled students gaining accredited outcomes in Music (and other subjects). This group is full of strong personalities, and we have a lot of fun just jamming - but of course, we film the whole session as it is all potential evidence.

The second group are also depleted due to illness, again, a shame as we plan to perform our version of Pachelbel's Canon: eight switches, each with a single note on it...when played in the right order, we get the basic Canon. Instead we have a 'scratch' group consisting of other students who have come along to make up the numbers. We give everyone a switch, including the TAs. The floor looks like a sea of spaghetti with extension cables allowing the switches to stretch further (watch your feet, health and safety applies). Some students hold the switches on their laps, others press their switches mounted on an angle arm.

We do a sound check, with everyone playing their note in turn. They all work. We try playing the cycle of notes; I add Harpsichord, my colleague plays the ground bass notes on drum pads, borrowed from the school. The piece works, a beautiful sound emerges, participants are taken aback, until that is, one of the switches fails. We try swapping switches...no good. Check the cables...no; check the adaptor? Still no. Then we realise the order of the last two notes is also wrong...what's the solution? Try to back track through the MIDI assignments...my brain is hanging out as I try to suss what needs to be done.

When this happened in the old days, when I first started doing this work, I felt the attendant silence in the room very keenly; seconds feel like minutes. In reality, it takes us 90 seconds or so to get things sorted; from the audiences point of view, it's no big deal, just a pause in events. In a classroom situation, with a mixed group of 30 students, I realise this would be a much bigger problem. But then, I wouldn't suggest using the equipment we have today, but instead try it with gear that teachers are confident with.

The piece continues, and again, it really works, has momentum, a sense of timing, people taking turns...staff stick their heads round the door to see where it's coming from. It could have been different, had we not been able to sort out the glitch midaway, and we have had to abandon sessions where we just couldn't save the situation ("computer says no") That's when the humble guitar comes in handy, as my other colleague attempts to get the 'engines restarted'.

So, a good outcome musically...a close call when it nearly all went down...absent students...'spaghetti' on the floor...Pachelbel done our way, accessibly.

‘…good in places, and distinctly optimistic…’ (apologies to Henley Review, section 1.10)

2011-02-08T13:06:00.000-08:00

I’ve read the Henley Review (no government researchers to brief me…) and I’m feeling very positive! I truly think that Henley is a golden opportunity for young disabled musicians to finally get where the action is. For the first time there is the opportunity to place their needs strategically at the heart of a National Plan for Music Education (see Recommendation 10) No more add-ons, half-measures, fudges etc.

In many of the schools we have worked, there are hard-working music teachers who despite being completely ‘on board’ about including disabled musicians in music lessons, ensembles and accreditation, consistently fail to achieve this. Many of them put their hands up and admit it just isn’t realistic given their timetables/ resources/ experience/ SEN support (delete as appropriate) Many of these are excellent professionals and massively frustrated that they can’t achieve what they want for all their students.

The reasons why they don’t succeed have to be at the top of the agenda for any discussions around disabled/ SEN students at the ‘National Plan for Music Education’. The discussions have got to be honest, not defensive; we need to understand the true picture, including why (often- isolated) music teachers find it so challenging; equally the unique perspective of disabled students – what are the barriers they face on a daily basis to access music?

I believe we need to work on three key areas: Identify the barriers to participation and accreditation in music for disabled/ SEN students which currently exist in the UK music education sector. Many of them are not necessarily musical in nature – for example, a school which does not have a named IT technician to ensure that potential software/ hardware issues can be addressed. Many disabled students rely on the smooth running of assistive music technology to access music.

I’m currently working at a school in Stroud, delivering our OCNSWR Introduction To Music course to a class of 6 students, all who face physically disabling barriers to participating in music lessons, but have no significant learning difficulties. I’ve recently spent time sorting out problematic film files so they are compatible to play in Clicker 5 (we are currently doing the ‘Composing Soundtracks for Films’ unit) The PCs at the school I am working at didn’t have the right drivers to play the files…frustrating, and stops a lesson in it’s tracks…it took me a while to crack but I’m fairly certain it would take the staff much longer.

The logical conclusion once we have sat round a table and identified these barriers is to establish benchmarks in participation and accreditation for other music educators to follow. Most music educators want this lead to be taken, to have solid guidelines to implement and reflect upon. There’s a sizeable hole at the moment in music education where this should be. There are notable islands e.g. Mencap have produced some excellent guides of late, but we need much more, based on the best practice we can find.

Lastly, my eye was caught by Recommendation 33 - sharing best practice for the creative use of music technology in music education. This is a win-win recommendation for everyone. If we start to do better in terms of using music technology, then, by definition, disabled/ SEN students will increasingly be included because they will have improved access. Darren Henley recommends ‘new methods of creating music that embrace technological innovation’ – we’ve got to start taking music tech seriously in the classroom as a performance tool, not simply as an occasional outing to the IT suite to work on Garageband (for instance)

I’m currently delivering Entry Level BTEC at a Special school in Bristol – with students facing very similar barriers to the ones I work with in Stroud. The students are producing some striking performances, mostly using fairly straightforward music tech. It’s first and foremost good music in my opinion, it just happens to be produced using music tech.

So, in general, I think Darren Henley has a clear message for us; as a profession, we need to lay down clear expectations for a modern music education sector. The detail of the provision – the ‘new deal’ - for disabled/ SEN students needs to be clearer than most. This is an opportunity we must step up to as a profession.

'On coalitions...'

2010-10-05T03:55:00.000-07:00

Coalitions are, obviously, much in vogue in this country at the moment. Despite the oncoming train that is the October 20th announcement on spending cuts, the public appears to be, in the main, relatively content with the Conservative/ Liberal pact. There's a feeling that this might be a new, more sensible approach to dealing with the big issues, rather than the usual Westminster shout-ins and in-fighting.

Much of what I'm reading and hearing about recently re: music education, is similarly focussed on this theme of collaboration and partnerships. In easier financial times, organisations who deliver music provision can more afford to concentrate on their own plans and aspirations, but now, with 'all bets off', people are looking around them for potential allies. But can coalitions prosper in the music education sector, in particular classroom teaching and community music? The nominal wall between formal and informal music education has of course been partly dismantled in recent years, but so many of the projects and partnerships tend to suffer from short-term-ism; plenty of 'value-added' to the curriculum, but rarely a lasting legacy.

The recently announced 'Henley Review' an independent review looking at how the funding available for music education can most effectively be used to secure the best music education for all children and young people - would, I think, do well to look hard at this question. Music departments cannot realistically be run by one individual any more, if they are to engage with the demands of a '21st Century' music education (and the current, fast evolving musical landscape of the UK). By this I mean issues like: in-depth engagement with music technology; small group-based working models rather than 30+ students at once; quality access to music for students with SEN/ disabilities; ongoing CPD for teachers via interaction and support from other music professionals.

We need community musicians/ orchestral players/ talented musical parents (enter your own tag here _) in every music class in this country, working alongside music teachers. That means a compete re-appraisal of how we fund and organise music services and school classroom delivery. The knowledge and experience about teaching and assessing music is held in so many different places and minds. Rather than continuing to merely observe each other across the musical 'dispatch box', we need to make a new deal (ideally one involving a more diverse cross-section than these two...)

GCSE Music success for Jordan!

2010-09-28T06:20:00.000-07:00

Talented Drake Music student Jordan Andow has achieved his goal of passing GCSE Music. Jordan, who attends the City Academy in Bristol, had previously worked with Drake Music (SW) on a range of performing and composing projects. He has been supported over the past two years by Jonathan Westrup, Drake Music Curriculum Development worker. Jordan’s achievement is made even more remarkable for the fact that he nearly didn’t take the course. A mixture of timetabling clashes and other pressures meant he considered having to drop his favourite subject. However, the school stepped in to fund one-to-one support from Drake Music and the result is a fantastic outcome both for Jordan, and for music education generally in this country. Jordan is soon to start college and plans to continue making his own music.

Music for music's sake, or something else...?

2010-08-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

What is music for? In a recent Q&A for the upcoming NAME conference, Dick Hallam, National Music Participation Director, was asked why he believed music education is important for all children. He answered by pointing to 'its power to transform lives'. Equally, the phrase 'The Power of Music' has become a main staple of music education speak in recent years. Now, no one would deny that music is a special kind of human activity, capable of grabbing our attention and emotions and even allowing us fresh perspectives on our lives.

And yet...I find myself a bit irked with this power/ transformation speak; it's as if the function of music for young people has become that of a vessel for promoting social cohesion, economic well-being, personal revelation. What happened to music for its own sake, without the baggage?

There are echos here of the debate that occurred around the arts when New Labour came into power, roughly, were the arts to be used for social change, or be promoted for it's own sake and enjoyment? To some extent, the increased funding for music education in recent years has been sold on the back of claims for the 'knock-on effects' eg increased performance in other subjects by students who take music, improved future economic prospects for those from low income families.

However, a focus on music as a transformative 'balm' for the self, and for wider society, has the potential effect of diverting attention away from currently overlooked and under developed aspects of music education. An example, based on my work: many students with SEN/ disabilities currently have sketchy access to quality, ongoing music provision in their schools. It's common for onlookers to describe this group's musical experiences and achievements only in terms of their theraputic qualities - rather than in the context of a normal 'bog-standard' music education with all the usual ups and downs. For such students, music can and should be pursued and enjoyed without hanging tags on it. We should focus on developing their access to workaday music provision and accreditation, instead of automatically looking for the transformative, dramatic effects from often short-term projects.

Because pursuing music as an interest or subject is actually often more straightfoward; it's a series of ongoing, repetitive rehearsals; time spent composing songs with plenty of dead ends; performances that went well but could have gone better...and then, occasionally, magic moments to make all the graft worthwhile. What is music for? It's about the love of it and, yes, it can contribute to young people transforming their everyday situation. But please can we re-balance things towards the former?

Bradley breaks the glass ceiling!

2010-07-20T06:55:00.000-07:00

Bradley, our pilot student for our NOCN 'Introduction to Music' Course, successfully passed last week (four units, all at Level 1) This is obviously a significant achievement for him personally, overcoming many barriers along the way, and creating a quality portfolio which is both wide-ranging and musically surprising by turns.

However, his success also plants a clear signpost in the ground for other students to follow. Firstly, he is an excellent role model and a pioneer; he has proven that students facing the barriers he does can independently take accredited music courses and succeed. Next academic year we plan to deliver the course to a class of six students with physically disabling barriers at the same school.

Secondly, the approaches and resources we have used to create the music are now ready for any other student to pick up and use - they won't simply sit there now, in an educational time capsule. The most important task now is to get the course more widely known - and used.

Lastly, it moves the goalposts in terms of music provision in this country for SEN/ disabled students in the UK. Current provision is simply not good enough; we know that educators and musicians and exam boards recognise the need to change this, but it isn't happening nearly as much as it could be. Bradley's success opens the door for professionals to walk through.

If this sounds grand, it really is not; congratulations Bradley!

Wonderful Support for our Curriculum Development Initiative (CDI)

2010-07-09T04:21:00.000-07:00

We recently received a very generous donation, made in memory of Jason Morris, to support the development of Drake Music’s Curriculum Development Initiative. The CDI, part-funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, aims to broaden access to the music curriculum in general and to accreditation in music in particular.

Through the CDI we want to ensure that disabled children and young people can pursue the same progression routes as their non-disabled peers, using accreditation as a springboard. As part of CDI, we will support young people with their BTEC in music, and have written and piloted a new NOCN (National Open College Network) course 'Introduction to Music', which will be rolled out nationally over the coming years.

Other key components of this initiative are advocacy, extensive lobbying of key policy makers, and developing a new, fully inclusive music technology exam, working closely with ABRSM.

Jason Morris, in whose memory the donation was made died in 2009. He was a talented, technically adept and very fast guitarist. Music was the centre of his life. He was much appreciated by his peers for the way he shared his knowledge and gave his encouragement, as well as being known for his wit. He participated in Gasfest, a guitar event in support of Drake Music. Jason greatly admired Drake Music's work and this donation is in many ways a fitting memorial to him.

This generous donation – over a four-year period - will have a significant impact, increasing our reach and enabling us to make a step-change in the development and implementation of the Curriculum Development programme.

For more information about CDI, please contact

Jonathan Westrup

jonathanwestrup@drakemusicproject.org

07905563545

Or visit

www.drakemusicproject.org

http://drakemusiccdi.blogspot.com

"It's the creative, dynamic music teachers, stupid"*

2010-06-21T05:56:00.000-07:00

(* Apologies to Bill Clinton campaign strategist James Carville)

What is holding back increased participation and accreditation in music for disabled/SEN students in this country?

It's not the lack of legislation which ensure that 'reasonable adjustments' are made to make music accessible to all children; it's not a shortage of will or enthusiasm on the part of music educators and staff - everyone I talk to agrees on the need for more music and equality of opportunity; it's not a shortage of 'technology': accessible music technology, in essence, means any piece of kit which gives access to music. It could be a Soundbeam, or it could equally be a small practice amp and a microphone with an echo switch. Increasingly, neither is it about the lack of accessible, re-usable resources for students and teachers.

What I believe we need most is, ironically, something we have in abundance already in many of our school music departments, music services, universities and colleges. We need imagination; planning; and 'professional courage'.

Imagination...because, as I've suggested already, many departmental music cupboards already harbour useful accessible music technology. The trick is to look at at it all in a different way e,g, 'could that keyboard be connected to the spare guitar delay pedal you have, and then linked to a small amp, so that when you play middle C, you get a heck of a drone..' It's creative approaches that count, not necessarily big budgets.

Planning...every teacher has to plan and planned lessons are usually more effective and enjoyable. To make your lesson accessible to all students you teach e.g. like the example above, you just need to plan a bit harder. Once you've created a set-up that works, you can apply it to many different contexts, so the planning time pays for itself.

'professional courage'...(hint: it's not attempting to placate your restless Year 9 class on a rainy Friday afternoon in early January by singing/playing Lady Gaga's latest Top 40 hit on the piano after only one listen) I believe that the best way to judge a music department or service is based on how well they cater for those with least access to music. As ever, I'm not saying for a minute that it isn't challenging or difficult for some, based on local conditions. But music teachers and musicians are so often the 'big personalities' in the room. They have the ability to make things happen, to fill rooms with incredible sounds, to encourage, to inspire, to cause laughter. 'Courage' here means going beyond your normal comfort zones and expectations of yourself, trying methods you're not familiar with, taking the chance that you might fail, but crack it next time.

Teachers, as ever, are the biggest resource we have.

'Five films you must see before you teach another music lesson...'

2010-03-29T06:56:00.000-07:00

Newspapers and magazines are fond of making lists of films that you absolutely, completely, without fail must see if you are ever to show your face in polite society again. The film I want to tell you about (http://www.teachingmusic.org.uk/resource/16153) was not made in Hollywood, nor on a huge budget (think me + camcorder + no budget) However, I can report that the subject of the film has unquestionable star quality...

Bradley, who attends St Roses School in Stroud, is the first student to pilot the new 'Introduction to Music' course which Drake Music have written. Why does the world need yet another accredited music course? Well, strictly speaking it doesn't; but what it does badly need are accessible, re-usable teaching and learning resources. After years of making music with physically disabled/ SEN students in both mainstream and special school settings, Drake Music have long noted that many of these students would love to be participating more in the National Curriculum for Music and also achieving accredited outcomes, but that the lack of accessible resources was acting as a barrier.

The resources for the 'Introduction to Music' course have been written using Clicker 5 software, meaning that students like Bradley can access the resources using switch access (in his case using a head-switch). This enables him to work independently, even take work home to do. Equally, the format ensures the course is accessible to any student, disabled or not (for more details about running the course, please contact me at jonathanwestrup@drakemusicproject.org)

And so to the film: using his communication aid, Bradley discusses his work and experiences of taking the course in front of an audience of 30 PGCE Music students at Bristol University. His script was written by him with support from his Speech and Language Therapist at St Roses School (see the description attached to the film for more details of this) Later on in the film he answers questions from the students, displaying a laid-back manner not normally associated with teenagers asked to talk to an audience for 20 minutes. It's an fascinating, funny and entertaining film ("Roy Orbison...") interspersed with examples of his music. It demonstrates so clearly the creative achievements that young people like Bradley are capable of in music when they are afforded equal access to provision. I hope it serves as a real catalyst to all teachers and music educationalists who make music with young people with disabilities/ SEN.

And finally, back to those 'best of' lists; after nearly fifty distinguished (and grizzled) years of making music, American guitar legend Neil Young won his first Grammy this year. In typical fashion, whilst accepting the award he declared that "there is no best in music". However, I'll disagree with Neil here and declare an interest: in my humble opinion, Bradley's work must surely be up there with the best of them.

Inclusive by design? The future of Music departments

2010-01-29T03:06:00.000-08:00

The music department in my first music teaching job in Bristol was situated on the second floor, not much use for students using wheelchairs (nor for delivery firms bringing up a grand piano). The rooms had huge windows on one side - boiling in the summer, freezing in the winter; the whole class could watch Concorde's descent on it's final flight. When I arrived in post, we were offering the usual option: KS3...GCSE...A Level and so I cracked on, dutifully accepting of the exact same model I had experienced as a student in the late 1980s.

Monks Walk school in Hertfordshire have a school motto: "Vel optima cuique praebere" or "Excellence for all". Nothing radical in that sentiment for a school you might think; but the school's Music department has embarked on a transformation which takes this motto to heart, and could well prove to be an influential model for other music departments to emulate.

The department have embraced a 'personalised learning' approach to Music, based around the Musical Futures model. Students can focus on music that interests them, work at their own pace and the teacher becomes more of an advisor/ mentor than a traditional teacher figure. Students can access a wide range of courses at KS3/4 to suit their individual needs.

The head of Monks Walk said that the benefits of the approach include:

'...motivation, inclusion and the opportunity to follow their own preferred routes through music based on styles and genres they understand and are familiar with, as well as working to their own ability levels'.

What is crucial about this model for music students with disabilities/SEN is that it is inclusive by design. There is no need for any cumbersome 'add-ons' or a two tier approach to teaching, learning and accreditation for disabled and non-disabled students. We know from our own work with disabled/SEN children that this kind of child-centred approach - increasingly based on their own musical interests and to a flexible time-scale - is usually very successful for any child.

However, the model inevitably raises some questions too:

It relies on students managing their own time effectively and understanding how they learn best themselves - students need to be taught these skills
It’s a potential logistical headache to juggle so many courses at different levels/ timescales.
You need a lot of extra room space to allow students to work in peace
You require increased support from outside the department e.g. musicians, which also costs more

No-one said that it would ever be easy to transform a department, nor that it would be achieved overnight. But I believe that these types of models are the key to increased access to music at schools for disabled/SEN students in the future, rather than the small, sparodic pots of funding and short term provision which are more commonly the case for this group.

Don't call us, we'll call you...?

2009-11-23T12:35:00.000-08:00

I'm currently attempting to establish some dialogue with the major UK examining bodies around access issues for disabled musicians to GCSE, but it has not been completely plain sailing; navigating the jungle that is customer care, epic adventures through middle and upper departmental management structures, before, finally, many weeks of waiting for that elusive email...

Well, perhaps I'm stretching the point slightly, but in my experience many of the boards have been slow to respond to our enquiries (but helpful in the end) One of the issues I have been seeking to raise with them is identifying potential barriers to accessing the GCSE Music course. Now, I'm happy here to acknowledge that many of these hurdles have been addressed under the latest course specifications e.g. students no longer have to perform in the traditional sense, they can multi-track a performance using a sequencing program. Equally, in recent years SENDA legislation has ensured that 'reasonable adjustments' are being made with increasing regularity for a wide range of music students with disabilities/ SEN.

So, no issues then? Well, not quite; based on our day-to-day experiences working with disabled students in both mainstream and special schools, as well as previous conversations we have had with the examining bodies, we anticipate that there may still be some gaps between the specifications as outlined on paper and the reality of taking and passing the exam for some disabled students - in particular those who face severe physical barriers. One example is the question of establishing benchmarks for marking work played using assistive music technology, side by side with conventional instrumentals. It's simply not clear how thoroughly tested certain specifications have been in this arena.

Equally, I have no current evidence (but I'd love to be put straight) that the boards have definite targets for increasing the numbers of disabled/SEN candidates, nor that they have bespoke initiatives to achieve this. In a separate, but related story, the BBC this year announced a rise in the corporate target for disabled staff to 5.5% by 2012. In the media generally, there is a concerted move by all major broadcasters towards involving and encouraging more disabled actors, presenters and production staff.

This is what I believe we need more of from the major examining bodies in the UK; to actively reach out to those disabled/ SEN students who are currently overlooked, or simply didn't think that taking GCSE was within their grasp. Now that really would be something to celebrate come 2012.

The kaleidoscope of provision: notes on the recent NAME conference

2009-10-16T06:04:00.000-07:00

The recent experience of presenting on the Drake CDI at the NAME conference (enough acronyms?) has left us with food for thought. The presentation itself went well, with positive feedback from those attending; but equally, the conversations and meetings we had during the day caused us to pause and consider the current state of the disabled/ SEN music education 'sector'.

I use the word sector with due caution; despite all the examples of excellent practice by schools, music services, community musicians and other music educators, these pockets of work are often fairly isolated, disconnected and scattered around the UK. Many accomplished music educators are working very hard and extremely passionately from the point of view of their own particular experience e.g. PMLD, SLD, EBD but are not always able to usefully relate these experiences to other areas, which, although technically different are ultimately linked by the same agenda of breaking down disabling barriers to music.

And back to those acronyms...a colleague recently suggested - not without a sense of humour - a terminology 'amnesty' where professionals could bring their own definitions to the table without fear of potentially being criticised for describing their work improperly. Effective communication should be a strength for the sector rather than a potential barrier.

On the topic of communication, the sharing of best practice is particularly prescient for our own CDI work. From the start we were conscious of not 're-inventing the wheel'; we would have been delighted to have found out that an existing project was already up and running. At one of the meetings at NAME we attended, the Special Educational Needs Special Interest Group (SEN SIG - those acronyms again!) many of us described our own, very different experiences of delivering Wider Opportunities work in various parts of the UK. By the end, we agreed the need to pool our experiences and resources and maybe present at the next National Music Services conference.

And this is the point: wherever relevant, we need a collective response, not only with the aim of improving music provision for every child, but also supporting each other as professionals. The CDI wasn't created to specifically do this; but we have started to see that it has the potential to begin to draw together the kaleidoscope of provision out there.

Everybody's talking...

2009-07-31T04:35:00.000-07:00

The three priorities for the CDI right now are 'communication, communication, communication' (apologies, of sorts, to T. Blair)...

We need to let all the partners we have made thus far - examination boards, teacher training providers, LEAs, schools, government - aware of the fact that we have been successful in our EF bid, and what our plans are for the next three years.

The key to this is to stress the mutual benefits of collaborating. For example, in relation to examination boards, we’ll be spreading and sharing all this CDI info far and wide, disseminating our NOCN course and resources and also accessible GCSE music resources. In turn, the boards expand and develop their access procedures and see an increase in disabled students taking their courses.

Equally, closer to home, I want to ensure that everyone in Drake is on board and contributing ideas, opinions and experiences as well as suggesting contacts to follow up. This is a national initiative and so should reflect the talents and knowledge of associates across the country. I hope people will take time to read my blog whenever possible!

Drake Music CDI blog is go!

2009-07-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

This is the first blog of many I will be making over the next three years, describing the process and progress of the Drake Music Curriculum Development Initiative (CDI), funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation under their 'New Approaches to Learning' strand. I'm fairly new to blogging so it will be an interesting way to document the journey!

The overall aim of the CDI is to broaden access for disabled musicians to the music curriculum in general, and to music accreditation in particular. We will work to identify the barriers that this diverse group of students face, and develop working partnerships with key organisations - examining bodies, teacher training institutions and government - to increase achievement, inclusion and equality in music education.

Stay tuned...