Don't Stop the Music - Channel 4

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

This does happen in some areas. The problem is that mainstream primary school teachers then don't become involved and music is regard even more as an "extra".

Yes - that's why I put in the "perhaps". (And I've seen a couple of these "lessons": a local pianist comes into school once a week and gathers all the KS2 kids into the hall to bash hell out of a helpless upright, and then complain that she can't hear them. "Sit up and sing out!" seemed to be her entire purport.)

But do the "mainstream" teachers have to become involved? If they lack competence in a subject, isn't it good that they're kept from getting in the way of someone who knows what they're doing? Isn't it a good thing that overworked primary school teachers (if you'll forgive the tautology) get a glimpse of the "free period" rightly considered essential to the effective teaching of the secondary teacher? And, if the "visiting" teacher is a part of a child's education throughout their primary education, s/he (and their subject) becomes an essential part of that education, not an "extra" to it - could, in best practice, become the single unifying figure throughout their seven years in primary school.

[MrGongGong]

I think the point was that the head teacher could not spend money she didn't have.

But she does have money, it's a compulsory subject, she might choose to spend the money on something else
Who paid for the new drums?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

But she does have money, it's a compulsory subject, she might choose to spend the money on something else
Who paid for the new drums?

She outlined her budget in the previous programme, and it was clear that her budget was minuscule in relation to the needs of the school. Just because it's compulsory does not mean the funds are provided. In my job I am frequently told to do certain things, requiring equipment that no-one provides and with a budget of £0.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

(And I've seen a couple of these "lessons": a local pianist comes into school once a week and gathers all the KS2 kids into the hall to bash hell out of a helpless upright, and then complain that she can't hear them. "Sit up and sing out!" seemed to be her entire purport.)

Yes, that does happen. Nothing wrong with good sing, but inspiration, encouragement and understanding are prerequisites.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Yes, that does happen. Nothing wrong with good sing, but inspiration, encouragement and understanding are prerequisites.

Which is partly why I'm not so concerned that the classroom teacher needs to be involved: it's difficult to be inspirational if you aren't completely confident that you know what you're doing - which might be the case if the only Music teacher training one has received is that rather wonderful INSET day led by people who made it look so easy.

Mind you - it is sometimes useful for kids to see "Sir"/"Miss" struggling with a subject on occasion; it can inspire confidence to see someone else sharing difficulties and watching them gradually overcome them. Especially if the kid masters the difficulty before their classroom teacher. (I speak as someone with a history of a few years' supply PE teaching!) Obviously this isn't advisable for more than one subject (and I stress that the scenario I've suggested here is within the context of a lesson supervised by a trained Music teacher) - but I do think it's essential for teachers to learn something they don't know; Welsh, driving, hockey, car maintenance ... it doesn't matter what, just as long as they struggle to keep up; keeping themselves aware of what it's like to have difficulty learning something unfamiliar.

[MrGongGong]

She outlined her budget in the previous programme, and it was clear that her budget was minuscule in relation to the needs of the school. Just because it's compulsory does not mean the funds are provided. In my job I am frequently told to do certain things, requiring equipment that no-one provides and with a budget of £0.

I know
BUT, it IS a choice, the head sets the budget
If the school has no-one who is prepared to put music on the agenda then nothing will happen
If you look at where this school is and the number of potential partners (organisations, ensembles etc ) then it seems a bit odd that there seems to be a total absence of music.

I'm NOT saying (in an ABRSM style) that everything is lovely by any means.

I wonder what the "true" story is ?
I'm not the only person to think that it seemed odd for a school with NO music budget to have new Djembe drums

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I know
BUT, it IS a choice, the head sets the budget

Not you Mr GG. You're supposed to be one of the good guys. That's exactly what Osborne/Gove/Morgan say when schools don't have enough money. (It's like saying, "Do you want to be hanged, beheaded or burnt?")

I wonder what the "true" story is ?
I'm not the only person to think that it seemed odd for a school with NO music budget to have new Djembe drums

That is strange. But some people's minds never progress beyond this.

[MrGongGong]

Not you Mr GG. You're supposed to be one of the good guys. That's exactly what Osborne/Gove/Morgan say when schools don't have enough money. (It's like saying, "Do you want to be hanged, beheaded or burnt?")
:

It is what they say, and a classic trick from politicians
and there isn't enough money, that's true
BUT from what we saw of this head, she wasn't exactly advocating for music.

From what we saw i'm not sure that if she had more money she would have spent it on music anyway ?

I'm still puzzled as to where they got the drums ?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

From what we saw i'm not sure that if she had more money she would have spent it on music anyway ?

True. She didn't seem to have music on the radar at all.

[Serial_Apologist]

Personally I don't find genre based approaches to teaching music or inspiring curiosity to be particularly successful.
The basics of music are not to do with genres or styles
but sounds

But as you've emphasised elsewhere, understanding is more about context (and the understanding thereof) than the thing in-itself, i.e. sui generis; Given that context is a moveable feast dependent on perspective, and perspective determines where to start, we can get caught up in into the complex issues involving when sounds acquire meanings in musical contexts, what precisely are these contexts and do they determine the meanings we invest in eg cadential resolutions ("they all lived happily every after") or are there hard-wired psycho-acoustic laws underpinning how sounds become musical and impact in ways that divide opinion? Big questions!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

But do the "mainstream" teachers have to become involved? If they lack competence in a subject, isn't it good that they're kept from getting in the way of someone who knows what they're doing? Isn't it a good thing that overworked primary school teachers (if you'll forgive the tautology) get a glimpse of the "free period" rightly considered essential to the effective teaching of the secondary teacher? And, if the "visiting" teacher is a part of a child's education throughout their primary education, s/he (and their subject) becomes an essential part of that education, not an "extra" to it - could, in best practice, become the single unifying figure throughout their seven years in primary school.

Wider Opportunities is normally a one-year year course. It can be extended, but the concept was introduced for two reasons:
1. To tick the box for the politicians;
2. To provide a "taster" for learning a musical instrument.
As teaching a full class to play for a year results in limited progress, doing the same for another year (or 3) is likely to be counterproductive.

[MrGongGong]

[Serial_Apologist]

The father would have doubtless been an oom-pa.

(I'll get my brolly!)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The father would have doubtless been an oom-pa.

(I'll get my brolly!)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I love that joke, Alpie.

Yes - my own ideas are more idealistic and involve more than just providing experience on an instrument to a class for just a year. I'm more interested in a child's whole-school Music education and experience. I'm not so idealistic to believe any more that anything other than "What's the cheapest thing we can get away with?" motivates political "thinking" about any education. In some ways, I'm rather sad I'm not.