John Witchell's Chief Executive blog

The truth endureth from generation to generation

The Royal Northern College of Music is a great place to be when discussing music education, especially when it’s the musiclearninglive!2010 conference, as it was last week. With so much live music around you, and with so many young people making music, it’s an ideal place to meet like-minded people who share the same musical passions.

What marks this conference is the amount of practical music that is threaded through the seminars and presentations. Two outstanding concerts were relished by delegates. The first was by Tim Garland and his superb jazz trio ‘Storms/Nocturnes’. They played a fabulous number called ‘Rising Tide’, which would make a great signature tune for our leadership programme ‘Rising with the Tide’ - and by the way we still have literally one or two places left for the September course. I believe that this leadership training is essential for anyone considering taking a leadership post in a music service and it is also ideal for recently appointed heads. So if you have been considering this I recommend you sign up quickly by contacting sarah.adamson@federationmusic.org.uk.

The second concert was by the choir of Ripon Cathedral. It was inspiring in every sense and reinforced my fervent belief that in singing children can and do match the highest standards of adults. In a demanding programme, which they sailed through with technical and musical mastery, I thought about a parallel between words in Walton’s Te Deum - ‘the truth endureth from generation to generation’ and the ‘enduring’ nature of learning in music. At a time when we are articulating our message about the power of music we know that we will never fail to pass on our love of music to the next generation.

In some ways that was a theme of the conference and was certainly implicit in the keynote by Deborah Annetts, Chief Executive of the Incorporated Society of Musicians. Deborah articulated what many delegates were thinking; that the Music Standards Fund, which is the backbone of music education funding, must be centrally retained and ring-fenced for music education. Her messages about the great heritage that we have, and the need to ensure that opportunities are sustained for young people to fulfil their potential through high quality teaching often in music services, were clearly supported by all. We also appreciated her determination to fight for the sake of all our young musicians.

There is, I truly believe, a ground swell of support for music services. There is recognition that we have a central role in ensuring that sustained pathways are clearly available to all children - from first steps, through progressive routes in lessons, ensembles, choirs and orchestras, to accelerated programmes for gifted musicians. There is, therefore a high expectation - and with that comes responsibility. We haven’t used the term ‘hub’ very much recently, but perhaps we should again. With possible structural changes locally and nationally, we need to ensure that music services retain their front line role of delivery, whilst doing more in the areas of brokering, commissioning and forging partnerships with other organisations who share our objectives. At the conference there were many delegates who are not members of music services as such, but nevertheless I sincerely hope that they all feel warmly welcomed by their local music services. I hope we draw them into our communities and work together in providing the highest standards of learning in music.

I note that the Conservative Party is now telling us to ‘vote for change’. Well, I think that whichever party one votes for, change is inevitable. And of course change has been the theme of the Music Service Communication Campaign. Managing change is one thing - our teams, our structures. But to my mind it is ‘leading’ change, which is even more important. Our leadership is about finding solutions, taking opportunities, exploring alternatives and moving forward with confidence. It’s also about uniting the forces inside and outside music services. I am reassured by the strengthening friendships and advocacy of our partners in education. But I am also determined that the FMS also communicates its message with force and clarity, so that we will have no doubt about our legacy for the next generation.

Tides flowing and music services flowing from one generation to another - knowing the truth about why we teach music, why we serve children, schools and families and why we make Britain musical.

Do we agree with Ed Vaizey’s thoughts on music education?

It’s good that Ed Vaizey recently outlined his ideas on how music education could develop under a Conservative Government. His comments have certainly prompted some reactions from the music education world, which is no bad thing. Some people have told me that they agreed with everything he said, but others have disagreed profoundly. Personally I am pleased that the debate has opened up and that we now have the opportunity to articulate our views with greater clarity as well as passion.

Could there be a world without music services? Absolutely not - I think that everyone agrees that schools, children and families need us. We know how to teach, we know how to develop progression and we know how to provide opportunities for all children to fulfil their potential in and through music. Our relationship with schools is solid and trusting. They only work with us because they believe in us and I’m sure you would agree that they would terminate contracts with us very quickly indeed if they didn’t. Just for a moment think about how many children were being taught by us in schools a few years ago - 8% of the school population, which wasn’t particularly bad, given the terms of reference for our work. But now add up the numbers - heading for two million - again each week. And if you count that number over the years we run into many millions. Having said all that, I’m not saying that music services will be the same. Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis comes to mind - our main themes will change, but the music will be very exciting……….. and, by the way, if your youth orchestra hasn’t played it, why not give it an airing - it’s a great piece!

Can we exist without the Music Standards Fund? My answer to that is also no. I believe that politicians from all parties recognise that centralised funding, dedicated to music education is essential. Whilst music services have been successful in generating income over the last twenty years or so, the principles of entitlement, access and indeed quality are predicated on having reasonable and sufficient public funds - from government and local authorities in addition to funds generated by music services. The Music Standards Fund might not be the only source of funding for music education, but it enables local authorities to ensure that music is at the heart the educational agenda and provide comprehensive instrumental tuition, ensembles and programmes that would otherwise not be available for all young people.

So if part of our message is that central government funding is critically important, it would also be fair to point out that we are not simply arguing for the status quo. Music education has changed enormously over the last twenty years or so and the FMS is very clear about the need to develop models of delivery that are fit for purpose in the future. Nevertheless we have proved the value of what we do and we know that are work can transform lives - if you haven’t read the impact evaluation of Wider Opportunities have a look now while you are on this site. The evidence is clear - WO is of high international standards and has widespread positive support from pupils, parents, teachers, headteachers and local authorities. It scores on the musical front in terms of musical knowledge and understanding, and it it has a plethora of personal and social benefits including increased self confidence, motivation, enjoyment, discipline and even better school attendance. No-one can stop this ground-breaking initiative in its track - though, of course we all recognise that we have more to do, especially in the areas of progression and training. Finally bear in mind that the report recommends that ‘continued financial and resource commitment to schools and music services is needed’. That’s a message to all those responsible for funding.

The Think Again team are also raising the issue of managing change. Again they are absolutely right. However, let’s also remember that we have grappled with change over the years - we have introduced new initiatives other than Wider Opportunities and, at best, we are proactive and strategic in our thinking. I say ‘we’, but I also recognise that there are varying levels of confidence within FMS. Therefore it is important that we have belief in our ability to manage the change, to think outside the box and to lead, rather than be overtaken by events. The second round of Think Again is now rapidly filling up, so if you have not booked your place, please contact Sarah Adamson at the FMS office as quickly as you can. We all need to think again.

Do you agree that there are too many initiatives? Perhaps in some ways there are - and to an observer there may appear to be a confusing array. But I’m reminded of a phrase that Jerome Bruner once said - that there are ‘many tracks leading to the same goal’. It would be very dull if we were all doing the same thing (a bit like a National Curriculum!!) and diversity of approaches is healthy as much as consistency of standards is critical. I think the task here is to demonstrate how they are complementary, how they combine to produce holistic coherence and how the ‘whole is greater than the sum of the parts’. In doing that we also need to be clear about what isn’t really proving its worth. For instance, if something has to be propped up by unrealistic levels of funding how can it be sustained? Sustainability and replication are two essential criteria in my book, and if initiatives don’t meet them I think we should question why we would wish to continue investing in them.

So this all leads on to having a strategy - a cunning plan. I think we would all agree that the Music Manifesto was indeed a very comprehensive strategic tool, even though you might not call it a strategy. Whilst the Manifesto Partnership and Advocacy Group continues, we have priorities. However it seems to me that an urgent task is to develop them into a more compelling strategy for the future. This will be a priority for a new Legacy Group, designed to follow on from the Year of Music. I am on this group, which is chaired by Darren Henley, and I am optimistic that it will make a very significant contribution to the development of music education.

Of course, the future of music education doesn’t just concern music in schools; access to non-formal activities outside school has increased enormously over the last ten years, during the evolution of Youth Music. This has to be welcomed and may I congratulate Youth Music on its tenth anniversary. However many of our own activities are now outside formal education, and our partnerships with Youth Music are becoming stronger day by day. But we mustn’t forget that our roots are in school-based work - pedagogy, progression and school improvement. We support and enrich schools, we know how to teach and we know how children learn. We have the confidence of headteachers and we work closely with them, for instance in schools’ forums. Any incoming government needs to be cognizant of our integral contribution to schools and their improvement - not just as providers, but as facilitators, brokers and supporters.

And talking of brokers I would also say we shouldn’t try and fix something if it isn’t broken. (My humble apologies for a dreaful link!). What I mean is that sometimes I think that we are very good at talking ourselves down. Now stop it! We really are world class, we are leading the way in innovative ways of teaching music, and we do it well. I want to make it clear to any new government that they simply cannot do without us. That is the message that the FMS is conveying - not in isolation, but with our community of music educators who all support our cause - professional associations, examination boards and the music industry to name but three.

The FMS is determined; we will fight for music services as we fight for the entitlement to good music education for all people. We will work with and support all those who contribute to music education. We will be prepared to look at different organisational and funding models. But we won’t give up what we have built up steadily over the last 50 years or so. The FMS message is that music is working - music services are working. Music is essential to life; music services are essential to music.

Music and the armed forces

I’ve just returned from the South West Region two day conference for senior managers in music services. Each year they get together in Torquay where they share strategic ideas and discuss priorities for the future. You can imagine that there was plenty to talk about this time, but the mood was energetic, challenging and optimistic. Like most services throughout the UK many are very worried about their local authority funding - authorities which have always supported their music services are struggling to sustain the funds, as we all know - but there was a gritty determination to find new opportunities, backed up by refreshed skills in managing change. They had the army in to tell them about strategic decision making in the armed forces and, if that wasn’t enough, they also asked Marc Jaffrey to speak about the Music Services Communication Campaign (MSCC). I reckon his array of weapons is entirely complementary to those of the army.

There is a hunger amongst services to make the most of opportunities that arise through the prospect of political change. There is a deep-rooted belief in the value of what we do - as one head of service put it, ‘music is about humanity’ - simple as that. There is confidence in our ability to make good things better - through self evaluation, focus on leadership and skilled management of change. And most importantly there is utter determination to move forwards, not backwards - accepting the harsh climate, but knowing that we have an essential offer in the education of all young people.

That’s the back-drop to the Burning Issues’ conference on Friday at the Royal Institute of British Architects. Professor Anne Bamford will be providing us with some very positive feedback about the Wider Opportunities programme and the Think Again team will be taking us through some key headlines about our communication strategy.

I hope you will be there to help us convey the message that ‘music is working’.

John

I didn’t nod off

For once I didn’t nod off in the middle of Question Time when it was from Wooton Bassett. That was because a line-up of distinguished speakers were persuasive and compelling in their arguments for and against the war in Afghanistan. When you watch a programme like that do you sometimes wonder if teaching music is really important at all. Can we really justify our fascination with crotchets and quavers when soldiers are being killed on our behalf every week in Afghanistan?

And then I thought about the times I have experienced Britten’s War Requiem; where the violence, personal tragedy and grief of all those who witness war is brought to our attention in powerfully expressive crotchets and quavers. Indeed I would say that the War Requiem expresses in music all the turbulence and contraditions of the arguments that we heard in Question Time. But it is the skills of a musical genius that enables us to come to terms with our feelings about war. That is the power of music and that is why people need to encounter pieces like the War Requiem.

So at a time when we are arguing for music education, when we are saying that music is powerful, don’t let us forget that it is also in the front line of our human emotions. It enables us to comprehend the incomprehensible; it helps us to encounter aspects of life that we don’t always want to meet.

That is also why we have to remain true to our conviction that it is our duty to bring out the music in every child - those that will become the maestros of the future, or perhaps more importantly, those that could end up on the street, or find themselves in troubled parts of the world. We make music for all children; we unlock their understanding and we nurture their interest and talent in structured pathways of progression. And we do it to the best of our ability. Although musicality can develop without good teaching, we know that our children deserve the best teachers who are highly skilled, well-trained in teaching and fired up with enthusiasm. That is why I am heartened that the FMS is leading the way in raising standards in music teaching - through self evaluation, curriculum development and leadership training. That is why the FMS is right in fighting for the very best music education system that the country can afford.

Thankfully there are many others who agree with us. I believe it is our duty to capture the enthusiasm of others and bring together the strongest advocacy we can for music education. We’re doing excellent work, both at local and national levels, and there is no doubt that key stakeholders including headteachers, directors of children’s services and politicians, support our cause. However, our task is to convey our simple message about the power of music to everyone, including the hard to reach, rather than just the converted.

Let me return to the War Requiem. I was blown over by Ian Bostridge at the Royal Albert Hall a few years ago. But I was also bowled over when a youth orchestra performed it with Philip Langridge. He was amazed by the experience of performing with the young people and said it was one of the most moving performances he had been involved in. What’s the moral of this? It is that our children can express themselves in music as well as any professional, and in so doing they can come to terms with deep human emotions and begin to understand the world around them. That’s why we must keep true to our values and continue and make sure that we provide them with the opportunities to make the most of their musical talent.

Raising the bar

Recently the executive committee had two Away Days to take stock of where we are and where we wish to be in twelve months time. I have to say that, although we were exploring some tough issues, we all came away with renewed spirit. We’ve got so much to be excited about in the future.

Likewise, we’ve just had the taster days of our new leadership training programme, which were received with great enthusiasm by over 150 colleagues from services across the country. So what have we got to be so upbeat about? Well I will tell you.

First, we can say categorically that FMS music services are raising standards and focusing on the quality of teaching, leadership and achievement. These are three core principles in all educational strategies that I know.

Second our programmes of playing and singing have evidence to show how they improve behaviour, especially in those who sometimes have been less motivated.

Third, initiatives such as In Harmony and Wider Opportunities are helping to heal the divide between rich and poor. How do I know? Because headteachers say so.

Now let’s make it clear: music creates wealth, music is part of a better educations system and music in the UK is world-class. Music educators are known to be innovative, adaptive, flexible and responsive.

We’re also pretty lean and mean - tell me a service where there is excessive bureaucracy. Having said that we’re also open-minded and always keen to find more effective ways of organising our services.

Music teaching is regarded as presitigious; sometimes we forget that, but our parents don’t. We also know that music is proven to increase attainment in maths and literacy. The quality of leadership in music services is better than ever before, supported by a new rigorous leadership programme. We also want our parents and children to have the power - they make the choices and we provide the expert services to facilitate them.

I believe that there is a virtuous dynamic between music services and the rest of the the music education sector, the government, schools parents and pupils. That puts us in a particularly strong position when we are talking about the future.

I am sure that politicians from all parties believe strongly in the value of music education and the logical distribution of resources through our infrastructure of music services. Indeed, everything I’ve said in the previous paragraphs are contained in a speech by a key politician with responsibility for education.

Let’s believe in ourselves and keep positive during this period of change. Don’t forget that we are all used to handling change. But we need to keep our heads high and our spirits up. A headteacher recently gave me a quote from a 19th century physician who said;
” Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons, and you will find that it is to the soul what the water bath is to the body”.

We are the soul of music education in this country. Don’t let’s forget it!