Mrs Carey’s Concert And Music Education

In 2008, documentary filmmakers Bob Connolly (Rats in the Ranks) and Sophie Raymond approached Sydney’s MLC School to document in film the work of Karen Carey and her Music Department as they led the girls over fifteen months to the, now traditional, Biennial Opera House performance in 2009. Bob Connolly and Sophie Raymond went on to make the stunning Mrs Carey’s Concert – creating a unique dramatisation from unrehearsed moments as girls and teachers prepared for their big night. On Tuesday 7 August, Bob Connolly, Sophie Raymond and Karen Carey addressed The Sydney Institute to discuss how the film was made and the importance of music education.

MRS CAREY’S CONCERT AND MUSIC EDUCATION

KAREN CAREY

I have been asked to speak today because of the impact of the documentary Mrs Carey’s Concert. The growth of Emily Sun and other students over a 12 month period as they prepare for MLC’s biennial Opera House concert is a key feature of the film.

The concert itself sits within a broader program of music education at MLC school.  It is the jewel in the crown perhaps, but still merely a component of a program designed to enrich, educate and develop all students in the school through music.

This film is a window into 30 years of experience of the heights students can reach (musically, socially and personally) when provided with music education, opportunities and encouragement.  Today I will speak about the power of a “comprehensive” music education in reaching student’s potential. To describe a “comprehensive” music education I will focus on the MLC program. My role as Director of Music at MLC has allowed access to the junior school. This has enabled me to establish the foundations and therefore create a whole of school life program ranging from primary school to Year 12

The concept and ideology behind this program has evolved over many years. It has built on an understanding I developed over time that music is best learned early and as part of a community. This reflects my personal journey with music, including what I like to call my “awakening”.

My personal journey

I was educated in small country town schools where music wasn’t a feature. My limited experience involved learning the piano with no opportunity to perform except AMEB exams. These for me were a major stress with very little reward.

I sang in a very small church choir and a school choir both of which were run by my father who was the deputy of the High School. In those days there were no specialist music teachers. At home classical music was played continually and works such as the Beethoven Violin Concerto were constant favourites. I listened to the popular music of the time and loved it but always had the love for the classics as well.

I developed a love for the recorder having had a passionate and inspiring teacher in third class. After that there were no further opportunities to learn the instrument, so my dear father would try to find music for me to play (which wasn’t always easy in a country town).

An inspiring teacher and the enjoyment of the little communal musical experience that I had through choirs was enough to inspire me to continue to study music after school at the conservatorium in Newcastle.

At the conservatorium I developed a richer understanding of music and the transformation that it can make to one’s life happened to me. I discovered the full gambit of what music making is – I learned harmony, composition, played in orchestras and was involved in large scale performances. I socialized through music, made lifelong friends, developed a feeling of belonging and self worth and realised the dizzying heights it can take you to in mind, body and soul.

My “awakening” occurred when the Conservatorium staged the St Mathew’s Passion in conjunction with the City orchestra and the Cathedral Choir. This performance changed my life. I didn’t know music could have as much power over ones entire being and performing in the Newcastle Cathedral venue made the music even more beautiful. It was the most exquisite music I have ever heard. Experiencing the collaborations involved to produce such music as well as the extensive rehearsal process was a learning curve of monumental proportions.

The concept of being involved in a large scale performance where the music was much bigger than any life experience I had imagined made me want to keep doing it and ultimately in my teaching career recapture this for my students and their community.

Very early on in my teaching career I discovered music cannot happen effectively just within the four walls of a classroom. To be successful you had to involve the parents, fellow teachers, outside musicians other members of the community and form collaborations.

For example, I once borrowed instruments from the local police boys club and people in a country town who were prepared to donate them in order to establish an orchestra in a country high school. I was also able to tap into the town and find people who were prepared to tutor and help establish an ensemble.

This allowed the group to establish until we could access more instruments as well as places to perform. This was an opportunity that couldn’t have happened without community support. The ensemble won prizes at Eisteddfods etc and many of the students continued with their music.

Drawing on a different example from another public school, we performed the whole of the Mozart Requiem with a choir and orchestra made up of students, staff, parents and friends. This was a major work. The students had no idea that they could possibly achieve a performance of this magnitude. The only knowledge they had of the actual music was that an excerpt of the Requiem featured in a tyre commercial. The electricity these students felt having achieved this was similar to my first experience of the St Matthew’s Passion.

I taught in several public schools before MLC and the differences in the community in each school were marked, reflecting the different socio economic areas, cultures, attitudes and so on. Differences notwithstanding, the principle of musical learning as part of a community was one that proved successful in all schools in which I taught and became a central plank of my teaching philosophy.

My lesson from attempting large scale works in all the schools I had taught in was that, given an opportunity, children can achieve anything and find joy in music of the highest calibre.

Given my own experiences with music, when I had my two children I very much wanted them to have a music education. I sought out many experts and different methods and began to understand how music can greatly enhance a child’s life if the opportunities are created early. Different early learning methods or approaches all seem to contain the same key ingredients – positive inspired teaching, having opportunities to perform and succeed, positive parental involvement and a sense of community of playing together.

The string program I accessed through Michael Heaney when my children began learning the violin had parental involvement and community at its heart. Michael was an inspired teacher who believed all children could play well given the correct parenting and opportunity. This program was built on individual lessons, regular group lessons, a community of parents who knew each other well, older children who played for and encouraged the younger ones, a strong focus on singing and aural skills and a precise pedagogy which was observed by all throughout the process. The highlight of the year was a summer camp. This camp built upon the group lessons and provided opportunities to play together in ensembles, play as soloists, and experience master classes with musical experts.

The camp was always held at Robertson in the Southern highlands. The venue was a lovely big, old country style mansion set amongst beautiful gardens and grounds and just around the corner from the Big Potato (now a veritable icon to my children). Families came together and supported their children. We ate, socialised and worked together within the framework of music. We created life-long friendships, as well giving our children an opportunity to develop socially and musically in a beautiful natural environment. These camps became the focus of many Christmas holidays for many families over a period of at least 15 years.

This string program became a key influence many years later for developing the MLC junior school music program as part of a “whole of life” music program.  The associated benefits of a musical education I have witnessed in my own children, which include their excellent memories, aural abilities, academic achievements, a social life which includes the joy of making music with friends and a desire to share this experience with their own children, has cemented the belief that exposure to music from an early age in the right environment has lasting benefits.

This is my personal journey in a nutshell. Having seen so many children enriched and fulfilled by music throughout my 30 years as a music educator the importance of music in helping children achieve their potential has truly become apparent.  Music is not an “optional extra”.  It is an essential part of education.

My philosophy

Articulating a teaching philosophy is a useful means of communicating a vision and a rationale for why you do what you do. It is an effective tool for staff interaction and cohesion – when everyone is working on parts of a whole program and is a useful thing to tap into every now and again when I have bad days and challenges which can seem insurmountable. My philosophy of why and how we make music come alive for children draws on the following principles

Music is an essential part of the human experience. It is integral to most societies and can inform our understanding of a society or culture. The study of music opens up a world outside the narrow focus of our own experience. It can break down barriers and lead to a mutual respect.

Music is a very powerful force that binds individuals and communities together. It shapes a community whether through active or passive involvement. The sense of community and connection achieved by listening or playing music together is very strong. Connectedness is essential for human stability, wellbeing and overall mental health. The ability to express and interpret our wide range of emotions is enabled through the creation of or listening to music and this ability is more important in society today than ever before where the isolation and stress of living in the modern world can take away the essential ingredient of what it means to be human – that is sharing, community, involvement and emotional well being. Those who live without music live in a vacuum.

The study of music can be a serious intellectual pursuit. The study of its roots, its development through history and the makeup of music and its creation is a study that can be fascinating. Those who are fortunate to have this exposure have the greatest opportunity to develop their intellect in a variety of ways.

We all have the potential for music and all can develop and achieve. It is our responsibility as educators to hold this as a core belief and accordingly be creative and persistent in developing pedagogy, programs and environments that allow all students to experience success in music.

A comprehensive music education is a fulfilling and effective means to assist a student reach their potential.  I will discuss in detail the MLC program which I believe provides students with a comprehensive music education. However, in brief, the key elements of such an education are: commencement at an early age, skilled, inspired and creative teaching, opportunities for parental involvement and support, learning with fellow students and interactions and collaborations with other musicians and members of the community, opportunities to perform, scaffolded learning that allows for success and then building on such success, aural development, skill development, composition and the study of the makeup, structure and history of music.

Involvement in musical ensembles or productions provides opportunities to experience and develop leadership. If you have seen Mrs Carey’s Concert you may recall that Emily Sun grew as a soloist and learned to express her musical vision and lead the orchestra in shaping the music. She also grew into a considered and effective leader within her ensemble. A musical leadership role is not about self aggrandisement. As a leader at MLC, I see a key part of my role is to lead by example, to encourage those around me, be they students or staff to reflect, grow and achieve. It is about the realisation of potential through music of yourself and all of those around you. I live this philosophy daily and expect those around me be they students or staff to do the same. It results in a harmonious, team focused, supportive and creative teaching and learning environment.

A musical and teaching journey is on going. I have shared some of my personal journey. It continues. There are always opportunities to learn, reflect and develop. The day you stop learning as music educator is the day you should stop teaching.

Music education is the right and necessity for all students irrespective of where or how they live. The joy of seeing students evolve in an active music environment makes me determined to keep my vision alive!

A comprehensive music education – the MLC experience

Over the past 20 years, we have built, at MLC, a music program where students acquire physical, intellectual and interpersonal skills, social and emotional development within a community framework that makes music come alive.

Children from the earliest stages learn essential musical skills (pitch, rhythm, aural etc) through play, singing listening and instrumental lessons. All these skills come together through involvement in instrumental ensembles, singing in choirs and being in large scale projects which bring together the full school family.

This program is facilitated by a passionate team of classroom teachers all of whom are accomplished conductors and ensemble directors. Also a large team of instrumental teachers facilitate the instrumental and vocal tuition. A major part of the team are the composers in residence who are the most valuable resource in terms of enriching our community through student composition tutorials, commissioned works as well as being integral to the pedagogy of staff and students. The composers allow the team to develop the most creative part of music education and that is composition.

Junior school

From great pedagogues such as Michael Heaney, Carl Orff and Richard Gill, we have created in the junior school an integrated music program which gives every child the opportunity to commence the journey to reaching their musical potential.

Music education at MLC commences in Year 1. The combination of singing whilst learning an instrument is imperative and together they shape musical development. Children who are taught to sing, listen and imagine during these early stages of learning an instrument find the concentration for learning and the fine motor schools required far more engaging.

Strings can be taught early because of the different sizing capabilities to suit the youngest of children. All students in Primary 1 begin with cello or violin in a group lesson. They can choose to continue in their second year with individual lessons which are supported by ensemble lesson focusing on reading and playing together. Both these components are essential for success. Those who choose not to continue with strings begin recorder and then in the later years lead to playing a woodwind or brass instrument. Many children also decide to have piano lessons which is very helpful for musical progression.

In the early primary years there are already vast ranges of musical abilities that arise mainly from different levels of exposure in their preschool education or from home. This shows up in co-ordination and concentration. It is remarkable in a junior school music classroom how through active, musical play students become more confident and willing to try things. The ability to sing as a group – has the scope to create without the fear of being wrong and the freedom to move and talk about music instils in children a sense of true worth and confidence with the ability to take risks.

I have seen so many children who start learning an instrument in these early stages, and there is no doubt that those who are taught lovingly, are encouraged to persevere and are provided with opportunities to perform, experience enhanced academic performance, co-ordination and overall wellbeing.

In other words, all children can succeed but need creative and imaginative teachers as well as patient supportive parents for gradual improvement – success breeds success. In any learning process, there are always stumbling blocks and the care taken to overcome these determines successful learning.

I teach a Primary 2 recorder class and many people would assume that the recorder is an easy instrument that anyone can play. Indeed, some children take to it very easily. However, others struggle with covering the holes and the fine motor skills required to hold the recorder, to place fingers in different positions, and to coordinate blowing with hand positions for different notes. For little children, this can be a real challenge. I have watched over and over again that when the “strugglers” are given individual and caring attention they manage to do it and play successfully. Their sense of achievement is overpowering and spurs them on to do more. It is when they are left to flounder in a large group and not achieve is when their sense of worth is diminished. Many make the assumption these students are not talented and so music is not for them. This is definitely not the case as children develop at different rates and have different levels of exposure. Some students who experience difficulties to start with have ended up being very successful. One secret ingredient is a determined, positive and creative teacher who believes that all students have the potential for music.

How many of us have heard about people or have been told that they themselves cannot sing and were banned from the school choir or that they had no talent whatsoever. This is very common and is a tragedy. Children’s voices develop and at first it seems as though they can’t sing in tune. This is because they haven’t learned to place their voice yet. A sense of pitch can be developed and pitch range can be developed as well.

We should substitute the word talent for hard work. In any endeavour, some people have more aptitude than others but it is always the ones that work hard who succeed and realise their potential. I meet many adults who have good pitch and like music but have done nothing with it because of bad or uninspired teaching, lack of opportunity poor motivation or lack of support.

The woodwind program at MLC begins in Year 3 after having 12 months on recorder. The students can select or be guided into a choice of instrument. Here the individual tuition and ensemble experience also applies. Performances are held regularly for all the groups within each instrumental discipline and they also come together as one big family.

All the students have choral experience as well as the instrumental and there are choirs in each grade. This is part of the music allocated time. A chamber choir also exists for girls who want further choral experience and this happens before school.

The choirs have the opportunity to perform with the senior school choirs as part of the big projects such as the Opera House Concert. The girls have had the opportunity to perform in a musical such as Kiravanu. This was especially composed by one of our composers in residence James Humberstone. The aim was to incorporate the musical concepts and skills required for a junior music school program.

They have had opportunities to write their own Opera – write the libretto and music – design the sets and perform it. This project was facilitated by a team of experts and the results were outstanding showing the level of creativity young students can reach given an opportunity.

A junior school child will have the opportunity to sing in choirs, learn an instrument, play in an instrumental ensemble, be in a musical, compose music with numerous opportunities to perform for their parents and friends. Some of the major performances will be the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Town Hall.

After junior school

Students can progress to study music to a very high level doing the HSC or International Baccalaureate exams. They are then prepared for music at a tertiary level. Or, they can continue through the middle school years singing in choirs playing in ensembles but not choose music as an academic study for the senior years. At MLC, there are large numbers who choose this option and remain singing in choirs and playing in ensembles.

Whichever option they choose they are part of a big community where music is still part of their education and they gain the rewards from large scale music making.

The only difference between the two groups is how much time they want to invest in music

Student examples

If I take a sample of a few students I can demonstrate how a comprehensive music education can develop these students as part of a whole person curriculum.

Emily

Emily comes to MLC in Year 7 as an accomplished musician who has been taught the violin well and has an environment at home that supports music.

At a young age she becomes involved in ensembles large and small. She develops sight reading skills, listening skills, and an enormous range of music covering a lot of genres. As she progresses through the program, she also experiences advanced chamber music. For most musicians this is the ultimate experience. Chamber music requires technical and musical sophistication and the ability to communicate with others and develop a shared understanding. She gains great solo experience – she composes her own music – she workshops her peers compositions; she works with some great composers; she becomes leader of the orchestra; she performs a concerto and becomes the role model for her peers. Emily develops personal confidence as well as confidence as a musician. Emily is well and truly set up for tertiary education and a life of music. The journey on the way is not always smooth – growing up issues intervene but with care and support from a large team of educators she is well on the way to reaching her potential.

One student said to me years later, having studied at a top music school in the United States, that she had come to MLC one dimensional and felt that the MLC experience made her three dimensional. In other words, the comprehensive music education she had involved extensive solo and ensemble performance and composition. Composition requires extensive listening, analysis and highly developed musical skills. This, alongside leadership and interpersonal skills which are an integral part of the program, have allowed her to take advantage of a highly competitive and stimulating environment in a tertiary musical school. Sound music education develops all faculties and gives stamina and emotional security to succeed.

Amy

Amy comes to MLC in kindergarten – she starts the music program and chooses the violin. Her parents have no experience of music and never thought of this as a possibility. Amy’s parents become heavily involved – and, with the teamwork of parent, violin teacher and the music community, Amy gradually finds a passion and means for success. She becomes involved in all the major ensembles. She decides to learn the piano and becomes very accomplished. She develops into an excellent composer writing music for her peers. One of her compositions is a major work for a touring ensemble. She becomes leader of the orchestra and also music captain whose job it is to help and motivate other students. She goes on to study music at a tertiary level. Amy eventually studies law and combines both disciplines extremely well. Amy thrived on community and saw the potential and line of succession for herself very early.

Samantha

Samantha has the same beginning as Amy. She progresses well and enjoys the process. She enjoys all the ensemble experiences the same as Amy – playing the violin and singing in the choir. She has parents who support her but not in terms of time as they are busy. Even though her success isn’t as great as that of Amy or Emily, in an individual sense Samantha nevertheless reaps the rewards of the community and finds a great sense of personal satisfaction in this.

Jane

Jane has the same journey as Amy. In the middle school years she decides not to continue her instrument, as she has too many activities. Her music education, however, is not over. She stills sings as part of the large school choir for the Opera House concert and is very much a part of the large school music community. Many girls like Jane help in music leadership in their senior years as they have developed skills along the way to do this.

At whatever level children gain, music education is not forgotten or a waste of time, particularly if it is taught with love, passion and care. I have seen many girls like Jane who make music a priority for their own children

The major point is that many children cannot make effective choices as to how far they want to go with music. This is due sometimes to poor teaching and a lack of comprehensive music education. A skilled music teacher is like gold. To be really effective they have to be able to make connections and have a real understanding of how the mind and the body works. A music teacher has to be a motivator for an individual as well as create the electricity in a group to inspire and facilitate learning.

The other major point is that all of us have potential and aptitude for music and will experience it in our daily lives. To maximise real potential is a careful process and given the benefits it should be a core part of education.

Skilled teachers

In the primary school these teachers need to be skilled at teaching instruments individually and understand the power and influence that can happen from the one to lesson, as well as the impact of the group experience.

In individual lessons, the relationship and trust that is built from these lessons is an experience that can greatly enhance the overall education of a child. With any instrument, a child has to learn fine motor and co-ordination skills. In learning the violin, for example, the whole body needs to be developed and thought about – eg the positioning of the left hand in a relaxed position, alongside  a different movement from the right hand with  the bow as well as relaxed fingers on the bow: the relaxed and exact standing position. These refined skills have to be taught separately and constantly reinforced. This requires a disciplined approach as well as being engaging – continually making the child think. To begin making sounds requires constant listening and pitching sounds in their head. Learning tunes develops memory as well as accurate listening skills. A teacher and a parent have to work closely together to continually refine these skills. Parents who work closely with a teacher and work with their child in a loving manner learn a great deal about how their child learns and this is the most important factor in the early stages of learning an instrument.

If it becomes aggressive, the whole point of doing it is lost as the child quickly learns that it is a power struggle and not enjoyable and then resist. The number of children who start learning and give up in early teenage years is testament to this. Lack of support and good teaching is also the other main contributor.

I am continually helping parents with strategies. The only time they don’t work is when there is insufficient time and the routines are pressured and frustrations set in. Then comes the exclamation – my child doesn’t want to or isn’t talented. If the objectives are always clear, and there is no race, a child will develop and every bit of success breeds success.

No child wants to learn in isolation. This is why the group experience is essential. At MLC, every child is playing in a group of their level. This is when the motivation for learning an instrument heightens. This experience requires teamwork; discipline and just enjoying music for the sake of it.

Music reading and notation is a language of its own and is a universal language. There is overwhelming evidence that the skills of music reading: listening and memory go hand in hand with the levels of literacy and mathematical ability.

In a music night coming up every child in the junior school will be performing in a group with the instrument they are studying: sing in a choir, and have an integral part in a musical play which they are creating. This an example of how music can bring to life many academic pursuits.

There is a general acceptance at MLC that this focus on music in the junior school is essential and goes hand in hand with academic success. In the junior school everyone has equal opportunity in music – no one is left out. How children progress is, as I have said, a combination of factors but no one is excluded from the process.

Senior school projects

There are many projects in the senior school which are designed for everyone and are based on the same philosophy that we all have potential and these projects develop the potential of every girl. The Opera House concert is the finest example as the outcome is of the highest standard and the process and strategies are carefully mapped out and are as important as the final outcome. Each year we do this our strategies and process become more refined and creative.

On a whole school level, every girl is involved in three major items choral which are in different in style. The idea is to create a unique learning experience. There is also a powerful reminder that they have achieved something really wonderful as part of a large community. For many girls, it will be an opportunity they will only have at school. Performing major works in a premier venue such as the Sydney Opera has a lasting effect. I am constantly reminded by many students (not only the high flyers) of the significance of the concerts for them many years after the event. After the movie this was especially the case. Hundreds of ex students went to see the movie in groups to recapture the experience, and the best thing was that they bothered to tell me.

Students whose passion is music rise to new levels in this concert. The courage and personal challenge to perform at an elite level is of the highest order. Girls who either perform in an orchestra, chamber music ensemble or as a soloist are greatly challenged.

Performing at an elite level

The film tracked the progress of two chamber works – the Brahms sextet and Ravel Quartet. Each of these pieces is very difficult musically and technically. However, with a carefully planned strategy we believed these students could rise to the challenge and discover something in themselves that was deeply satisfying.

The schedule was weekly within a busy school program with occasional lengthy weekend rehearsals. During the rehearsal process the technical aspects were always worked on. They were always encouraged to discuss what they felt were the composer’s intentions or more importantly how the music made them feel. How they could communicate and make the music come alive to an audience was an essential part of the process. All these aspects happened from the beginning. This empowered all of them to have a voice. This is the glory of chamber music. A shared understanding is when the magic happens in music. The girls when they started the process were not necessarily the best friends in the school context however this experience over a long period of time develops a mutual respect which comes from making a connection with a great master as well as having a musical conversation which binds them physically and emotionally.

There has also developed over the years a culture of excellence for these concerts and the girls want to play at a high level. They have in mind the level of previous students and are fully aware of the standard. The point is that through the process they take themselves to a completely new level. This long journey and the courage and stamina needed to perform at a high level greatly enhance their overall confidence and the belief that anything is possible with hard work.

All the girls involved in these works have music as a major part of their life or are studying music at a tertiary level.

The numerous girls playing in the orchestras have a wide range of ability. The girls playing at an advanced level are expected to lead the other students. They do this admirably. Playing good music where you are expected to play at a high level the less advanced students make enormous progress and play and perform at a standard many of them didn’t know was possible.

It is a great idea to record the first rehearsals then play them back to the students after a performance. They can then discover how far they progressed technically and musically. At MLC, we often record the processes of rehearsals for our own benefit but also to allow students and parents to appreciate the process.

Composition.

Music education at the highest level is when students are immersed in composition. At MLC we have three resident composers who work with girls from a wide range of ages writing works for the established ensembles. Advanced composition requires analysis and creative thinking skills. In a comprehensive music education program composition is at the centre. A detailed study requires looking at the great masters as role models. Being a major component for HSC and International Baccalaureate music courses many students develop their potential by working with leading composers in helping them to understanding the craft and developing their own individual voice. I liken MLC to Vivaldi’s school for orphaned girls which was renowned for musical excellence, constantly performing works especially written for them by this prolific composer

World music Cuba

The study of world music has created many different projects. We have invited various professional groups to perform with the girls and teach us the intricacies of the music from different cultures. Understanding how the music works and its function within a society is a profound way of developing an understanding of the wide range of cultures. It also forms the basis of compositional activity where we learn a variety of new scales and musical ideas.

We have just returned from a musical exchange with schools and universities in Chile and Cuba. This was again the perfect example of an exchange where people from very different cultural backgrounds can share a common language which is music. Again the personal growth through this experience creates greater confidence. This experience was open to students of wide ranging abilities and the opportunity to excel and be part of a world adventure through music which required teamwork discipline and an open mind is possibly the best educational experience a student can have.

Music outreach

Our students are involved in an outreach programme where we connect with students in outback regions of Australia and internationally.

This is done with the aid of Skype and video conferencing. Students help each other in their performance projects. This is a really exciting thing to do. This outreach programme has extended to students in Afghanistan. Again this connectedness through music is really important and is essential for developing potential.

World class models

An example of a World Class model is the Finland education system where music is core curriculum. Their education system is a testament to a society where the student potential is far greater as education is a high government priority. All students can access good schools with the same philosophy. There are no private schools in Finland.

El Sistema in Venezuela is a government-funded project. It is based on the ideology that if you nourish a person’s soul he will learn to feed and clothe himself. The very large number of students accessing a quality music education in low socio economic areas is astounding. The quality of the work and the difference it has made to many lives has attracted a lot of interest. Many regions around the world are studying the model and are establishing programs in similar areas to help young people reach their potential and have real value in their life.

Summary

At MLC we have been successfully in creating an environment where the potential of every girl has been carefully considered. The musical model I have described is a result of a school valuing and understanding the role that a comprehensive music education can play in developing the potential of every girl. These ideas have to be continually nurtured. There is no room for complacency. We are also trying to evolve to ensure that the best educational practices are in place to allow our students to reach their potential. Developing musical potential and a whole person curriculum requires constant investment and protection.

Understanding and realising potential for every child has to be understood and funded from a government level. The difference in our society with this attitude in place would make such a difference and eliminate much of the tragedy that can happen in children’s lives.

National Curriculum

The designing of the new national curriculum is a great opportunity to greatly advance existing models. Unfortunately, for music, the newly realised document is totally inadequate. It doesn’t emphasise the necessary development of skills and the development of excellence. It is not a useful document for teachers. The dabble approach will achieve very little and this a definite backward step.

Our children deserve better than this.