Education Opera “too difficult”? 10 Jul 2013 I read Susan Elkin's piece for The Independent, 'Why are educationists so afraid of cultural excellence?' with much nodding of my head. I am particularly passionate about promoting living artists…
Education Developing listening 9 Jul 20139 Jul 2013 I love working with other music teachers on INSET courses, and I had a particularly enjoyable day leading a course for a group of passionate teachers on Monday. Much of…
Education National Curriculum Draft 9 Jul 2013 It's always exciting to read yet another education document, and the publication of the draft National Curriculum is rather hefty at over two hundred pages. Music is a universal language…
Education… Let them make noise 3 May 20134 May 2013 Jonathan Savage encourages us to 'find time, in what are our undoubtedly busy lives, to read and reflect on the broad literature of music education'. His new book The Guided…
Composing… Challenging conceptions 3 Aug 2012 On to the first chapter of Burnard's book (2012). 'For most of us, 'musicla creativity' refers to a particular type of practice, perhaps that of the Great Composers', rather than…
Education Why shy away from dots and lines? 26 Jul 2012 I, like probably every other classroom music educator, find myself regularly contemplating the importance of Western musical notation. Why bother teaching it? Is it of any use? Yes, I think…
Education Guest post – Jonathan Savage’s Blog 10 Dec 201110 Dec 2011 Jonathan Savage kindly invited me to respond to a question about the future of a classroom based music education. My response was originally published on Jonathan's blog (2nd December 2011). What…
Composing… Musical Pathways 19 Oct 201119 Oct 2011 The Henley report on music education in the United Kingdom emphasised the value and importance of music making as a practical skill and how much this can enrich and aid…
Education It need not be fleeting 14 Aug 201119 Aug 2011 The Henley report emphasised the value and importance of music making as a practical skill and how much this can enrich and aid the development of young people's lives. What…
