Tag: pedagogy

  • Pedagogy: exploring crocodiles

    I spend ages preparing sessions for early career music teachers; you don’t get much time to work with them and there’s pressure to make every minute count. Thankfully there is lots of good thinking in books such as this one that save some time in selecting the ideas, the provocations and the exemplification of practice…

  • Why differentiate?

    I heard an excellent speaker at an INSET organised at my previous school. I remember vividly his response to a colleague’s question about differentiation: “F**k differentiation. Teach everyone the same.” Hmm. I ponder this a great deal. What it boils down to for me is differentiation is not about differentiating what you teach, but the…

  • It need not be fleeting

    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 was lacking from the comprehensive survey was a detailed acknowledgement of the class music lessons themselves. How important is Western Art Music in the teaching…

  • Curating a musical past

    Last autumn I attended an alumni/careers event at a university as a speaker; I was there to chat about my experiences of working in music education. Even now I often avoid writing “teacher” as so much negativity has developed around the “music teacher” role. This was particularly apparent when speaking to music students. Even after…