Telford & Wrekin Music Education Hub

National Plan for Music Education

The collation government’s National Plan for Music Education was published in November 2011. The Importance of Music provides a flexible template for high quality music provision throughout a pupil’s education. When young people make music together, they work toward a common goal that has the potential to change lives profoundly for the better. This is the first time that a National Plan for Music Education has set out a central vision for schools, arts and education organisations to drive excellence in music education. This National Plan is clear about the importance of music: it will ensure not just that more children have access to the greatest of art forms, but that they do better as a result in every other subject.

All pupils should have the opportunity to enjoy and play music. However, for far too long, music education has been patchy across the country. Pupils from the poorest backgrounds have suffered most from this situation, creating a musical divide. The national plan for music will deliver a music education system that encourages everyone, whatever their background, to enjoy music and help those with real talent to flourish as brilliant musicians. Michael Gove, November 2011

What The Importance of Music means for Schools (including academies and free schools)

• To draw on music education hubs to fulfil schools’ primary responsibility for delivering the music curriculum.
• To examine their own school’s music curriculum to determine how this meets the needs of different groups of pupils.
• To recognise the important role that music plays in children’s academic and social development and in improving the ethos of the school.
• To be aware that music education hubs will take forward the work of local authority music services from September 2012.
• To be ready to work closely with the new music education hub in their area to identify pupil and school needs in music education, and establish how the school (or cluster of schools) and hub can work together to meet these.
• To assess how best to make the most of school-to-school support in music education within this new delivery framework.
• To ensure that those teaching music in schools have adequate professional development opportunities and support networks

Telford & Wrekin Council, commissioned the Working Together Report. This report set out a number of ideas and a structure for developing a more joined up music education provision within Telford & Wrekin and further developing and expanding of Telford & Wrekin Music into new areas such as early years and special needs. One of the responses was the creation of the first Telford & Wrekin Local Authority Music Education Plan (LAMP) in December 2009 which was a first attempt to provide a strategic overview and map of the music education provision and offer for Telford & Wrekin.

Hub partners brought together to deliver a shared Vision for Music Education for Telford & Wrekin

New music education hubs covering every local authority area, helping improve the quality and consistency of music education across England, both in and out of school. Music education hubs will audit local needs and in collaboration with schools, formulate plans with opportunities that are well-communicated to parents/carers. A mixed model of first access for all and progression routes to the highest level.

Telford & Wrekin Music are working with a number of partners (such as CBSO, Telford Culture Zone, The Place, Armonico Consort, The Hive) and stakeholders through a Working Group setup last April to create and develop a Music Education Hub for Telford & Wrekin and to submit a formal funding bid for Music Education Hub funding.

A disussion paper (April 2011) and a further scoping paper (July 2011) have been developed exploring ideas and ways of working for developing a Music Education Hub for Telford & Wrekin.

It is essential that this offer is personalised, inclusive and meets the needs of all children and young people regardless of gender, educational need, economic circumstance, impairment or geographical location. We want all children and young people in Telford & Wrekin to be engaged in musical opportunities that:

• challenges their expectations;
• raises their aspirations, confidence, self-esteem and knowledge;
• enables them to fulfil their ambitions;
• celebrates and embraces diversity;
• equips children and young people as a skilled 21st century workforce; and
• supports them to be healthy, happy, safe and successful throughout their lives.

Shared Values

• Inventing the way
  Innovative, dynamic, responsive and flexible
• Passionate and committed
  Because we want to be, to make an impact and to improve outcomes
• Empowering and nurturing
  Supporting people, children, families and colleagues, to achieve brilliant results
• Whatever it takes
  Disciplined, relentless, uncompromising, efficient and effective in pursuit of our goals

How will the Telford & Wrekin Music Education Hub operate?

• To map, audit and provide a strategic overview of music education provision for children and young people in Telford & Wrekin.
• To facilitate local networks and partnership working, arranging local provision, projects and partnerships between the members of the Music Education Steering Group, partners, schools, settings and also the Telford Culture Zone Development Group.
• To provide critical challenge for our response to the National Music Plan, Local Authority Music Plan and other strategies as required. To promote and support the highest quality music education for our children and young people in Telford & Wrekin.
• To maintain an education focus with clear values on standards improvement and excellence  both in the music curriculum and extra-curricular music
• To endorse local strategic plans and funding applications as required, seeking sponsorship, funding and partnerships with corporate organisations and public sector organisations.
• To build on the learning and experiences from Find Your Talent, Cultural Hubs and Creative Partnerships.
• To provide regular updates and information through the Telford Culture Zone website and through our Telford Culture Zone partnership days. To advocate, inform and celebrate the work of our partners and young people's music making. Providing regular digital T&W Music newsletters, case studies and through our You Tube channel and twitter feeds and using the Telford Culture Zone website as a one 'stop' shop.

Telford & Wrekin Music Education Hub Working Group

• Ian Thomas (Telford & Wrekin Music, Telford & Wrekin Council)
• Alyson Lanning (The Hive / Youth Music)
• Richard Fox (Newport Girls Academy)
• Andy Calderbank (Phoenix Secondary School)
• Lee Taylor (Sutherland School)
• John Cocker (Creative and Culture Team, Telford & Wrekin Council)
• Richard Shrewsbury (Freelane Arts Education Consultant)
• Chris Monks (Director Armonico Consort)
• Tracy Hall (Telford & Wrekin Music, Telford & Wrekin Council)

Questions for discussion with partners and stakeholders and how to get involved

As part of our ongoing conversation, we’re collecting feedback and thoughts from a range of people on the opportunities and challenges in arts and cultural education across Telford & Wrekin. Please fill in our online survey here:-

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6ZF9G2V

How to contact us with your thoughts and ideas:-

Post: Telford & Wrekin Music, Unit F, The Place, Oakengates, Telford, TF2 6EP

Phone: 01952 380981

Email:- ian.thomas@telford.gov.uk

Updated December 2011.