MUSIC LESSONS ‘NOT GOOD ENOUGH’ BBC NEWS REPORT
why music in our school matters-london guitar lessons
Only half of school music lessons in England are good enough, according to inspectors from the watchdog Ofsted.
Its report said pupils were missing out on the positive impact music had on personal and academic development. Lessons were judged to be “good” or “outstanding” in just half of the 84 primary and 95 secondary schools seen between September 2005 and July 2008.The government said it was supporting councils to help them provide music education to all Key Stage 2 pupils.Too many primary and secondary school children were not making as much progress in music as they should, despite their enthusiasm, said Ofsted’s report, Making More of Music.Standards were good or outstanding in 46 primary schools, satisfactory in 33 and inadequate in five. Music provision was judged to be good or outstanding in just less than half of the 95 secondary schools and inadequate in 13. Music teachers were generally found to be committed to the subject. But they were often professionally isolated and lacked professional development and opportunities to discuss music. Many were unaware of recent initiatives. The report welcomed government funding for music, but said it needed to be better targeted to have more impact.
Recommendations
Inspectors said the Training and Development Agency for Schools should provide continuing professional development and support for music teachers in secondary schools and subject leaders for music in primary schools.And the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority should provide clear guidance on musical progression so that teachers could better plan for, teach, and assess music. Local authorities and music services should make sure more children from different social groups benefited from playing a musical instrument. And they said schools should regularly review their music provision.
Funds available
Chief inspector Christine Gilbert said: “It is vital that subject leaders in primary schools and music staff in secondary schools enjoy good support and professional development, and that they have sufficient time, not only to monitor teaching and learning, but also to work with other teachers. ”More thought needs to be given to how very welcome national initiatives link to the music curriculum as a whole, how to ensure longer-term impact, and how to ensure that initiatives reach those most in need of help. “Schools Minister Sarah McCarthy-Fry said the government had made £332m available for music education from 2007 until 2011. ”We will work with members of the Music Programme Board to address the recommendations that Ofsted makes,” she said. ”It is encouraging to see the positive effect whole class instrumental and singing programmes are having on music education generally.”This is why we are supporting local authorities to provide these opportunities to all pupils at Key Stage 2 (approximately ages eight to 11).”
‘Vandalism’
Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT teachers’ union, blamed the previous Conservative government for the problem. ”The decline in music provision has its roots in the previous government’s vandalism of excellent local authority music services due to changes in education funding.”This resulted in the demise of many central services, including music, on which schools relied for support and expertise.”Ms Keates said primary school league tables had also had a major part to play in a decline in music provision. ”The lack of priority given to music in schools is also a legacy of the school accountability regime,” she said. ”This drives schools to prioritise those subjects whose results feed the performance league tables.”This causes subjects such as music to be marginalised, which in turn affects the recruitment and retention of music specialists.”
I have posted this article to help you realise that school music lessons aren’t as good as lesson taught privately. It is due to lack of funds and ignorance of decision makers who think that music lessons are not as important in child’s development as other subjects. I have mentioned in many older posts how music enhances child’s learning abilities,teaches discipline and promotes development of good social skills important in our society. Check Benefits of Music Education to find out more…
WHY MUSIC IN OUR SCHOOL MATTERS? AS SEEN ON BBC NEWS CHANNEL
Here’s what I have found on BBC News website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7869260.stm
Many schools in England are not giving pupils a decent music education, the schools watchdog Ofsted has warned. Inspectors said the quality and range of music classes was “inconsistent”, and too many were “inadequate”, particularly in secondary schools. Musicians tell the BBC why music in schools is important.
BENEFITS OF MAKING AND STUDYING MUSIC
1. Early musical training helps develop areas of the brain that are involved with language and reasoning. It has been shown that brain development continues for many years after birth. Recent studies have clearly indicated that musical training physically develops the part of the left side of the brain, which is known to be involved with processing language and can actually wire the brain’s circuits in specific ways. Linking familiar songs to new information can also help imprint information on young minds.
2. Students of the arts learn to think creatively and to solve problems by imagining various solutions and rejecting outdated rules and assumptions. Questions about the arts do not have only one right answer due to its subjective nature.
3. Students of music learn craftsmanship as they study how details are painstakingly put together and what constitutes as good, as opposed to mediocre work. These standards, when applied to a student’s own work, demand a new level of excellence and require students to stretch their inner resources.
4. Music study enhances teamwork skills and discipline. In order for an orchestra to sound good, all players must work together harmoniously towards a single goal, the performance. For this to happen they must commit to learning music, attending rehearsals, and to practise regularly and effectively.
5. In music, a mistake is a mistake; the instrument is in tune or not, the notes are well played or they aren’t, the entrance is made or it isn’t. It is only determined by how much hard work has been invested that makes a successful performance possible. Through music study, people learn the value of sustained effort to achieve excellence and the concrete rewards of hard work.
6. There is also a casual link between music and spatial intelligence (the ability to perceive the world accurately and to form mental pictures of things). This kind of intelligence, by which one can visualize various elements that should go together, is critical to the sort of thinking necessary for everything. This can range from solving advanced mathematics problems to being able to pack a book-bag with everything that will be needed for the day.
7. Music provides people with a means of self-expression. Now that there is relative security in the basics of existence, the challenge is to make life meaningful and to reach for a higher stage of development. Everyone needs to be in touch at some time in his life with his core, with what we want and what we feel. Self-esteem is a by-product of this self-expression.
8. Music study develops skills that are necessary in the workplace. It focuses on “doing,” as opposed to observing, and teaches students how to perform, literally, anywhere in the world. Employers are looking for multi-dimensional workers with the sort of flexible and supple intellects that music education helps to create as described above. In the music classroom, students can also learn to better communicate and cooperate with one another.
9. Music performance teaches people to overcome fear and to take risks. A little anxiety is a good thing, and something that will occur often in life. Dealing with it early and often makes it less of a problem later. Risk-taking is essential if a child is to fully develop his or her potential.
WHY IS MUSIC EDUCATION IMPORTANT? WHY MUSIC EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT TO YOUR CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT ?
Here’s another video about benefits of music education for your child and you as well. Debbie Cavalier, Dean of Continuing Education at Berklee College of Music, shares with Berklee’s Dean of the Performance Division Matt Marvuglio some of the reasons why teaching music in schools is still a relevant and important educational goal. Cavalier also discusses some of the resources available to music educators who wish to advocate on behalf of music education and to strengthen their own teaching abilities. CLICK AN IMAGE TO PLAY THE CLIP:
Why is music education important?
WHY MUSIC MATTERS?
I have come across of this on YouTube while researching about the benefits of music education.This is a speech given by Professor Jack Stamp who is a highly regarded North American Wind Ensemble and Composer. Here is an eye opening lecture of Jack Stamp about music and what skills one can develop by making and playing music. He also talks about system of education that neglects music. I want you to think how important to you is music and how much time per day you surround yourself with music. I hope that after watching this short clip you will appreciate the gift of music much more than you do and you will appreciate all musicians as well. If you happen to be a parent of a child perhaps this video will inspire you to invest in music education. As Professor Jack Stamp said music demands perfection.CLICK AN IMAGE BELOW TO PLAY A VIDEO:
Jack Stamp -WHY MUSIC MATTERS
BENEFITS OF MUSIC EDUCATION-HOW MUSIC IS CHANGING THE LIVES OF SOME CHILDREN LIVING IN DEPRIVED AREAS( AS SEEN ON THE BBC)
THIS IS A NON COMMERCIAL SECTION OF THE BLOG. ALTHOUGH THE WEBSITE IN ITS NATURE HAS A COMMERCIAL PURPOSE THE CONTENT BELOW IS USED ONLY TO EDUCATE MY VISITORS. I WILL BE USING A CONTENT FROM RELIABLE THIRD PARTY RESOURCES TO DEMONSTRATE ALL BENEFITS OF MUSIC EDUCATION THAT WERE PROVEN BY SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHES.
The reason behind creating this section of the blog is ignorance of people who do not appreciate or don’t know all positve benefits of music education (please excuse me if I sound a bit arrogant – I didn’t mean to) In most cases I am talking here about parents who struggle to justify investing in children’s music lessons(guitar lessons in my case) while at the same time they spend their money buying computer games, junk food, mobile phones and other gadgets. Here’s the first story that I have found on BBC website. Click on the image below to watch the video. I hope this will inspire you and change your mind about learning music on any instrument.
BENEFITS OF MUSIC EDUCATION-WIMBLEDON SCHOOL OF GUITAR
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MUSIC LESSONS ‘NOT GOOD ENOUGH’ BBC NEWS REPORT
Only half of school music lessons in England are good enough, according to inspectors from the watchdog Ofsted. Its report said pupils were missing out on the positive impact music had on personal and academic development. Lessons were judged to be “good” or “outstanding” in just half of the 84 primary and 95 secondary schools seen [...]
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Here’s a quick lesson on how to link together five positions of a minor pentatonic scale. In this lesson I am showing you how to move from one position to another along the guitar neck. It creates pretty cool results. This kind of style of playing you can find on some recordings of Paul Gilbert, [...]
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