Summary
The Ofsted report ‘Making more of music: An evaluation of music in schools 2005-2008’ can be read in a variety of ways each of which raises critical issues surrounding music in schools. These readings include
- exploring face value judgements on the quality of music education in schools
- unpicking the concepts and tools employed in the report to ‘move music on’
- examining the role of state interventions in the quality of school music
This resource is not a detailed account of the report. The detail can be gleaned from the report itself and the various reviews (see Other useful resources below). The resource does examine each of the readings in turn through key questions and tasks. Some of the key questions and tasks are supported by video of a discussion which took place at Leicester University on June 28th 2009 between a group of teacher educators in music.
The teacher educators involved were:
Chris Philpott – University of Greenwich,
Gary Spruce – Open University,
Julie Evans – Canterbury Christ Church University,
Keith Evans – University of Greenwich,
John Finney – Cambridge University,
Tim Cain – Southampton University,
Jonathan Barnes - Canterbury Christ Church University,
David Wheway - Canterbury Christ Church University,
Ian Axtell – Birmingham City University,
Ian Shirley – Edge Hill University,
Filmed by David Ashworth – Music Education Consultant.
Introduction
The report ‘Making more of music: An evaluation of music in schools 2005-2008’ has confronted the world of English music education with what appears to be some harsh truths. At a time of almost unprecedented central funding of music education much positive practice is identified. However, the over riding tone is one of disappointment as summed up in the conclusion which states that ‘Many of the weaknesses this report identifies have been raised previously.’ This resource aims to support teacher educators in music to engage their student teachers in (a) a critical perspective on the state of music education in England, and (b) a critical perspective on the report itself.
In each section you should use the publication, the key questions, the video (where appropriate), and the reviews by John Finney, Vanessa Young and Julie Evans (see Other useful resources below) to stimulate discussion, reflection and suggested solutions to the issues raised.
1. Face value judgements on the quality of music in schools 
The report makes many judgements on school music in England and while some of these are new, others are ongoing. The key questions below derive from the key findings and recommendations in the report.
The provision for music in schools is varied, for example, in the use of music to make a difference to pupils personal development.
Key questions: The judgment of varied provision has been an ongoing issue in music education: what is meant by ‘varied provision’ and does this manifest itself in your partner schools? What is meant by personal development and how can music in schools be used to enhance the personal development of all pupils?
There was inconsistency of musical opportunities within and across key stages.
Key questions: To what extent is this an issue for the distribution of current initiatives e.g. Sing Up!, Musical Futures, across schools? Do schools take up their ‘entitlement’ to such initiatives? How can schools connect within and between these initiatives? How can schools maximise the musical opportunities for their pupils?
A lack of musical progress was the main weakness in primary and secondary schools, and associated with this weak assessment.
Key questions: What is musical progress? How do we recognise it and how do we facilitate it? Do pupils make progress in your classes / school, and if so how? What might be regarded as ‘strong’ assessment and how might this be related to enhancing pupil progress?
See video discussions below:You need flash player 8 and javascript enabled to view this embedded file.'Assessment' video
You need flash player 8 and javascript enabled to view this embedded file.'Musical Progress' video
Teachers are professionally isolated from each other.
Key questions: How does this judgement relate to inconsistency of musical opportunities within and across key stages? Would more CPD in the Key Stage 3 Strategy, for example, improve the quality of music education in schools? How can music teachers be facilitated to engage with wider professional networks?
In primary schools strong subject leadership was important to the quality of provision.
Key questions: What is meant by strong subject leadership? Can this be undertaken by a non-specialist?You need flash player 8 and javascript enabled to view this embedded file.'Strong Subject Leadership' video
Music services were praised for the impact of their work e.g. providing instrumental tuition and opportunities for regional ensembles, and no other partnerships had a similar impact.
Key questions: In your experience do music services impact on music for all? If so how do they do this?
Substantial recent government funding has been well founded but not always successfully linked to the music curriculum as a whole.
Key questions: How can initiatives such as Wider Opportunities make explicit links with the music curriculum? How can these initiatives reach those that are most in need of support? How can they be sustained to make a long term impact?
2. Unpicking the concepts and tools employed in the report to ‘move music on’
In the section of the report ‘Moving music on’, there are some suggestions for the development of school music. These suggestions include concepts and ideas which require further explanation if they are to make sense to music teachers and if they are to understand the basis upon which they are being judged.
Awaking musical intelligence – the language of music
Key questions: What is musical intelligence? Is music a language and if so what are the implications for teaching music? What does it mean to use the ‘target language’ in music?You need flash player 8 and javascript enabled to view this embedded file.'Awakening Musical Intelligence' video
Developing musical creativity – releasing musical imagination
‘The distinctiveness of creativity in music is that pupils use sound as the medium for creative thinking…..where pupils hear and create music in their heads’
Key questions: What is creativity in music and does it necessarily mean thinking in sound? What is ‘musical imagination’ and how would we know that pupils were exercising it?You need flash player 8 and javascript enabled to view this embedded file.'Musical Creativity' video
Increasing musical progress – seeing the wood for the trees
The report suggests that pupils’ progress might be recognised through:
- The quality of their responses across increasingly challenging tasks
- The depth of their responses
- Attitudes towards music lessons
- Involvement outside the lesson and continued study
Key questions: What is meant by musical progress? What will enable greater musical progress? How is it possible to show musical progress has been achieved? Are quality, depth, attitude and involvement useful measures of musical progress?You need flash player 8 and javascript enabled to view this embedded file.'Assessment' video
You need flash player 8 and javascript enabled to view this embedded file.'Musical Progress' video
Ensuring continuity – achieving longer-term impact
Building coherence – increasing effectiveness
Key questions: How can continuity be achieved across the key stages?
What will increase continuity within and between additional and wider opportunities? How can the various ‘parts’ of music education become integrated? How can we achieve increasing coherence across different musical experiences? How can music ‘add value’ to the overall educational experience?
3. The role of state interventions in the quality of school music
The report does not reflect directly on the quality and impact of government state interventions in the music curriculum in light of its findings.
Key questions: What do the judgements in the report say about the success of the national curriculum? What do they say about the success of the Key Stage 3 strategy programme for music? Has the professional development for these been sufficiently ‘owned’ by music teachers? Does the report underplay the potential impact on music education of new pedagogies such as Musical Futures? Is there a case to be made for a radical revision of the national curriculum?You need flash player 8 and javascript enabled to view this embedded file.'Impact of Government Interventions' video
Other useful resources
www.ttrb.ac.uk/...baf2ec812a7.pdf - a review of the implications for Primary education by Vanessa Young
www.ttrb.ac.uk/...d5c36031a0fd.pdf - a review of the implications for Secondary education by Julie Evans
The above two resources are from the TTRB (Teacher Training Resource Bank) website.
John Finney (2009) Making more music This first appeared in the NAME Magazine, summer, 2009. Download the PDF here.
Conclusion and Challenges for ITE
The report throws up some critical issues in relation to music education and it is clear that teacher education is crucial to a future response. Questions for consideration in ITE might include:
- what is music?
- what is musical knowledge and understanding?
- what does it mean to learn in music?
- what does it mean to develop musically?
- what is the relationship between the music teacher and government initiatives?
- what does high quality music education look and sound like?
Some of these ‘first principle’ questions would seem essential to consider in light of the findings of this report and which are scantly elucidated within it.
