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Musical Futures

Hertfordshire Music Service was a pathfinder region in the Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s Musical Futures initiative. Musical Futures aimed to find new and innovative ways of engaging all young peopled aged 11-19 in meaningful, sustainable music-making activities. The action research phase has now finished, and Musical Futures is in a transition phase where the ideas and approaches developed in the pathfinder regions are being rolled out across the country.

Musical Futures in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire Schools Involved
What Students Say
What Teachers Say
Resources
Local Support
National Rollout
Contacts

Musical Futures in Hertfordshire

The Hertfordshire pathfinder was a partnership between Hertfordshire Music Service, the Institute of Education University of London, and the DfES Innovation Unit. A set of classroom strategies were developed by Professor Lucy Green based on the adaptation of the informal learning practices of popular musicians into the classroom, to tackle motivation, attitude and skill acquisition for music lessons, as well as to bridge the gap between students’ musical lives and interests outside the classroom and their experiences of music in school.

Photo by Emile Holba

Results from the Hertfordshire pathfinder included the following:

• A significant rise in motivation among pupils reported from teachers and pupils;
• Pupils attitude towards music lessons and the music department improved;
• Teachers were impressed by the cooperation of pupils, and by the emergence of unlikely leaders;
• Many pupils emerged as having musical skills and talent that teachers otherwise wouldn’t have known about;
• Pupils listening skills particularly improved
• There has been an increase in the take-up of GCSE music
• There has been an increase in demand for instrumental and vocal tuition.
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Hertfordshire schools that are adapting/adopting the Musical Futures approach in some way, or who have been involved in Musical Futures over the past three years, are as follows:

Bushey Hall (Bushey)
Stanborough** (Welwyn)
Falconer** (Bushey)
Sheredes* (Hoddesdon)
St Luke’s** (Redbourn)
Monks Walk* (Welwyn)
Birchwood (Bishops Stortford)
Goffs** (Cheshunt)
Highfield** (Letchworth)
Sir Freds (Welwyn)
Kings Langley** (Kings Langley)
Francis Bacon (St Albans)
Cavendish** (Hemel)
Roundwood Park (Harpenden)
Brandles** (Baldock)
Simon Balle** (Hertford)
Sandringham* (St Albans)
Barclay* (Stevenage)
John Henry Newman** (Stevenage)
Loreto College (St Albans)
Hertswood (Borehamwood)
Sir John Lawes** (Harpenden)
St Clement Danes (Chorleywood)
Westfield (Watford)
Hitchin Girls (Hitchin)
John Warner (Hoddesdon)
Herts and Essex (Bishops Stortford)

*denotes Year 1 pilot school

**denotes Year 2 pilot school.

What Hertfordshire students say about Musical Futures

“When you’re doing this you can’t get bored.”

“This gives you the chance to prove what you’re capable of.”

“I thought it was good, it was fun, it was a challenge and I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed it.”

“This way we can actually learn about music.”

“You learn more by yourself; you can experiment there’s no-one telling you it’s wrong; you can’t do nothing wrong.”

What Hertfordshire teachers say about Musical Futures

“Regardless of their ability this is something that everybody can succeed in at their own level.”

“It’s about just being prepared to trust them.”

“It really works in terms of the motivation of the students, of their enthusiasm, and it actually has had effects on the behaviour of students too.”

“They can walk away thinking ‘I can play an instrument!’.”

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Resources

All materials developed through Musical Futures are freely available, and can be downloaded from:

• www.musicalfutures.org.uk.

Hard copies of the teacher resource materials can be obtained from:

• http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/ (reference DFES-0478-2006).

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Local support

Now that the action-research phase of Musical Futures has finished, Hertfordshire schools are able to take on the Musical Futures strategies in their classrooms with the help of a local teacher-support network.

Schools wishing to get involved in Musical Futures should in the first instance contact the Hertfordshire Musical Futures local coordinator Anna Gower
Tel: 07957 297859,
Email: reesanna@hotmail.com,

or

Abigail D’Amore,
Musical Futures national coordinator,
Tel: 07837 631492,

Initially we would recommend visiting another school in Hertfordshire that is doing Musical Futures, and having a meeting with Anna or Abigail to discuss the approach. Schools can then take on the approach themselves, as it is teacher-led, and can refer back to the local or national coordinator for support and advice.

A network of Hertfordshire teachers meets on a termly basis to discuss Musical Futures and other issues arising at Key Stage 3. This is open to all teachers, and is intended as a development and advice forum.

The local Musical Futures team, as part of Hertfordshire Music Service’s ‘The Mix’ initiative, work with schools to assist with providing progression pathways for Musical Futures students (for example Students as Musical Leaders training programme, Rock Schools, Creative Ensembles, Arts Awards), as well as arranging gigs and events for young people in the schools.

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Musical Futures National Rollout

More than 1,500 schools around the country have requested the Musical Futures teacher resource materials, and many of these are now implementing the Musical Futures approaches. The role of the national Musical Futures team is to monitor, support and develop this activity as Musical Futures becomes the domain of classroom teachers and practitioners. A national Continuing Professional Development programme has been established with an initial series of events being run during June 2007 in partnership with the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, and a set of events in January 2008 will follow in partnership with MusicLeader.net. All details of training and other events can be found on www.musicalfutures.org.uk

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Useful contacts

Abigail D’Amore, Musical Futures National Coordinator,
Tel: 07837 631492,

Anna Gower, Regional Coordinator Musical Futures Hertfordshire,
Tel: 07957 297859, Email: reesanna@hotmail.com

Christopher Strong, Musical Futures Assistant Project Manager
Tel: 01438 202806, Email: christopher.strong@hertscc.gov.uk

If you would like to become part of the Musical Futures network, and receive updates about Musical Futures nationally, please email feedback@musicalfutures.org.uk asking to join the e-mailing list.

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