Education Con Moto

Moving Education forward

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PED-Talks:Teaching insights worth sharing - Preparing students for the workplace of the future

Our May PED-Talk was delivered by Helen Phillips, or rather, by her avatar. Through her work with the Prince's Teaching institute, Helen had been reading research by the University of Phoenix, and ...

I attended the Princes Teaching Institute Music Conference back in November 2016.  Upon returning to school, I was asked to deliver a PED Talk. Of all the talks that I attended, the one that piqued my interest was by Atar Shafighian on the changing face of the Music Industry and how students can access it using non-traditional routes.   This led me to look at how the workforce is a very different one to 10 years ago, and that skills that students need are ever changing.  As a result of this, I came across some interesting research from the University of Phoenix Research Institute and the Institute for the Future.  Take a look at my video and the accompanying research, linked here on the St Peter’s School school R&D Website.  What are your thoughts?

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MOOCs

I love MOOCs.  They are truly an amazing resource, certainly the ones that I have participated in.  A MOOC is a Massive Open Online Course, an internet based course with unlimited participation, and they are FREE!  They are the next step in distance learning and are being run by lots of establishments, including many of the top universities around the world.  There are courses in most fields and, while some are profession specific, lots of them require little or no prior knowledge in the area.  I quite fancy the one on forensics for beginners!  

I have completed ones in Music Technology, Music History, Music Production and am about to embark on 2 new ones. The first is the ‘Critical Listening for Studio Production’, run by Queen's University, Belfast, and the second is  ‘Conversations that Inspire: Coaching Learning, Leadership and Change’, run by Cape Western Reserve University.  They will help with important but vastly different areas of my Continuous Professional Development whilst giving me the flexibility to complete the work in my own time, something that I am grateful for as a full-time working parent.  The time commitment of each MOOC varies, mine from 3 weeks to 8 weeks, with a commitment of between 2 and 8 hours a week.  They often run several times a year, so if one particular start date is not convenient, do not fear, chances are it will be starting again shortly.   

So the question is, what will you be learning today?

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What are the key skills of a coach?

I have had many good experiences of coaching and feedback, though not necessarily under the official umbrella term of ‘coaching’. The conversations just happened to end up being coaching conversations. I am fortunate to have had many strong role models throughout my career. All have had slightly different approaches but all had the following things in common: • They listened to what I had to say • They weren’t judgemental • They assumed that I was working very hard and that any problems that I might be experiencing were not due to lack of trying. These attributes enabled me to feel secure that my comments and questions would not be taken the wrong way, and that I could be open and honest in my quest to be a better teacher, manager or leader. On the flipside, I have had one negative experience too. I don’t think that it was deliberate on their part (just perhaps the wrong personality type for the role? That is a whole other matter) but it was clear that they were bringing their own, preconceived ideas of what teaching and learning, or marking and feedback, should look like, despite our wildly differing teaching styles and the fact that they taught a ‘desk’ subject while I teach very practical music lessons. As a result, I just ended up coming away from the session frustrated, demotivated and annoyed that my ideas and justifications of my actions had not been listened to. What made this particular experience even sadder is that it was a member of staff whom I respected and the result soured our relationship for some time. Everyone wants to feel like their opinion is valued, and an instant dismissal of that opinion’s validity risks diminishing the worth of any further conversation. On a positive note though, all of these experiences will help me with my own coaching practice. Perhaps there is no such thing as a bad experience, only how you reflect upon it and move on to greater things.

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Onwards and upwards

The Young People’s Concert conducted by Robin Browning was an incredible success.  I have had so much positive feedback, from both performers and audience members. It has been quite overwhelming!  People are now asking when the next one is going to be so I am busy, beavering away, securing the arts funding to make sure that we CAN repeat it next year.

We have numerous other, crazy yet exciting plans that are currently being formed, all of which are equally exciting.  I have set up a Facebook page for our department so that we can easily publicise each of our events - nothing innovative, but new and exciting for us!

www.facebook.com/stpetersmusicdept

The next 2 projects currently being worked on are a concert involving key stage 3 students, performing the South African Protest Music of Hugh Masekela (with arrangements by saxophonist (Jason Yarde) and a project with the British Council and e-Twinning, linking us with schools in Ukraine and Armenia. More on both of these shortly.

Onwards and upwards indeed.

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To whom it may concern - Saving A Level Music Technology

I was disappointed to read that earlier this year Ofqual made the announcement that it was holding A level Music Technology under review. They published that they ‘did not have confidence that content could be developed to meet our principles’. 

In the 5 years that I have taught Music Technology I have seen in excess of 50% of each cohort go on to study music technology based courses at university or enter the workforce in this area.  Almost 100% of my students have gone on on use Music Technology in some form after leaving sixth form, as an enrichment activity or to support a related career such as journalism, lighting engineer, video editing etc.  I have also seen several students who have stayed on for level 3 learning as a result of being able to take music technology.  The differences between Music and Music Technology are enormous.  They attract entirely different students, in the most part, and lead into very different specialty areas. Many professions rely on the use of web based media and digital media, all of which can supported by the skills learnt and applied in Music Technology.  As a classically trained violinist, I can personally testify to wildly different subject matter required for music technology that took me a long time to learn in order to be able to teach the qualification.

If there are concerns regarding the academic rigor of the subject then let that be reviewed and amended, as opposed to potentially scrapping a course which gives many opportunities to budding musicians, producers, sound engineers, technicians, to name but a few. There is scope within the course to link it more heavily to science, creating the perfect hybrid between the revered STEM subjects and the creative arts, how is that for academic rigor?

Here is a link to the www.gov.uk document with the recent announcements

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/427471/2015-05-14-reform-of-gcses-as-and-a-levels-in-2017-may-2015.pdf

Here is the original article that articulates the value of the subject particularly well, based upon the original campaign by Aiden Goetzee, Head of Music Technology at Purcell School.

https://thesamplerblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/07/aidan-goetzee-act-now-to-save-a-level-music-technology/

I am glad to see that they have announced that they will be looking into specification reform, but the potential to stop further development is still there. I can only implore colleagues, students and professional to all express the importance of continuing this subject upon the appropriate parties.  The cabinet may have shifted, but the positions are still there.  Please write your letters of support to the appropriate parties, I have already started writing mine.

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I can’t quite believe that, after months of planning, phone calls, printing, ordering, organising, purchasing etc that we are finally here.  I am more than a little nervous, but excited at the same time,  It has been an enormous undertaking but I cannot wait to see the concert in full swing on Sunday.   It has been really lovely to be able to give both students and staff the chance to play in a symphony orchestra, for the first time ever for some of them.  Talk about embracing growth mindset!  I was incredibly proud of them all after the rehearsal on Wednesday evening, and they have all been practicing away every since. 2 more days....

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Young People’s Concert

On Sunday 17th May 2015 the staff and students of St Peter’s School Music Department are joining forces with professional musicians and members of the community to present a fantastic afternoon of classical music aimed at the under 12s. 

Presenting an interactive orchestral programme in the De La Salle at St Peter's School, this is the first time that the school or I have worked on such a project. Join us for a wonderful afternoon of music including Rossini’s Barber of Seville Overture, Saint-Saen’s Danse Macabre and Kleinsinger’s Tubby the Tuba, whose story will be narrated by Jez Graves. Ballerinas will be seen twirling, soldiers marching, a performance on a hosepipe and everyone will have a go at conducting! 

I am delighted to have conductor Robin Browning join us for the concert. Robin studied at the Accademia Chigiana, Siena, before furthering his training in the USA with Joseph Gifford. He also studied with Sir Charles Mackerras as well as other renowned conductors before making his first professional studio recording in 2008. Having worked with orchestras and soloists from around the world, Robin is now firmly established as music director of five British orchestras including the highly regarded de Havilland Philharmonic.  

We are also incredibly fortunate to have Anca Campanie join us to lead the orchestra.  Anca graduated from the National University of Music Bucharest, then continued her studies on an Erasmus Scholarship in Salzburg and then in Switzerland at the International Menuhin Music Academy, under the guidance of Maestro Alberto Lysy. She has participated in many masterclasses, won prizes in international competitions and performed with major Philharmonic orchestras in Romania and abroad, such as Orchestra Sinfonia Siciliana and Camerata Lysy. She is currently a student at the Royal College of Music, where she is pursuing a Master’s Degree under Professor Yuri Zhislin. 

It is an afternoon not to be missed!          

Tickets are available via my contact page, emailing [email protected] or just by popping into the school reception on either site.

Tickets are priced at £5 each, under 2's go free. Family Tickets are available for £15 (2 Adults, 2 Children)

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Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra - 17/05/15

My department have been incredibly fortunate to receive some funding from our local Music Hub, Soundstorm, to use for project work this year. One of the projects is an orchestral concert aimed at our primary school, feeder primary schools, as well as out year 7 and 8 students.   The idea behind it is to use students, staff and parents who are instrumentalists to form an orchestra which will perform short pieces and movements from larger works.  This will give the youngsters in the audience a taste of orchestral instruments and of a Symphony orchestra.  I remember attending something very similar as a 7 year old and the experience has stuck firmly in my mind, no doubt contributing to my love of orchestral playing, which I have done plenty of over the years.

We are fortunate to have Robin Browning conducting the event, whom I have worked with on numerous occasions and I am delighted that we will be working together again.   We are still in the early planning stages but the orchestral forces are starting to take shape, as is the choice of repertoire. Exciting times ahead!

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This is how the blog began. Con Moto is a musical term, meaning 'with movement'. Teachers strive to be better, to move forward, to allow their students to progress and achieve. I look for ways to improve my practice and share with others. I hope that my blog will improve with time too!

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And so it begins...

12 years ago I started my teaching career

8 Years ago I became a Subject Leader for Music

6 months ago I became an NPQSL participant 

6 hours ago I decided that it was time to bite the bullet and start my Edu-blog. All things relating to Music Education, Teaching and Learning, CPD, Coaching, Progress, and possibly the very occasional picture of a comedy animal.

I have found out the most amazing things by working in a collaborative and creative environment.  I have learnt so much from colleagues, peers and the students themselves, and I hope that I can share things that will help others.

I am also tweeting away.  Please follow me @EduConMoto

Wish me luck!

Helen