Are school music lessons still marching to the same tune?
A few years ago, music lessons consisted of learning how to play the keyboard and the only musical group a pupil could join was the school band, which involved playing a traditional instrument such as the trumpet, flute or tenor horn.
But nowadays the balance has shifted, and while there is still a rightful place for the traditional band, many of our schools are offering a wider variety of musical groups for pupils to join.
Corby Business Academy has an award-winning concert band, as well as a junior concert band, a samba band, a steel band, a rock group, a choir and gospel choir, brass ensemble and woodwind ensemble.
And Lodge Park Technology College in Corby has a soul band as well as the chance for pupils to learn things like African drumming.
Louise Dorrian is a music teacher at Lodge Park who set up Soul Band.
She said: "I set it up in September 2008 when I first started at the school and it has slowly grown in size.
"We now have 14 members of a mixture of ages from Years 8 to 10 and they play keyboards, drums, bass and electric guitars and cover songs.
"I think with the likes of Guitar Hero and computer games like that being so popular, school music lessons had to move with the times and I believe that they have as it's something that the kids can associate with and respond well too.
"As well as the extra-curricular tutorials, we look at them in class too but we always go back to where music came from as it's important to
show how it's developed and got to where it is now.
"They still learn to play the keyboard and things like that but now they learn more about music technology, like remixing too.
"One project they had last year was to take an advert, advertise the product and then generate the music to go with it, which they all really enjoyed. I think they are quite interested in how the technology aspect of music works.
"At the end of the day I think it's important to incorporate new things into music lessons while remembering how we got to this point as well."
Corby Business Academy's director of music, Clive Wears, agrees.
He said: "Modern technology certainly means that students can behave more like professional musicians and they can create and produce music of a good quality.
"At Key Stage 3 each student has an hour and a half of music per week.
"As well as the more traditional instruments, such as brass and woodwind the music lessons also involve teaching the students how to use more modern software applications, such as GarageBand – which allows students to record and mix their own songs."
So with a shift towards more modern music forms seemingly taking place in music lessons, how do pupils respond to them?
Mr Wears, who has been teaching the subject for 16 years, is a strong
advocate of the theory that becoming involved in music can help young people achieve in other areas.
He said: "Learning music can have enormous benefits across the board, helping with self confidence and self esteem, as well as discipline and learning and literacy and numeracy.
Deborah Noakes, who is the head of music at Lodge Park, said: "The pupils definitely get more excited by the more modern style of instruments and music.
"When I first started it was all very classical based but I think this school has always been quite pop influenced so over the years we have had to change the curriculum to be more a technology-based course.
"But I think learning any instrument is good for them because it's that instant gratification you get from playing your own instrument.
"I do think it can help with other parts of their education as it teaches them that they have to work at things to be good at them, the more you practice an instrument the better you will play it and that theory can be used with any other learning process. And I personally have found that pupils who misbehave elsewhere in school don't in music lessons, because they are interested in what they are doing and can relate to it, because music is accessible to everyone."
Both schools encourage participation in music across all year groups and at Corby Business Academy. So far 150 students have taken up an instrument and all receive a 20 minute tuition session per week on their chosen instrument.
A condition of the free tuition is that they become involved in one of the many music groups that have become established at the Academy.
The after school clubs at Corby Business Academy also mean that each day after 3.30pm there is extra music provision supplied with many students staying behind two to three times a week to take part in musical activities.
The students then perform in the academy's own productions such as their Christmas and summer concerts. The band also has performed a recent junior school tour and the concert band is hoping to complete a European tour next year.
Lodge Park is no different, with children staying behind to practise their chosen instrument.
Louise Dorrian said: "As well as Soul Band, who rehearse after school, we have other after school clubs where we encourage the pupils to learn the drums, bass, guitar as well as the more traditional instruments like the flute, clarinet and violin, as long as they are passionate about music we don't mind."
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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