Ofsted report
- Thread starter Chunky
- Start date
Crazysop
Member
All children at present are supposed to have music at least once a week in school, of course the quality and quantity all depends upon the the school. I'm currently working in a school which provides the children with plenty of quality musical experiences, extra curricular, classroom and insrumental tuition. Would this Ofsted recomendation mean that instrument tuition would become free as it was years ago?, as at present they cost the parents quite a bit for a few minutes worth of time?
I expect it will be recorders, electronic keyboards and plinky-plonk things...just enough to allow government ministers to say what wonderful advances are being made, but without the financial investment needed for teaching real instruments and forming proper bands. It's a step in the right direction though.
Cornishwomble
Active Member
What you mean a plinky plonk thing isnt a real instrument? :?
Okiedokie of Oz
Active Member
"Plinky Plonk" implies it's related somehow to a violin. Do you call violins real instruments??? :wink:
Maestro
Active Member
Last year I asked a local primary school if they would like me to come in one day to do a demo as an introduction to music.
After checking my cv and my list of references from various schools that I have taught in, they came back to me saying that they didn't think it was a good idea as they have more important aspects of education for the children.
I guess if the head teacher likes music then their school will benefit. If they don't, then the children will surely miss out.
After checking my cv and my list of references from various schools that I have taught in, they came back to me saying that they didn't think it was a good idea as they have more important aspects of education for the children.
I guess if the head teacher likes music then their school will benefit. If they don't, then the children will surely miss out.
At rehearsal last night I spoke to a member of staff of Norfolk County Music Education Services. They have 'seen' a copy of the report. It actually states that all children between the ages of 7-11 'must be given the chance to learn a musical instrument'.
The cynic in me says that means schools say 'who wants to play a musical instrument? Nobody. oh ok' Ofsted recommendation then satisfied!
The cynic in me says that means schools say 'who wants to play a musical instrument? Nobody. oh ok' Ofsted recommendation then satisfied!
Cornet_player
Member
At my old school I know of people who were put on waiting lists for instrumental lessons. I knew someone who wanted lessons but didnt have an instrument (but was told that they could hire one from the music service) a year or so later they bought there own but despite having an instrument was still unable to have lessons as they are still on the waiting list.
When I had lessons in school it was £98 a term for 20 minutes a week. This was fine if I had a teacher who was good but I had so many useless ones who 'suggested' that we give up music that I eventually got lessons elsewhere. when I started there were about 10 of us when I left there were 3!!
When I had lessons in school it was £98 a term for 20 minutes a week. This was fine if I had a teacher who was good but I had so many useless ones who 'suggested' that we give up music that I eventually got lessons elsewhere. when I started there were about 10 of us when I left there were 3!!
Cornet_player
Member
Yeah it was suggested firstly by my brass peripatetic teacher when I was about grade 4 so I was about 13. Then last year my old head of music suggested that I should give up just before I took my grade 8 (which i passed 
) luckly by this stage I had an excellent cornet teacher so I took no notice and carried on.
Really stupid thing is that I changed school and and my new peri teacher has got me looking through the diplomas and the head of music is suggesting that I look at music colleges-- Ive gone from being so bad that I should give up to good enough to do diplomas etc in a matter of weeks :? :shock:
) luckly by this stage I had an excellent cornet teacher so I took no notice and carried on.Really stupid thing is that I changed school and and my new peri teacher has got me looking through the diplomas and the head of music is suggesting that I look at music colleges-- Ive gone from being so bad that I should give up to good enough to do diplomas etc in a matter of weeks :? :shock:
Cornet_player said:Yeah it was suggested firstly by my brass peripatetic teacher when I was about grade 4 so I was about 13. Then last year my old head of music suggested that I should give up just before I took my grade 8 (which i passed
Really stupid thing is that I changed school and and my new peri teacher has got me looking through the diplomas and the head of music is suggesting that I look at music colleges-- Ive gone from being so bad that I should give up to good enough to do diplomas etc in a matter of weeks :? :shock:
I am somewhat confused (no change there). You state that you were told just about to do your grade 4 to give up because you were 'so bad'. However you would have already done your grade 3 and were progressing to 4 so were improving!
Then when you were about to take grade 8, which you passed the head of music at your old school told you to give up? You then changed schools and you have gone from bad to good in weeks.
Am I missing something here :?
ScrapingtheBottom
Active Member
Cornet_player said:Yeah it was suggested firstly by my brass peripatetic teacher when I was about grade 4 so I was about 13. Then last year my old head of music suggested that I should give up just before I took my grade 8 (which i passed
Really stupid thing is that I changed school and and my new peri teacher has got me looking through the diplomas and the head of music is suggesting that I look at music colleges-- Ive gone from being so bad that I should give up to good enough to do diplomas etc in a matter of weeks :? :shock:
Similar thing happened to me when I was 14 we had (and I stress had) to go to have lessons with a peri so that the school could justify music budget or something (all the brass players had private lessons anyway) and he told me to give up (probably because I questioned his methods which were the opposite of what my private teacher was telling me), so I said okay I would. I carried on with my private teacher. Last year I played with the peri teacher on a school production of west side story, I reminded him who I was, 'nuff said!
Okiedokie of Oz
Active Member
I was lucky I had a specialist in brass. But now I run the brass band, and I am a multi-instrumentalist, I can see the negatives in not having specialists. My flute players suck. My clarinets are OK, and I get good saxes. My brass turn out to be the elite.
Dave Euph
Member
In Shropshire, where I lived up until September, lessons were awfully expensive (and only 20 minutes) - and were rising every year ... making my tuition increasinly expensive for my not-very-well-off parents. Also, unless your school had the instruments for yo-u to borrow, you had to hire the things!
Tuition itself was excellent, and I had some great teachers over the years but I think the lessoning of pupils taking up instruments in Shropshire is probably due to the rising costs.
Tuition itself was excellent, and I had some great teachers over the years but I think the lessoning of pupils taking up instruments in Shropshire is probably due to the rising costs.
I was refering to the scenario of "Here's a chime bar. Let's make some free creative music"...that sort of dated 1960s rubbish. It goes on a lot, and makes it seem as if lots of music is being taught, even though the kids aren't being shown anything of any use. Literacy and numeracy are moving towards having more structure and rigor, while in music "let it all hang out man" seems to be the approach.Roy Taylor said:
...and don't get me going on the topic of steel bands...