Supporting Music in Schools
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the SCHOOLS MUSIC ASSOCIATION part of the Incorporated Society of Musicians SUMMER 2017 No. 194 £2.50
ULLETIN Hon. editor: Carole Lindsay-Douglas carole@lindsaymusic.co.uk tel: 01767-260815
Final Edition It is with a great sadness and heaviness of heart that I am introducing this edition as the final Bulletin ever to be produced by the Schools Music Association. A decision to cease publication was taken by the Steering Group for SMA within ISM. This course of action is necessitated by the fact that SMA as an organisation within ISM is no longer able to mount the events for which it became known in its heyday – namely massed gatherings of children to perform together in a non-competitive festival atmosphere and the training of teachers in either one-day courses or at the Annual Conference. There are many contributing factors to this situation – the demands on serving teachers’ time, the regulations surrounding out-of-school performances, the cost of transport and of classroom cover and increasing inflexibility regarding time devoted to core curriculum subjects. Therefore with no activity to report, the SMA Bulletin is now largely redundant. Teacher training in the form of one-day courses and Annual Conferences continued until October of 2016, including the provision of CPD in Gibraltar in 2014 under the direction of Dr Douglas Coombes MBE enabled by the enthusiastic encouragement of SMA members Cathy Batchelor and Pam Honeyman. More practical singing and playing with 1300 primary children occurred as part of a Barnardo’s Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London in 2013 when SMA helped establish a Guinness World Record, under the direction of Douglas Coombes along with Corporate Members David and Christa Liggins of Ocarina Workshop for the world’s largest gathering of ocarina players. SMA has always been the practical manifestation of music making with children, under the baton of Ronald Corp OBE in recent decades, for the series of Cathedrals Festivals, bringing together many hundreds of young people and their teachers, singing appropriate repertoire in historic places in association with the Historical Society and the Royal
Farewell to the SMA Bulletin by Hon. Editor Carole Lindsay-Douglas College of Organists, whose Education Officer, Simon Williams, provided organ pieces and demonstrations. Such events were organised by two former Chairmen of SMA, Christine Newman and the late Maxwell Pryce MBE. In 2015 this theme was continued by Alison Hedger, assisted by Reg Fletcher in a music-drama involving many schools in the Winchester area in a work by Alison Hedger, entitled The Way which was held at Winchester Cathedral. SMA, like many purely voluntary organisations, despite its effectiveness and illustrious history, began to find it difficult to recruit sufficient volunteers to continue this outstanding work in the 21st century, and the Trustees realised that something had to be done to preserve its name and heritage. After a considerable period of consultation and an overwhelming vote by the members, a merger took place with the Incorporated Society of Musicians in 2013. Aside from practical music making with young people, there was always much work going on in the background, lobbying politicians with the intention of improving music provision in schools at all levels, and the two Presidents in the lifetime of SMA, conductor, Sir Adrian Boult CBE and composer, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies CBE both played an important and telling role in reaching the ear of those who could be most influential in Government. The merging of SMA with ISM has undoubtedly strengthened influence in political circles, especially with reference to the ongoing Ebacc campaign BACC for the future. The SMA’s most recent initiative, that of organising a composing competition for teachers has now passed its closing date with the results expected to be announced on both the ISM website (ism.org) and on Corporate Member Lindsay Music’s website (lindsaymusic. co.uk) before the end of this term. There have been a number of entries and the winning work, if published, will bear the SMA logo for ever more. (continued on page two)
(continued from page one) So, what of SMA’s legacy? Aspects of the SMA will continue while there are those of us prepared to devote time and energy to them; such as the SMA Awards scheme, which continues to receive entries for both choral and instrumental work and the Guild of Adjudicators and Workshop Presenters which is a badge of professionalism awarded to those who successfully undergo an induction day. Also, it is hoped that the many schools up and down the country, involving roughly 6,000 children, who benefitted from ocarinas distributed after the Guinness World Record event, supplied with training from Ocarina Workshop will have built a tradition of music-making using these simple instruments. Any remaining SMA funds will be divided between the ISM Trust, which provides training in Curriculum Music and at least one singing charity and one charity providing orchestral opportunities for school children. This is the final SMA Bulletin, but it will not be the final SMA publication. Musicologist Jane Roper has been in possession of the considerable SMA Archive and is now close to completion of a book about the history and work of the SMA and it is the SMA Steering Group’s intention that this will appear in print and on the ISM website in 2018, the 80th Anniversary of the founding of the SMA. All ISM-SMA Members will receive a hard copy of this eagerly anticipated volume. The archives themselves will be lodged with the ISM at the completion of publication and will be available for study by arrangement thereafter. It has been a great privilege and joy to serve the SMA first as a Council Member, then as Hon. Editor of the SMA Bulletin from c1997 and then as both Editor (Bulletin) and Hon. Secretary of the organisation from 2009 in dual capacities. I treasure the many contacts made and friendships formed during that time and must take this opportunity of thanking everyone (including, and especially, members of the SMA Council past and present), all of whom have inspired me to perform the many and various tasks required of me over the years. This is not retirement on my part, but it is the end of an era for the SMA.
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Manchester Cathedral alive with the sound of young voices (above and below)
Ocarinas in action in Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Good news for Music Education in Wales
The Welsh Government has announced a new £1m endowment fund to encourage more children to become musicians. The National Endowment for Music will fund additional music activities for young people across the country and begin making payments by 2020, with the Government providing more money into the fund once it is established. It is hoped that the endowment will generate at least £1m per year, with ministers hoping that public and private sector bodies will also contribute to fund additional music activities across the country. A joint initiative between Education Secretary Kirsty Williams AM and Ken Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure, the fund builds on the £20 million Creative Learning through the Arts plan to support creative teaching and learning in schools. Ms Williams said: “The National Endowment for Music will help ensure that all our young people, from whatever background, can develop their talents and skills through music. Having experiences outside the classroom is a sure way to help children build confidence and discover what inspires them. In time, this Endowment will provide extra chances for young people to access important education experiences.” This is undoubtedly very welcome news, not just for the next generation of musicians from the Land of Song, but will provide new opportunities especially for those who teach instruments, who in recent years have seen a systematic erosion of jobs.
Percussion Plus lives on News that the future of Percussion Plus Ltd was in doubt tugged at the heartstrings of all of us who remember playing on a red xylophone or glockenspiel, common to many a primary classroom. Happily, it was announced in March that the purchase of the company had been completed by Frederick Hyde Ltd. (Also within the Frederick Hyde corporate embrace is Chamberlain Music located in Surrey.) It is not just the hugely popular red xylophones for which Percussion Plus is known. The company is also responsible for around 1500 educational percussion products and brands including Sonix drums, Wak-a-tubes, and Perfect Pitch instruments. Frederick Hyde’s managing director John Hughes-Chamberlain said: “We are thrilled to have Percussion Plus under our umbrella! We’ve had our eye on this marvellous brand for some time and have some exciting plans to take the company forward.”
Guitars on the beach with Mungo Jerry
Guitars on the Beach (GOTB) is an annual event in Lyme Regis, this year taking place on 17 June. It attracts thousands of guitarists to the picturesque seaside town in Dorset, with the ultimate goal of breaking the record for ‘the world’s largest guitar ensemble’. The format for the event includes live performances all day and evening, with the record attempt taking place at 5pm. The participants, known as the ‘Sand Band’ will be playing a number of well-known songs, and Mungo Jerry will be leading the Sand Band with his 70’s worldwide hit In the Summertime as part of the record attempt. This year, GOTB will be raising money for the charity Music for All, that helps give access to music for everyone in society.
Make Music Day 21 June
You may be thinking, “Well isn’t everyday a Make Music Day?” However, this specially designated day is something that has been going on for some years now around the globe, and the organisers are hoping that the UK will also be involved in a big way this year. We do also have Learn to Play Days on 24 and 25 June, which are largely run by local music shops. Make Music Day is an international celebration of music held annually on 21 June. Currently held in 120 countries and 750 cities, MakeMusicDay.org (and 30+ other organisations) hope to finally bring it to the UK on a large scale – with your help! It’s a fantastic opportunity to celebrate your musical activity, showcase it to potential new members and audiences and make new connections in your community. You’ll find full details on how you can get involved on the Make Music Day UK website, but here are some quick examples of what you could do: • Hold a singing event in your local area and include singing/ teaching the Make Music Day song (Bring me sunshine, available free) • Perform with your instrumental group, anywhere (there are free instrumental arrangements of Bring me sunshine available too) • Put on ‘bandaoke’ in your local library, backing singers with a brass band, a rock group, a ukulele ensemble… • Already performing on that day? That’s great! Get some extra free publicity by listing it as part of Make Music Day. • Can your school sing the song in assembly?Feel free to use your imagination! There are no limits to what you could do on Make Music Day, provided it’s musical, and on 21 June. • You can register and find out more on the Make Music Day UK website, or email the project manager to discuss your idea – uk@makemusicday.org.
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Reflections on the SMA
world record for massed playing, is a notable example. Children have sung and played with us in the new Birmingham Symphony Hall and at the Sage, Gateshead. The Royal Festival Hall was an annual venue for many years, and long processions of children were frequently being guided through their doors and up their many steps to the different levels.
by Immediate Past Chairman & Chairman of the Steering Group for SMA within ISM Jay Deeble
And now that has been taken over by Music for Youth who use those venues for annual music festivals with children, and who have grown them to last for several days.
Jay Deeble delivering a session at the 76th SMA Conference in 2014 I must have been a member of SMA for about 25years. I had been teaching for a number of years and was on the look out for some new ideas, and an organisation that was really focussed on children and the classroom. SMA seemed to be it. My first conference was up in the wilds of Lincolnshire, I think. I remember getting to this enormous old house at the end of the world in the dark, after a horrible journey from the south coast. It seemed to have taken forever. I sat in the car for a few minutes, plucking up courage to go inside and meet another group of people who I did not know, and who would be cross that I had missed registration. But it was not like that at all: when I went in someone said hello to me with a smile and found me a cup of tea. The weekend carried on well too. Everyone was really welcoming and I made friends there, with whom I am still in touch. The sessions offered were really interesting and varied and were relevant to my teaching. At that conference, I particularly remember the ocarina session, and have been an enthusiastic if not very advanced player ever since. I have introduced hundreds of children and adult students to it – hopefully they are still playing. The other session that stands out for me was one from the RSPB. Listening to recorded birdsong at a slower speed was absolutely fascinating, and my useful fact remains that a bird from one area of the country does not recognise another bird of the same species from a different area of the country, because of the differences in the song and so will treat that bird as a threat. It was not long before I was offering to help, and became a member of the Council. Initially I tried my hand at publicity, but I was not very good at it. However, I was much better at event management or leading a session. I really enjoyed hearing other people saying how interesting an SMA event was and how friendly everyone was. SMA has always punched above its weight. Recognised as a leading national music education charity, we have had a place at the decision makers’ table. This has allowed us to influence the way in which music education has changed. We have been able to contribute the voices and experience of classroom practitioners to the debate, and governments have been grateful for this. No, we have not always been able to form practice just as we would like, but we would be in a much worse position if SMA had not been working for children, teachers and their music. One of the most successful ways in which SMA has achieved this has been in our projects. Over the course of its 79-year history, we have held concerts and festivals for children in some of our most iconic halls and buildings. The Barnardo’s Singing event in the Royal Albert Hall (2013), at which we helped Ocarina Workshop to set its
This has been a common pattern: SMA invents a really good idea, puts it into practice and then it is taken over by another organisation, who is able to develop it even further. Take our Cathedrals events: we decided to run a day-long sing in cathedrals for children and their teachers. They would be given songs to practise in advance, we would send our conductor in to rehearse, and then on the day a mighty rehearsal followed by an outstanding concert. We worked in tandem with the Historical Association, which prepared packs of information to educate the children about the venues in which they would be performing. Over three thousand children participated in events at Cathedrals in Portsmouth, Winchester, Lichfield, St Albans, Derby, Birmingham, Manchester… The Choir Schools Association has now taken this over and the musically advanced pupils from them now work with children locally so that these events continue in large churches all over, initiated by Sing Up! (another good idea mooted by SMA). We have continued to support the recorder and festivals have taken place all over the country. Our last one took place in St Albans. We extended this to work with the little ocarina, and Ocarina Workshop has become one of our most active partners. We also initiated the Rap in Schools project, which took professional rap artists, from largely inner city communities, into largely rural schools and let them work with the children there, who would not have had an opportunity to meet someone from such an urban background, and sometimes had not seen anyone whose skin was a different colour. These events allowed a development and exploration of language and its rhythms, which, added to percussive accompaniments gave the children something “really cool”. This has been developed into the artists in schools projects which have grown up around the country. One of the most important things to me has been the friendships that I have developed. I now know people all over Britain – and Gibraltar – and can always find someone to meet if I travel. I look back at all the smiling and all the laughter, the shared enthusiasm and the shared hard work, and I am grateful that I was able to contribute to this. Thank you to all those wonderful volunteers, who gave so much time and energy so freely, and without whom none of this could have taken place. I am smiling as I write this. And now I think we can all take a well-earned cup of tea and watch our ideas grow…
MUSICWorld will continue to be available independently for those who wish to receive it. Please contact Lindsay Music via the website www.lindsaymusic.co.uk
MUSICW
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editor: Carole Lind publishe d by Lind say-Douglas tel: +44 / (0)1767-2 say Music, 24 musical direc tor: Dr Roys 60815/fax : +44 (0)17ton Street, Potto Douglas Coo mbes MBE n, Bed 67-26172 s., SG1 9/email: carole@li 9 2LP, UK ndsaymu sic.co.uk
issue no.8
7 April
2017
This magazine is fully photocopiable by curent members in their own school.
This permission is not for commercial use & is not transferrable.
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