Exploring Trinity’s Certificate for Music Educators

by Natalie Christopher

Over the last 10 years, we have seen a really varied range of music practitioners achieve Trinity’s Level 4 Certificate for Music Educators (CME) qualification, each learner bringing their own personal motivations for taking the course. For many, particularly those who have come into teaching through a performance route, taking the course is about developing their pedagogical knowledge or achieving formal verification for the education work they do. But, for primary educators, who have typically already achieved a PGCE or alternative teaching qualification, the incentive for taking the CME tends to stem from something slightly different; it is often about developing their own understanding and, more significantly, confidence in the subject area.

So how can a course that seeks to train educators from a broad spectrum of backgrounds and musical abilities succeed in them achieving the same qualification? There are a number of features of the programme that enable this…

Each and every one of our validated CME course providers is different. Some support a wide range of learners from different backgrounds, others specialise in particular areas of music education such as delivery in Early Years or SEND settings.

Some centres pride themselves on providing lots of face-to-face training sessions, enabling more networking and collaboration opportunities, where others offer the flexibility of being able to take their programme completely online. All of our centres are run by highly qualified music practitioners – it’s just up to the learner to find the programme that best suits them, both in terms of expertise and logistics. It’s important to highlight that schools and multi-academy trusts are welcome to apply to become validated Trinity CME course providers too! CME centres don’t have to be open to the public – we also accept applications for private centres that perhaps want to offer a formal qualification to a specific network of educators with a programme of learning bespoke to their particular setting/s. Please do feel free to get in contact with us if you would like to chat about this further.

One of our core pre-requisites for joining a CME course is that the learner needs to have a musical competence appropriate for the setting in which they teach. So, naturally, if you have a violin teacher who wants to prepare students for high level exams, they will need to be able to play to at least that standard themselves in order for them to be able to demonstrate the necessary techniques. However, the skills an Early Years music practitioner would need to illustrate in the context of their lessons are likely to be different. This approach ensures that the criteria for enrolling onto a CME programme is relative to the teacher’s setting, making it accessible regardless of formal musical attainment.

As part of the initial recruitment and/or enrolment process, learners are required to complete a self-assessment which is cross-referenced with the CME’s learning outcomes. This enables the centre to see exactly where a learner is at; what skills and experience they already have and where they need to develop further. Prior learning can also feed into this so, for example, if a learner has just completed safeguarding training with their employer, evidence of this can be included in their CME portfolio and contribute towards their qualification.

From this, a Personal Action Plan is devised in collaboration with the learner’s designated mentor. This is a living document which both serves to record when learning outcomes have been met and evolve with the learner as they progress through the course. Whilst the core aim of this document is to ensure learners are advancing through the programme as they should, their own experiences and reflections throughout can feed into their plan, and learners are encouraged to explore and participate in other forms of CPD which might support them in developing their practice.

The courses themselves are designed to run in parallel with a learner’s education work: they take what they learn during their input sessions and research, trial it in their own setting, and reflect upon its effectiveness. This practical application of the pedagogical and theoretical principles enables them to see in real time what works for them and how their practice is developing, helping to build confidence and inspire new ideas.

If you are exploring the CME as potential CPD for your colleagues, remember that this can include your support staff too! One of the first portfolios we reviewed, all those years ago, was compiled by a dinner lady who had started running a recorder group in her school and wanted to take the CME in order to develop her pedagogical understanding and learn how to plan lessons effectively. What I love about this example is that it typifies exactly what sits at the heart of the CME: its aim to unlock the potential music educator in everyone!

For more information about the CME contact cme@trinitycollege.com