OxfordshireCounty Music Service

Vocal and Instrumental Programme

February 2008

Vocal and Instrumental Programme

Summary of the main points of the programme.

Please refer to the policy on page 3 for more information.

  • A one year programme to offer instrumental lessons to whole classes, part funded by the County Music Service as part of the government’s ‘Wider Opportunities’ initiative.
  • The programme strongly supports the ‘Enjoyment & Achievement’ agenda and includes live input from professional musicians and a celebratory concert.
  • The objectives are to enhance pupils’ music education, particularly through developing existing skills, knowledge and understanding, and teaching basic techniques on the chosen instruments.
  • The course is offered to pupils in years 3, 4 or 5. Instruments available include strings, brass, percussion, band, keyboard and guitars. Certain instruments are only suitable at certain ages due to size and weight.
  • General musicianship sessions form the basis for the first 10 sessions. All children will learn the same skills as a preparation for learning an instrument.
  • The course can replace or enhance parts of the school’s national curriculum provision in music.
  • Some Music Standards Fund finance is available in 2008/2009
  • The full cost of staffing is £1520 per class per year if Music Service staff are used. If the school provides some staffing there is a reduction. See the table in ‘Finance’ for details.
  • Instruments will be supplied by the Music Service in sufficient numbers for one class. Choice of instrument will take account of school and partnership preferences and will be based on guidance from the Music Service to achieve a balance within the partnership.
  • At the end of the year, large group lessons can be offered to those who wish to continue through the normal County Music Service scheme or by the school buying in a second year.

Vocal and Instrumental Programme - Policy February 2008

At last! Every child who wants to can learn to play a musical instrument!

Summary:

  1. Genuine partnership, with all schools involved in decisions at each stage of the process.
  2. Part funded by the Music Service.
  3. Live music input from professional musicians.
  4. Every child has a specialist ‘General musicianship’ programme for one term (up to 10 sessions)
  5. Every child gets the opportunity to play a musical instrument for two terms (up to 20 sessions)
  6. School has a viable, ready-made ensemble.
  7. Concluding celebratory performance for all involved.
  8. Opportunities for all children to continue, affordable, with remissions policy in place.
  9. CPD for class teachers and classroom assistants
  10. Can link with extended schools programmes or Creative partnerships.
  11. Definitely links with Enjoy and Achieve agenda and contributes to all five aoutcomes as part of Every Child Matters – Every Child’s Music Matters! (See also Music Psychology in Education).

April to July or September to December: General Musicianship

July Schools concert (OxfordTown Hall)

September to March or January to July: instrumental tuition and ensembles

Towards the end or the course: concert in own school and/or

partnership concert.

Background

Oxfordshire County Music Service Vocal and Instrumental Programme (VIP) was set up to provide an enhanced set of musical skills to pupils who may wish to learn a musical instrument.

Shortly after its inception, the government announced its 'Wider Opportunities' programme and the course was adapted to support this initiative.

Several versions of the course were piloted over a period of four years, resulting in the current model.

Aims

To enable all children in certain specified year groups to have the experience of learning a musical instrument.

Objectives

  • To enhance the pupils' existing musical skills, enabling them to keep a steady pulse, read simple rhythms and play simple tunes on the recorder.
  • To teach pupils the basic skills and techniques on chosen musical instruments through simple exercises, singing and playing songs, and other activities.
  • To contribute to pupils’ general knowledge and understanding as part of their music education

Specifications

The course can be offered to pupils in years 3, 4 or 5 on strings; band; brass; percussion; guitars; keyboards. The different starting ages result from the physical size of the pupils and the size of the instruments. Small sized string instruments are available enabling year 3 to access these instruments whilst these children may not have sufficiently developed teeth or fingers to cope with the bigger wind/brass instruments.

  • Year 3 or 4 – Strings, guitar, keyboard, percussion
  • Year 5 – Brass, band (mixed ensemble of flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone and percussion)

Structure

The course is divided into 2 parts. The first runs from April to July (starting after their May tests for year 2 pupils) or September to December, and consists of half hour sessions every week of general musicianship, to the whole class. This is delivered by one teacher from the Music Service working alongside the class teacher. (Schools may use their own staff if suitably trained and confident. Training is through OCMS; please contact the Music Service for information on the next training sessions).

The remainder of the year is spent learning the chosen instruments in weekly 40 minute sessions with two Music Service teachers team teaching alongside the class teacher. The increased time and staffing reflects the complex nature of learning instruments. (Schools may again substitute one of the Music Service teachers if they have suitably trained and confident staff).

Opportunities for performances in your own school are made available and, at a strategic point in the course a concert is given in each partnership by Music Service staff for all the participating schools. A partnership concert is provided by the pupils at the end of the course.

Curriculum

The programme can replace the school’s national curriculum music for the year in which it operates, or it can operate alongside, enhancing and enriching the school’s own music curriculum.

Discussions will take place with the school’s music co-ordinator to determine how the VIP complements the planned KS2 music curriculum. To the child it is all music!

Whilst the basic framework of the VIP is not negotiable, having been based on tried and tested pilot programmes, the detailed way in which it will apply to any class will take account of their prior learning and achievement. The OCMS scheme of work will be kept continually under review.

It is possible for the VIP to be the sole music curriculum for that year group for that year. Planning can demonstrate how the KS2 curriculum is covered over the whole Key Stage and how the VIP fits in. Some aspects of the National Curriculum are currently not covered by the VIP, or, if included, are only covered with a light touch.

Alternatively, the VIP can enhance and enrich the National Curriculum and complement other aspects of music tuition during the week. This needs to be covered through regular planning and review sessions – at least once per term (6 term year).

General Music – terms 5 and 6 or 1 and 2 (10 weeks)

The general music part is highly structured, with each session being divided into three basic activities. Full account is taken of the school’s own scheme of work for music when delivering this programme.

Moving to Music develops steady pulse and an internalization of music through a variety of movements to backing music. The movements are increased in complexity over the period of the course. This is supplemented by games such as Switch and Name Game.

Rhythm Flash Cards develops the pupils' ability for read simple rhythms through the use of flash cards to a catchy backing CD. This is done in a non-verbal way.

Pitch Awareness develops the pupils pitch differentiation skills through learning three notes on the recorder and using three-note aural exercises for them to copy. Simple three-note songs are also taught for singing and playing. No pitch notation is used.

Instrumental curriculum– terms 1, 2, 3 and, 4 or 3,4,5 and 6 (20 weeks)

The instrumental lessons use many of the same techniques as the general music sessions and some of the songs are adapted for the instruments being learned. There is initial work on posture and basic tone production building on the secure pulse and rhythm work done in the previous term.

Pitch notation is introduced through flash cards, overhead transparencies or interactive whiteboard software (depending on instrument and resources available).

For the string option, a large space will be needed as bowing takes up a lot of room. In most schools, the hall will be the only option so timetabling will need to be a consideration.

Thought should be given to the storage of instruments. They will need to be kept away from heat and sunlight. Violins will stack into quite a small space but the cellos will require careful storage. Similarly, the smaller wind and brass instruments will stack neatly but trombones and baritones are larger and oddly shaped.

Schools are encouraged to facilitate practising for the pupils by offering further sessions in the week lead by the class teacher. This could be in the form of clubs or in smaller groups. Although it is possible for the instruments to be taken home, rigorous systems for assigning responsibility need to be adopted. Additionally, this may discriminate against pupils whose home background is not conducive to learning an instrument.

Finance

OCMS has consulted with the Schools’ Forum on the way in which the Government funding will be used. It has been agreed that OCMS will supply instruments and the remaining funding will be used for staffing costs within the partnerships. Each partnership will have access to funding based on KS2 numbers with a small weighting towards small schools where staffing costs will be greater in proportion to the number of pupils.

Below is a table of the various combinations of staffing arrangements which will result in differing costs:

Music Service lead and support teachers / Music Service lead teacher, school support / School lead and support teacher
Music Service GM teacher / £1520 / £880 / £240
School GM teacher / £1280 / £640 / £0

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Schools and partnerships will need to weigh this information against the grant that each partnership has been given and the amount of extra funding that they are able to access. Each partnership will be asked to submit a breakdown of what each school would like to do. County Music Service managers are available to give advice and help in doing this.

Service Level Agreement

Instruments

  1. Instruments purchased for the VIP in 2008/9 will be the property of the County Music Service (OCMS).
  2. OCMS will supply the instruments used in the VIP.
  3. OCMS will advise which instruments are available for which partnerships in order to maintain a balance of instruments across the partnership from which viable ensembles can be formed.
  4. OCMS will be responsible for the cost of any reasonable wear and tear on the instruments. Schools will be responsible for the cost of any loss or damage due to misuse.
  5. The school should arrange storage for the instruments in suitable conditions and will be responsible for protecting them against loss or damage. Schools may with to consult with OCC on insurance issues.
  6. The instruments will remain in the school as long as the VIP continues to run in the school.
  7. Although instruments can be taken home, schools need to put in place secure signing out systems for parents. A better option is to keep the instruments in school and arrange extra sessions in school. This ensures that there is no discrimination against children whose home background may not be conducive to learning an instrument.

Sessions

  1. The VIP will run for one year over 30 weeks. These weeks will normally correspond to the OCMS teaching weeks as published in their calendar.
  2. The first ten sessions will be half an hour in length and the subsequent 20 sessions, during which the instruments are taught, 40 minutes in length.
  3. Wherever possible, the class teacher should lead an extra session to maintain skills and improve progress.
  4. There should normally be a maximum of 30 children in each session.

Staffing

  1. The initial ten sessions requires a minimum of one member of staff and the instrumental sessions, two members of staff.
  2. OCMS can supply all staff though schools are encouraged to use their own staff to develop their CPD and reduce the cost of the programme (see finance).
  3. The class teacher should be present throughout the programme and should learn the chosen instrument alongside the children in order to facilitate support between sessions.
  4. The VIP must not be used to cover PPA time in schools.

Finance

  1. The cost of one set of instruments will be borne by the OCMS.
  2. Each partnership will have access to a grant based on the numbers at KS2. This is to be used to cover the staffing costs for the programme for the year.
  3. Partnerships should indicate, when indicating requests which exceed the amount of the grant, the amount each school will find to cover this excess.
  4. OCMS will invoice schools as indicated above during the financial year 2008/2009.

Sustainability and Progression

At the end of the VIP many children will want to continue to learn. (Nationally this figure is between 60% and 100%). Tuition can be continued as a whole class or in large groups.

If all pupils to do not continue to learn, account will need to be taken in planning the school’s curriculum for those who are continuing and for those who are not since the progress and curriculum requirements of the two groups are likely to become increasingly diverse. Transition to secondary school is of increasing importance in this respect.

Some pupils may wish to learn a different instrument to those able to be offered in school. This will be possible as part of extended school activities at the partner primary or secondary school or at the local area music school, depending on demand.

Those who choose to learn with the OCMS will receive all the benefits of our countywide scheme including remissions policies and special arrangements for ‘endangered species’ instruments. This will involve a fee to the parents depending on the number continuing. Currently, if more than 20 wish to carry on, they can have a weekly 45 minute lesson for £18.6 per term. For a group of 10 - 19 this rises to £29.80 term. Instruments can be hired from the music service.

Membership of the OCMS area music schools on Saturday mornings is available at an inclusive termly fee for both large group lessons and music school of £40.40 part morning) or £67.40 full morning).

Quality assurance

All OCMS teachers are employed on STPC and receive 10% PPA. They all attend INSET sessions, are regularly monitored and participate in Oxfordshire’s Performance Management scheme. There is a complaints procedure aimed at resolving rapidly any difficulties that may arise.

Remissions

OCMS operates a remissions scheme, details of which are available on the website under ‘Charging Policy’ (

Other sources of support, for example the CEO-FM, are available to support pupils who do not qualify for remissions but who nonetheless are felt to benefit from continuing with a course of study on a musical instrument after the initial year of the VIP.

Further information

For further information regarding any of the above, please contact Dick Hallam, Tom Morter, Liz Stock, or Mike Skitt at OCMS (01865 740000).

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