To think music/art/drama etc should be optional at schools?

[LunaLoveg00d]

I have one child who is in his second year at secondary school (Scotland) who is so un-musical it is not true. He cannot carry a tune in a bucket, has zero interest in music, cannot differentiate between a tuba or a violin when he hears it and has never shown any interest in playing an instrument. We have just had his end of year report which on the whole is VERY positive apart from the music/art reports which basically say he is unhappy in the class, makes some effort but has a long way to go and his ability is very low. He is very down about the fact he has to endure 2 periods a week of compulsory music and another of art for another year before he can drop them. Drama he enjoys a bit more, but he has very little interest in it either.

i think the problem I have with these "talent" subjects is that unlike the traditional maths/english/science, they can only be taught to some extent. Even the best teachers in the world are not going to turn a child with zero artistic or musical talent into Picasso or Mozart. Or even someone who could pass an exam in it. On the flip side, good teachers can support and teach most children (obviously excluding some with SEN) to achieve passes in English, Maths, Science, History etc.

So would it not be better to leave the talent subjects at secondary to those who have ability in them?

Sorry- should have read 'it's not the result but the journey that is valuable'.

OP most students would be bored to tears in my lessons if I just gave them worksheets on composers/genres/listening (I'm a music teacher in a comp). Teaching music (and its ensuing theory/history) practically is the key to engaging most children. For example, we deliver a Scheme of Work on Ground Bass, which is more generally linked to composing in a Baroque style, but students can only connect with the concepts by playing the chords/bass line from Pachelbel's Canon in D and creating their own as a next step. The whole unit is meaningless without a practical element.

Perhaps you could contact the music teacher and ask that your son completes worksheets instead during lesson time, if he'd prefer to learn that way?

Just as an aside, I was of the 'can't be bothered with stuff I'm not good at naturally' school when I was growing up, and it's my biggest regret. I should have persevered with e.g. Physics and PE but had no resilience. When I struggled with my chosen subject at degree level, I gave up.

It's BALANCE which is lacking. Children who are not natural performers are being forced to perform in music, produce artwork or act in drama, be ridiculed by their peers for their lack of ability, which dents their confidence and smothers any liking for the Arts they had in the first place.

That's the same for any subject though. Some people really struggle with maths and will never be the next Stephen Hawkins or Neil de Grasse Tyson, and know this at primary school, so should maths be optional at high school? Some really don't enjoy reading fiction, or struggle with spelling - they'll never be great writers. Should they be allowed to drop English? Aaaand so on.

It's about not cutting off options too early, and giving children a rounded education (which is sadly undermined by the likes of Morgan and Gove trying to relegate the creative subjects in importance). The other risk is that by making subjects optional at age 11, it'll be the parents deciding, not the kids, which could lead to kids being lead down the wrong path.

Completely agree with Metalmidget. It looks though this child attends a school intent on providing an all-round education- lucky thing!

If you can learn to write you can learn to draw.

It's true that you will probably not become Picasso, but then when you lean to write you don't expect to become Charles Dickens.

Talent has pretty much nothing to do with the basic observational drawing skills required for lower secondary school level Art.

It's no wonder kids are so de skilled with people making out that if you're not going to be Picasso there is no point even trying.

I don't understand why the OP is getting a hard time tbh.
That's coming from a person passionate about the arts, ho hum.

I've seen children totally put off music for life being forced to play an instrument they haven't chosen, in front of their peers, and them all expected to learn at the same rate.
They back out as soon as they start secondary and they can hide or disrupt.
I'm sure there are many other parents with different examples.

The OP is stating how the curriculum isn't working and is right.

yes, maths should be optional after KS3.

I had no ability or aptitude for a certain subject when I was at school in fact I failed it dismally I now need to utilise it in my job so I'm very grateful for the basic skills I was taught.
You don't need to be a musician to appreciate music, a dancer to appreciate dance or an artist to appreciate art. However, what's wrong with introducing children to these subjects, to get them to appreciate them and nurture and interest? Nobody's saying they have to pass exams, but God forbid they should drop one of these subjects because they don't have a "talent". You don't need to be able to sing or play an instrument to appreciate or learn about music.

It's a subject that can be dropped at year 9. Until then it should absolutely be compulsory imo.
Music is a part of our lives, whatever genre we prefer and as such it should be taught and nurtured in schools.

I think it's important for children to be exposed to as many different subjects as possible until they have to specialise. (In fact I think the subject range should be wider up to GCSE level - due to timetabling issues I was forced to drop 2 subjects I'd have liked to carry on with, as I had to do others that I had no interest in and have been of no use in my life.)

I'm a trained musician, so have an obvious interest, but music is useful for so many things. Even being forced to perform when you have limited ability is good training for future life (have you never been in meetings / delivered presentations on topics you are less than 100% sure of?). And I know a few people who can't play an instrument or sing, but can follow a score - useful if you want to be a sound or lighting engineer, amongst other things. And singing - regardless of ability - can be a joyful experience throughout life. (Consider the football chants, or the growing popularity of choirs.)

Art was one of the subjects I struggled with. I cannot draw to save my life. But I was OK at clay modelling as it made more sense to me. And the things I learnt at school about perspective and the use of space in art have been useful on the odd occasion I've had to put posters together, or prepare a picture-heavy PowerPoint presentation.