Goverment announce £10million package for primary schools music (and what songs should go in the song book?)

[MrsJohnCusack]

here

missing the coverage for this as...er, don't live in the UK anymore! BUt am still interested. What do people think about this, is it going to work? Is it a good idea to promote singing (I say YES) but do the LibDems have a point when they say only 13% of primary pupils learn an instrument.

And, more fun this, what songs would you put in the song book?

Yes, I like the sound of tamum's school's scheme too. Or it would be possible to select the better players from a recorder group to do other instruments (that would assess commitment as well as aptitude). I suspect either would be dismissed as elitist in my neck of the woods, alas...

Fortunately my mother's bagpipe pupil gave up quite quickly - it was bad enough listening simultaneously to my mum's classical clarinet in one room and my dad's jazz saxophone in the next...

I'm SURE I've heard of schemes where they use recorders to sort out which children might go onto another insturment successfully. Controversial maybe, but possibly fairer than most things that happen. I mean presumably they do something similar with sports and aptitude, am I wrong? (like seeing who might be good at tennis based on noticing aptitude for running around at gym/hand eye coordination etc. Does that happen?)

Interesting point, MrsJohnCusack. Elitism seems to be OK in sport.

I guess some sports are regarded as a universal thing and in some regards a way out/cool - e.g. football - whereas some are still regarded as middle class like tennis - that's what they're always trying to change aren't they, with all their schemes to find new tennis stars. Whilst music, especially mostly classical instrumental playing, is still regarded as irredeemably middle class & elitist.

yes I wonder what they do do with sport (I haven't a clue). but I'm sure they do select talented kids and send them off to learn more.

I don't know anything about how top sportspeople of the future are "discovered", but I have yet to encounter a school football team not selected on ability.

I've taken a look at the Music Manifesto site (found after a pointer from isgrassgreener on the other thread). They're asking for far more than the Government is offering, but are expressing gratitude rather than disappointment or anger. Whether or not this is a good tactical move remains to be seen. I suspect not.

I've also found my local music service's prospectus, which tells me what is on offer to schools in the area. I'll see what I can do with that information, but I suspect it may be a long haul.

At dds' school, the music teacher sort of tests the kids who want to learn an instrument in school. She gets them to repeat notes by singing, tap rhythms that sort of thgin. And she asks them questions - as most of them just play the recorder at school, she asks if they ever play it at home. And then she decides, on the basis of the results, who will get to learn an instrument.

Seems the best way of doing it I think.

At DD's school they have a music afternoon.

All the children in Y2, towards the end of the year when they have been playing recorder for a while, try out lots of instruments - brass, wind, string - and talk to the peripatetic music teachers about the instrument.

At the end of the afternoon the children write down their favourites and there is feedback from the music teachers. Then the school music co-ordinator recommends an instrumnet for the child, who receives 'free' (it's an independent school) music tuition for up to one year, assessed on a termly basis (we have to buy or rent the instrument).