Music Service Newsletter 6

February 2010

 Instrumental/Vocal Tuition and Music Development inclusion project delivery

 In the Academic Year 08/09 over 8000 pupils were taught peripatetic instrumental and vocal lessons by 98 staff in 166 Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan schools. The income from these lessons not only covered the cost of delivery but also helped subsidise many of the Value Added benefits and projects the Service provides.

 A further 2975 pupils were involved in Music Development projects delivered by 9 staff, 500 pupils took part in Cluster Choirs and performances at St David's Hall and 200 primary pupils were part of the BRASSED ON! brass project.

Pupil Target achievement

 It is pleasing to note the year-on-year increase in all three Target areas.

 This data is used to identify successful teaching practice and areas where tutor support is needed in order to increase the numbers of pupils achieving their agreed targets and to inform realistic target setting.

Bursary Scheme

The Group Tuition bursary entitlement for any child whose parents receive Income Support / Jobseeker's Allowance was increased in September 2009 to £40.50 per term.

 Bursary pupils also attend the Counties' Friary Ensembles free of charge.

Assisted Instrument Purchase Scheme

Through the ongoing agreement with H.M. Customs and Excise, LEA Music Services and musical instrument suppliers, parents in Cardiff and the Vale continue to avoid V.A.T. and benefit from an educational discount.

 Prices of instruments from suppliers have increased - dramatically in some areas such as Woodwind, - over the last year due to the ongoing global financial situation but have begun to stabilise so far this year.

 Half-price examinations

Bursary pupils only pay 50% towards the cost of external instrumental/vocal examinations. The Music Service contributed £307 for 08/09

School Support Visits and Lesson Observations

have continued which are all part of our desire to monitor, support and develop tuition and provision. INSET needs have been identified as a result, training has taken place and is ongoing.

Violin INSET at the FMS (Wales) Conference in Swansea, May 09

 Cardiff County and Vale of Glamorgan Music Service Consulting Group

The Group met three times in 2009 and the issues discussed were:

·        Rewarding Musical progress

·        Preliminary Attainment scheme

·        Further local Ensemble projects

·        Transition day projects

·        School Support visits

·        Welsh language course for tutors

·        Cluster Choirs

·        Budget and spending

·        INSET

 Funding was continued in the following areas:

o       Staff Development / INSET/teaching aids - £8,796

o       Ensemble materials (music, instrument repairs/replacement)

o       Purchase of instruments for Bursary pupils /match funding.

o       MS  instrument insurance/claims

o       Music Library resources for schools

 

Service Projects and Music INSET

 Creating Further Ensemble Opportunities

 Welsh Folk Music Day

On Sunday February 1^st 2009 over 40 primary string, recorder, flute and harp pupils came to the Friary Centre to learn to play in ensemble and dance traditional Welsh folk music, helped by The Pluck & Squeeze Band and Music Service tutors. The day was a huge success with the children learning a number of songs and dances which they performed to parents at the end.

Welsh Folk Music Day

Welsh Folk Music Day

 

BRASSED ON!

On June 23^rd 2009 Cowbridge Leisure Centre witnessed the outcome of the first BRASSED ON! project. Over 140 Vale of Glamorgan primary brass pupils came together to perform as a massed band the pieces they had been learning in their peripatetic lessons. The sound was amazing with the children showing real understanding and confidence in their playing.

The Vale Primary Brass Band at Cowbridge

 The project was such a resounding success that it  has been rolled out to primary schools serving West Cardiff from January 2010, with a concert at the Western Leisure Centre on June 22^nd.

 Transition Music days

As a result of the Music Service offering to provide, free of charge, Music Transition projects and support for schools' own Transition days, the following was provided:

 Llantwit Major and Willows High Schools - In July 09 instrumental children from year 5 and 6 of Llantwit Major feeder schools were joined by the secondary school's music staff and pupils to become an orchestra for the day - the first time for many of the primary pupils. Llantwit Major pupils acted as buddies for primary pupils playing the same instrument.

Fun pulse games were introduced to the pupils as warm-ups, going on to use three note patterns for a 12 bar blues. Some of the more confident pupils volunteered to improvise with their three notes in the "Jazz on 3 notes" session and some made up their own melodies for the Medieval Piece which was accompanied by drones and drums. All accomplished without notation!

 In the afternoon the children performed to parents their two ensemble pieces interspersed with items from Llantwit Major pupils.

 Positive comments were received from pupils, parents and staff who were able to take some of the tasks back to their primaries for their own use. We have been asked to repeat the day in Summer Term 2010.

 The same day was delivered to Willows High School in July 2009 with equal success.

 INSET

On 1^st July 2009 twenty-three school Music Co-ordinators and Heads of Music Department from Cardiff and the Vale came to the "Music Together" INSET day at the Friary Centre - a free course which demonstrated an excellent classroom orchestra method for all abilities and all levels aimed at both classroom and orchestral instrumentalists in school.

 The teachers took part in learning and performing ensemble music from the course in groups with instruments such as keyboards, violins, guitars, recorders, glockenspiels and recorders. Each participant took away a free copy of the method.

 

"Music Together INSET at the Friary Centre

The response to the course was very positive, everybody feeling they could definitely use the resources with their pupils.

  

"Music Together" INSET at the Friary Centre

Having started the method in their schools in September 09 many staff were amazed at the results. One response from a secondary school was:

 "Have started Music Together with year 7s just recently and I am also using the resource in a once a week 'Music Club'. They love it!!

Even some really disruptive boys from year 9 are getting involved and I am amazed how much they can do. I am planning our first public performance at an assembly soon.

 Another, from a primary school was:

The lesson was better than I could have possibly imagined. The pupils were totally engaged, enthused, disciplined and motivated throughout. They ALL learned a new part within the lesson (we were playing Cool Cakewalk) - the more able helping their peers.

 They have already written some of their own parts and chorused 'wicked' when we played it through for the first time. My one pupil with extra provision for behavioural problems( who had missed the previous two lessons ) was taught his part by another year 6 boy during break time the day before - he not only joined in an extremely disciplined manner - but ended up conducting the orchestra. I found it very emotional - he went home skipping and humming the tune and the inspector said she 'had never seen anything like it!!!!'

 Due to the success of this course the Music Service will look to run it again in the near future.

 Beginners' Welsh Course for Peripatetics

On 14^th and 15^th July twelve Music Service tutors, who teach at Welsh Medium primary and secondary schools, attended a bespoke beginners' "Welsh for peripatetics" course, devised and delivered by Menter Caerdydd. This was in response to a need identified by some schools for tutors to use basic Welsh phrases in their teaching where possible.

 The tutors were very pleased with the tailor-made course and said they now felt confident in using some of the language with their pupils.

 Cardiff/Vale County Ensembles

 The 26 Ensembles catered for over 1200 instrumental and vocal pupils in 08/09 in a pyramid system of ensembles starting at Junior School level with groups such as the Junior Orchestra, Junior Choir, Junior Brass Bands, Junior Guitar Ensemble and Junior Steel Pans and rising through the Transitional Orchestra, Transitional Wind Band, Transitional Brass Band, Junior Jazz , High Schools' Orchestra, High Schools' Choir, High Schools' Brass Band, High School's Wind Band and Senior Guitar Ensemble, to the Youth Orchestra, Youth Choir, Youth Wind Band, Youth Brass Band and Youth Big Band ("Jazz News").

Concerts and events

The Ensembles were engaged in over 40 musical events in 2009, including 30 concerts at venues such as St David's Hall, the Millennium Centre, City Hall, Cowbridge Leisure Centre, Barry Memorial Hall, Llantwit Major School, St. Andrew's & St Teilo's Church and City United Reformed Church. Some of these concerts were at the request and in aid of local charities and Rotary Clubs.

 Some of the highlights were:

·           January 09 - the Youth Orchestra performed, at Llandaff Cathedral, Malcolm Arnold's Peterloo Overture, Max Bruch's Kol Nidrei and Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 2

·        March 09- over 1,000 children took part in two concerts at St. David's Hall: The Junior Schools' Music Festival and the Lord Mayor's Charity Spring Showcase. The latter featured a 250 strong Corpus Christi/Cardiff High School Primary schools' Cluster Choir. The concert was a sell-out.

 

The Harp Ensemble at the Junior Schools' Music Festival

• March 09 - the Preliminary, Junior, Transitional, Intermediate, High Schools' and Youth Brass Bands performed in Brass Band Night at Barry Memorial Hall.

·        April 09 - the Transitional, High Schools' and Youth Wind Bands performed at a packed City Hall with the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama's Saxophone Choir and members of the Wind Orchestra.

·     April 09 - the Youth Wind Band received a special award at the National            Concert Band Festival in Cardiff in recognition for their fantastic achievement of gaining three gold awards in consecutive years.

The Youth Wind Band at the National Concert Band Festival

• June 09 - the Advanced Percussion Ensemble, under Celi Johnston performed at the National Music for Youth Festival in Symphony Hall Birmingham, as a result of their excellent performance at the regional stage in Cwmbran.

Advanced Percussion Ensemble at the   Music for Youth Festival

 

• July 09 - the Junior Schools' Orchestra, under Gary Beauchamp, performed to a sold-out City Hall Cardiff audience.

      Members of the Brass bands toured the Rhine.

• July 09 - the Transitional and High Schools' Orchestras performed at Llantwit Major School for the first time at this venue thanks to the generosity and help of the school. The High Schools' Orchestra achieved a complete performance of Dvorak's Symphony No.

 

• December 09 - Christmas Showcase - St David's Hall - over 500 children took part in 8 different ensembles, including 250 primary pupils in the St Cyres/Stanwell Cluster Choir.

 

• December 09 - the Youth Brass Band performed for the third year running at the Senedd Carol Service for Welsh Assembly Members and officers.

 National Success

54 members of our ensembles gained National Arts groups places, increased from 46 in 2008. The groups were:

 National Youth Orchestra of Wales

National Youth Brass Band of Wales

National Youth Choir of Wales

National Youth Jazz Wales

National Youth Wind Orchestra of Wales

National Youth Training Choir of Wales

Ensemble Auditions

All schools who use the Music Service again received brochures regarding County Ensembles at the Friary Centre.

 Cluster Choir performances at St David's Hall

This initiative has proved highly successful with performances of the

• Willows/Cathays Cluster- December 05
• Whitchurch Cluster - March 06,
• Cowbridge Cluster - December 06,
• Fitzalan Cluster - March 07,
• Michaelston/Glyn Derw Cluster - December 07.
• Barry/Bryn Hafren Cluster - March 08
• Rumney/Llanrumney Cluster - December 08
• Corpus Christi/Cardiff HS Cluster - March 09
• St Cyres/Stanwell Cluster - December 09

Corpus Christi/ CHS Cluster Choir at the Lord Mayor's Charity Spring Showcase March 09

The Music Service has received very positive feedback from the children, parents, teachers, Headteachers, Councillors and Council officers involved in all five projects. 2,250 primary pupils have now benefited from the scheme, many continuing to sing in secondary school as a result of their experience.

 The 2010 Spring Showcase Concert which will take place on Tuesday 16^th March  at St David's Hall will involve the Primary feeder schools for Llanedeyrn and St Teilo's High Schools.

 What's new for 09/10?

 Preliminary attainment awards - Sept 09

 The Service has devised its own criteria to award pupils for their first basic successes in their learning, to help encourage them to continue to play and progress and to give them confidence in their ability at an early stage.

The award of a certificate is made by the peripatetic tutor through continual assessment based on the given criteria.

 Strictly Strings!

Due to the success of the Brassed On! project the Service has extended the opportunity to all primary String pupils in the Vale of Glamorgan, culminating in a Strictly Strings! concert at Cowbridge Leisure Centre on June 15^th .

 Grade 1 String Assessments

The Music Service is looking at the viability of devising its own Grade 1 standard assessment for bowed strings which would be more user friendly and a fraction of the cost of the traditional examining boards.

 Central to our approach is the belief that all children should have the opportunity to develop their musical skills regardless of circumstance and we continue to strive for a service that is equipped to assess and meet the needs of a wider range of learners. 

 We work as a team and seek partnerships both within the Council and with outside agencies, to maximise our potential for creating a real and lasting impact, and to share good practice. We present a range of long and short term projects at schools, central venues and other Community settings, as well as building programmes to meet the needs of specific groups.

 Our regular workshops and sessions can be requested by schools as part of their Arts provision. Currently we offer the following: African Drumming, Indian Drumming, Steel Pans, Rock School, Story telling with the Harp (Foundation phase), Samba percussion and dance, Junk percussion using re-cycled instruments, Celtic music, Podcast Radio project, and Global Music Maker - a whole class musicianship programme featuring music from: Native America, Latin America, The Caribbean, Celtic lands, Africa and India.

 We regularly present events at central venues and hold an annual Special Schools performance at Cardiff City Hall. We fund and support music in Special Schools and PRUs.

Some key achievements this year:

• We presented our first Infants Singing Festival 'The Big Celebration of Little Voices' bringing 500 children to the WMC

   

Big Celebration of Little Voices - WMC 

• We have secured a long term commitment from Herbert Thompson, Ninian Park, Baden Powel and Hywel Dda Primaries, Maes Dyfan Special School and Barry Comprehensive

 

• Presented a transition day for Barry Comprehensive and Multi cultural music day for Cardiff High School

 

• Expanded Rock School provision, and presented Under 18's live music nights at 'The Globe' venue in Cardiff

      

Under 18's Live Music Night - The Globe

 

• Developed a mentoring scheme 'Practice Pals' with the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama

 

• 'Practice Pals' presented at National Music Education Conference 'Music Learning Live' at The Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester

 

• Presentation on Music Development in Cardiff at the National Association of Music Educators Conference, University of York

 

If you would like to discuss a project or enquire about our work, please contact Emma Coulthard, Music Development officer on 02920 640950 or email:ecoulthard@cardiff.gov.uk

 CCVG Music Service is a non-profit making County service which invests all its funds into the development of teaching, learning, inclusion and resources for pupils.

February 2010