It’s no secret that the budget and government support for music education are being continually slashed. Whilst writing my dissertation, I became uncomfortably aware as to how bad the situation for music really was. Nowadays, parents and schools don’t see Music as an academic subject and are falsely led to believe that children will not be able to secure reasonable employment should they pursue their passion for Music. The subject has become so stigmatised that some schools are no longer offering Music lessons beyond KS3, this creates a huge problem for those that do wish to pursue a career as a music teacher or performer.
As a music educator I am highly passionate about ensuring that despite this, music lessons and enrichment are still readily available to students of all ages and abilities. There does seem to be a change of attitude coming to the fore as Chief Inspector for Ofsted Amanda Spielman has been quite a public champion of music and the arts saying “there was a dearth of understanding about the curriculum in some schools… “ (ISM, 2020) However, in order to really battle this ongoing lack of availability within music education, parents need to begin utilising tools outside of their child’s standard curriculum in order to develop a passion for music, a passion that would hopefully encourage them to continue to pursue music throughout their older years.
Stave House is a prime example of some of the options available to parents and schools who wish to include more music within the lives of their children. The brilliant thing about this method is that it is so fun and entertaining with the many games, tactile materials and memorable songs, that children sometimes forget that they are learning a new skill!
For me, there needs to be more time put into educating parents about how academic Music is. Music theory and learning to sight read is actually a very complex skill, but it is achievable at either a young or more mature age with the right amount of dedication and support. Furthermore, being involved in music gives children an outlet for their continually developing emotions, it allows them the opportunity to make friends and finally just gives them that extra spark of “coolness” amongst their peers. As a young child it felt great to able to do something that the majority of my friends couldn’t do, it gave me a real buzz to be able to get up in front of my classmates and perform in an assembly. I was in my first band at the age of nine and the members of that band have been my lifelong friends ever since, there are so many benefits to being a musician that aren’t mentioned during the government briefings pushing maths and English down people’s throats!
As a teacher, I love watching my pupils shine and develop a real love for playing the piano and I know that the parents love it too.
If there was one piece of advice I could give to those parents who are unsure as to whether their child should give music a go…just DO IT! They may not be the best musician in the world, they may give it up to go and play football, but at least you will know that you’ve given them the chance to potentially unlock a gift and most importantly, a lifetime of enjoyment.
Gary Cunningham is a qualified music teacher, Stave House teacher and passionate about ensuring young people have access to musical opportunities.
NB Our new Stave House at Home course, which includes all materials and online session for parents to support children in achieving their LCM Stave House Level 1 award, is available for the introductory price of £60 (full price £120). Please contact us at info@stavehouse.co.uk for more information.