GUIDANCE FOR SCHOOLS – HOW TO MAKE BEST USE OF …



GUIDANCE FOR SCHOOLS – HOW TO MAKE BEST USE OF YOUR MUSIC SERVICE PROVISION

The advice outlined here document is intended to support schools to make best use of their Music Service provision. Further suggestions are always welcome.

COMMUNICATIONS AND SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS

• It is helpful if one person in the school is identified as the contact person for all matters relating to instrumental and vocal tuition.

• Visiting instrumental tutors are normally expected to sign-in like other visitors to the school to comply with fire regulations. All MAS staff, however, have been issued with identity badges and are therefore not normally required to wear an additional visitor’s badge.

• On large sites, a separate signing-in book in the music department is desirable for visiting tutors in order to facilitate the process.

• Either the instrumental teacher or Music Service admin will contact the school direct when a member of staff is absent due to sickness etc. Cover where possible will be supplied.

• MAS promotes the facility for instrumental tutors to notify the music coordinator of pupils who are causing concern for a range of reasons such as not practicing, not attending or showing signs of distress. Instrumental tutors should always be informed of the identity of the school’s Child Protection Officer to whom any relevant concerns should be conveyed directly when appropriate.

• Instrumental teachers need to know about ay affect practice or concentration in lessons. Where the home situation is particularly difficult, some schools are able to encourage pupils to practise in a room at school during break times. Pupils who experience learning or behavioural difficulties may respond differently in instrumental lessons – perhaps because the relationship, the situation and the challenges are different.

• Progress of pupils is reported annually by MAS tutors but instrumespecial needs and special circumstances just like class teachers. It is helpful to know that a child is dyslexic or that there are problems at home that mntal tutors will adapt to the fit the needs of the schools when requested.

ACCOMMODATION

• The teaching room should always have a window in the door so that the lesson is visible from outside the room to protect the tutor and the pupil(s) from Child Protection Issues. Where this is not possible, the lesson should be conducted with the door open. If this is intolerable, it is not wise to provide individual instrumental tuition.

• The teaching room needs to be included on the cleaning rota and properly heated / ventilated. It also needs to be large enough to accommodate the pupil (s) and the tutor comfortably.

• Instruments are easily damaged and it is helpful if a suitable room is available for pupils to store instruments (labelled clearly with the pupil’s name) before and after their instrumental lessons. This is particularly important for instruments in soft cases (eg cellos) as they are highly vulnerable.

TIMETABLES

• It is good practice for instrumental tuition timetables to be displayed on a notice board adjacent to the teaching rooms(s) so that teachers and students can check on lesson times and updates.

• Instrumental tutors will normally organise timetables and these usually allow for rotation of lesson times. In some cases, tutors will rotate the time (or even the day) of the visit itself to minimise disruption to the normal curriculum. In some primary schools, a static timetable operates as younger pupils can find it difficult to cope with arriving at varying times.

• OfSTED supports the notion of pupil withdrawal for instrumental tuition and there is no evidence, with an element of pupil responsibility, that academic work will suffer as a result.

• It is very important that instrumental pupils are not put under pressure by staff (or fellow pupils) when attending instrumental lessons. It can be helpful for the music coordinator to follow-up unfortunate incidents that do occur informally in the first instance.

LESSON DURATION – GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL TUITION

• It is preferable for pupils to start lessons in groups where possible. This allows for some social and musical interaction with peers and is generally more fun that learning alone.

• As pupils progress, individual tuition may be the most appropriate way forward. This will be at different stages for different pupils and different instruments. It is easier to extend group tuition where there is a larger pool of pupils so that groupings can be reorganised as appropriate.

• We recommend that the minimum duration for a group (of 4) or individual lesson is 20 minutes.

• It saves valuable time if pupils can be encouraged to assemble and pack away instruments outside the teaching room. This should only happen once the teacher is confident that pupils know how to assemble instruments safely without damaging them and that any cleaning out will be carried out properly, every time.

GENERAL

• Pupils can access the Music Service’s pool of instruments, free of charge, where possible and appropriate.

• It is very beneficial for pupils to have the chance to play together in ensembles between lessons. MAS staff can provide ensemble direction where this is helpful to the school.

• Guidance regarding any aspect of instrumental and vocal tuition, including online remission, mid-year adjustments and advice can be obtained by contacting the Music Service office on 01274 385555.

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