While coverage in the press has put a negative slant on Ofsted's Making More of Music report, figures across the sector have welcomed many of its recommendations.
We asked three key figures for their response to its findings.
Dick Hallam, Music Participation Director
I think this report is exactly what we need and it comes at just the right time. The power of music and the influence it can have on their lives and the extent to which it can contribute to their success across the curriculum is articulated clearly. It is great that this is happening in a large number of places up and down the country.
But what is even more important is that the report spells out just what has to be in place for all young people to benefit in these ways. As Marc Jaffrey would have said, we have a world-class music education system, but we still super-serve the minority! All young people have an entitlement to the best. Working together we can provide it for them, but none of us can do it alone. This is why the Music Manifesto remains so important.
I hope everyone involved in music education reads the whole report and takes its messages to heart. At a time when the government is supporting the wonderful work that colleagues are involved with, we owe it to future generations to show just what can be achieved. The clarity of the messages in the report should leave no one in any doubt as to what is now required.
Baz Chapman, Programme Manager, Sing Up
This is a very valuable and incisive report because it demonstrates what's good about music education and the fact that some of our music in schools is world-beating. But it also reflects our own findings that there are lots of schools out there that need help to understand the value of music and we hope that as many teachers and headteachers as possible look at this report and feel inspired to get in touch with programmes such as Sing Up.
We're very confident that music has a value not only within the music curriculum but in improving whole schools, bringing cohesion between pupils, a sense of fun, enlivening other parts of the curriculum. We know that many of the good schools in the country are ones that embrace music and that can't be a coincidence.
The report talks about music teachers feeling as if they're in isolation and programmes such as Sing Up are bringing together music providers in an area, so when a school needs help developing its music it knows where to turn to. The other point is that this report covers three years up until 2008. Sing Up has been funded to run from late 2007 until 2011. There will be a really major change in the culture of music making in schools but it will take until 2011 for that to happen. We're hoping that the Ofsted triennial report in 2011 paints a very different and much more positive picture than this one.
John Witchell, Chief Executive, FMS; Chair, MEC
Whilst accepting the conclusions and key findings of the Ofsted report we also need to acknowledge the progress everyone is making in working towards our aspirations for music education. There are many positive steps being undertaken and these need to be applauded.
Key Stage 3 continues to be a problem area, but we must not underestimate the importance of approaches such as Musical Futures, which is at the forefront of the personalisation agenda. The report underlines that music, whilst being perhaps the most rewarding subject to teach, is also one of the hardest. We are engaging with the emotional responses of our learners, which can be unpredictable.
The report suggests that music teachers do not yet benefit from realistic ongoing professional development and that they often remain isolated. This is an area of concern, since it is through training and reflection that teachers can address their professional needs. Wouldn't it be lovely if all music teachers could receive the same amount of in-service training as, say, a primary teacher in literacy or numeracy?
It was encouraging to note Ofsted's comments on the positive impact made with those schools that had put music at their heart. We know that music is so powerful and can transform schools and children. We must ensure that we all continue increasing our investment in training and workforce development in order to achieve more consistent progress.
You can read a copy of the report through the Ofsted website.
This News story was originally published by Music Manifesto, the campaign to improve music education 2004 – 2010.
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