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Music Education Hubs

Music Education Hubs

Northamptonshire Music Education Hub
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Rutland Music Education Hub
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National plan for music education

The National Plan for Music Education, ‘The Importance of Music’, was published by the Government in November 2011. It was a response to the findings of the Henley Review of February 2011 and introduced the roles and responsibilities of Music Education Hubs.

You can read the National Plan below:

The roles of Music Education Hubs

Hubs will be responsible for delivering the four core roles and three extension activities identified in the National Plan for Music Education.

Core roles

  • Ensure that every child aged 5 to 18 has the opportunity to learn a musical instrument (other than voice) through whole-class ensemble teaching programmes for … a minimum of a term … of weekly tuition on the same instrument.
  • Provide opportunities to play in ensembles and to perform from an early stage.
  • Ensure that clear progression routes are available and affordable to all young people.
  • Develop a singing strategy to ensure that every pupil sings regularly and that choirs and other vocal ensembles are available in the area.

Extension roles

  • Provide an instrument loan service, with discounts or free provision for those on low incomes.
  • Provide access to large scale and / or high quality music experiences for pupils, working with professional musicians and / or venues. This may include undertaking work to publicise the opportunities available to schools, parents/carers and students.
  • Offer CPD to school staff, particularly in supporting schools to deliver music in the curriculum.

Northamptonshire Music Education Hub

NMPAT is the the lead partner in the Northamptonshire Music Education Hub (NMEH), a partnership of organisations committed to delivering the aims of the National Plan for Music Education for the children and young people of Northamptonshire.

The key partners in the Hub are the schools, colleges and academies of the county, who are responsible for the curriculum music delivery to their pupils. To support them NMPAT has partnered with a range of other organisations as Core Partners and Associate Partners, all of them committed to supporting the best possible music education for our children and young people.

The role of partners

Partner organisations are committed to working together to support the goals and aims of the Hub and the National Plan, for the benefit of the children, young people and communities of Northamptonshire.

Partner organisations:

  • Have expressed a commitment to supporting the mission and goals of the Hub and to enhancing music and music education for early years, 5 to 18 year olds and adults.
  • Will provide services that are complementary to the services provided by other partners in the hub.
  • Will work together to enhance opportunities for children and young people and to support the opportunities that individual organisations are providing.
  • Will not pay to be part of the hub but contribute in-kind support (there is no expectation that partners will receive direct funding from the hub).
  • May be commissioned if they are required to fulfil the core and extension roles and complement the other services available.

See how the partnerships fit into the hub structure:

The Delivery Partners’ forum comprises the music education organisation active within the county including local organisations, National Partners and those delivering projects funded by Youth Music.

The Delivery Partners’ Forum meets three times a year to report on activity, liaise with the Musical Inclusion Partnership and Programme Manager on projects and identify future opportunities for development. Partners include:

The Delivery Partners consortium were responsible for the bid to Youth Music which established the post of Musical Inclusion Partnership and Programme Manager. This has led to exciting new projects in the County and the Musical Inclusion Programme Industious.

There are many national organisations who have had links with music education in Northamptonshire for many years and enhance the work that goes on locally. Some National Partners are involved in delivery as part of Hub activity and are part of the Core Partners group and Delivery Partners Forum, others provide a service which enhances the musical offer and are part of the Associate Partners group.

The following National organisations have pledged their support to the Northamptonshire Music Education Hub.

Commercial partners include suppliers and retailers with a track record of support for the Music and Performing Arts Trust and other Hub partners. They have proven their support through outstanding customer service and added value as Associate Partners in the Hub.

Community Partners are Associate Partners in the Hub. They include the many bands, orchestras and choirs that have existed within the county for many years. There is a network of music making opportunities for musicians in the county for all ages. The Music Education Hub welcomes the additional opportunities that these groups offer to children and young people.

The following groups from the community have expressed their support for the Music Education Hub and are committed to the goals and aspirations of the Hub.

Invitation to become a community partner

If you think your group could become a community partner in the Music Education Hub, download your application form here:

The Northamptonshire Music Education Hub (NMEH) exists to deliver the promises of the National Plan for Music Education for the children and young people of Northamptonshire by aspiring to:

  • provide high quality music education and support for children and young people in the diverse Northamptonshire community
  • inspire all children and young people to sing and play a musical instrument, developing their talent through progressive pathways
  • promote high achievement through diverse partnerships
  • transform lives through music
  • provide opportunities for musical excellence to flourish
  • reach all sectors of children and young people, including the hard to reach and those in challenging circumstances, inspiring and enriching their lives through music
  • reflect the musical diversity of Northamptonshire’s community through engagement with highly skilled partners and experienced partners
  • build sustainable pathways to nurture musical talent
  • promote innovation, creativity and achievement in music and the arts

Funding

Funding for the Music Education Hub comes from central government through Arts Council England focused on the core roles of the national plan. Additional funding for projects and events comes from a variety of sources. For a full list of our funders that helps to support this work, please visit the Our funders page.

Rutland Music

Rutland Music is an independent Charity formed to deliver the National Plan for Music Education for the children and young people of Rutland. Working with NMPAT as the lead partner and a range of local deliverers, Rutland Music will support all schools and develop musical opportunities for the County.

Rutland Music is a Company Limited by Guarantee (Registered Charity Number 1156103).

Activity plan

The First Access offered in Rutland are Descant Recorder or Ukulele, with the intention that every child in the County will have been introduced to the basics of music notation and the elements of music through the medium of a whole class recorder project.

Schools are offered 10 week   projects to support this intention and can pay for these with money allocated to the schools from the Government’s National Music Grant, or provide them themselves and use the discount on other services as part of an annual Service Level Agreement.

Schools opting for self-delivery undertake to provide pupil data for the Annual ACE data return and agree to accept monitoring visits to ensure quality.

It is hoped to grow the scope of orchestral First Access projects within the County as well. There are already Brass and String projects taking place in some of the schools.

Schools are also invited to discuss their interest in providing opportunities for their students on orchestral instruments. Please contact RutlandMusic@NMPAT.co.uk

Each school has been allocated an allowance of money from the National Music Grant to allow it to support the County Vocal Strategy to ensure that every child has the opportunity to sing.

Vocal projects offered are either 5 or 6 weeks long and can support individual classes, school choirs or provide singing assemblies for the whole school. Each school will have different needs depending on their individual development.

Schools pay for these projects with money allocated to them from the Government’s National Music Grant, or provide them themselves and use the discount on other services as part of an annual Service Level Agreement.

Schools opting for self-delivery undertake to provide pupil data for the Annual ACE data return and agree to accept monitoring visits to ensure quality.

These projects are supported financially by the government’s National Music Grant and are offered to schools as part of an annual Service Level Agreement.

Percussion projects have proved extremely popular and have been offered for each of the last three years. These have been either Samba, African Drums or Creative Percussion.

Each project lasts for a day or half day and leads to a performance.

The projects are offered to schools as part of an annual Service Level Agreement.

Introduced in 2015, 5 week phonics and singing workshop to complement phonics teaching and help boost children’s attainment. 

 

Following the tradition of previous years there will be an opportunity for all the young singers of the county to come together in the summer for a massed vocal event, featuring hundreds of singers.

All schools will be contacted about this event.

​Funded by Youth Music, Music Forge is a project for Rutland and Northamptonshire aimed at bringing musical opportunities to children in challenging circumstances.

We continue to focus on providing family-based singing and other music-making activities for children with special educational needs and / or disabilities (SEND), as well as our Sound Control initiative which explores ways in which SEND children can access digital technology to enhance their musical experiences.

Currently, we are working closely with Rutland County Council’s Aiming High Team which provides activities and support services for SEND children and young people and their families.

A couple of projects which are rapidly becoming regular fixtures in the diary are:

  • Two of our Musical Inclusion team, Kate Rounding (a multi-instrumentalist, composer and studio engineer) and Daniel Johnson (DJ and music producer), have been visiting Youth CHAOS (Chatty Happy Activities On Saturdays) in the village of Greetham. The group, which caters for young people aged 11 to 25 with disabilities or additional needs, is trying out different types of music technology and generally having fun exploring new sounds.
  • The Relaxed Singalong team (usually based at the Kettering Music and Performing Arts) made an initial foray across into Rutland at the end of February and is looking forward to making another visit in June. The ‘relaxed singalongs’ are just that… opportunities for families and carers with SEND children to come and enjoy singing together in an open, inclusive and relaxed environment.

More information about the Aiming High programme can be found on the Rutland County Council website.

Details about Youth CHAOS in Greetham can be found on the Rutland County Council website.

How to Rutland Music

"All children should have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument"

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