02/07/2008
Culture Minister Margaret Hodge hailed the fresh approach of the Musical Futures programme at a lively day of celebration on London's Southbank.
"I want to emphasise how much we as a government believe in the power of music to change young people's lives," said Hodge, left, as teachers, students and music leaders gathered to mark five years of the Musical Futures programme, which promotes personalised, informal learning approaches for secondary school music.
The day comprised of workshops, demonstrations and seminars dealing with different aspects of putting Musical Futures into practice. Events included an interactive demonstration involving HMI YOI Ashfield, the first Young Offenders Institution to introduce Musical Futures, with marked improvements in motivation and behaviour. Then there were performances from some of the young bands formed through Musical Futures, covering a huge range of genres including punk, funk, folk, jazz, grime and r'n'b.
Folk band Smash the Windows from High Storrs School, Sheffield
Starting out with 20 pilot schools there are now an estimated 700 schools across the country putting the ideas behind Musical Futures into practice, and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation has committed funding to support a further two years of the programme. PHF has now also launched Learning Futures, described by Margaret Hodge as having "the potential of making a huge impact across education" by applying principles and practice from MF across the whole school, reversing the worrying trend in student disengagement with education.
Music teachers learn new technology in the Roland Zone
Former Education Secretary, and Paul Hamlyn Foundation Trustee, Estelle Morris said: "In many ways this is amazing because it's only five years since Musical Futures was simply an idea, and to have moved in five years from idea to pilot to success, to expansion, to being embedded in hundreds of schools and now to an event like this is a wonderful journey. We are very proud of the speed at which this has happened. The way that Musical Futures has spread and developed has been teacher-led. Government has not got in the way, and government is not needed in this process, but they think this is wonderful."
"MF is now on solid ground, said Morris. "It is firmly in teachers' hands. They will continue to evaluate, adapt and change it. It is going to be marvellous to see where it has gone in another five years."
Photographs (c) Emile Holba, www.emileholba.co.uk