‘Investing in the confidence and skills of teachers is vital to ensure stable, positive, music learning opportunities for all children.’

‘From the heart and from the feet...’That’s what a little boy from a County Durham primary school said when asked where singing comes from. He’d learned one of the most important truths about music-making – that it involves our emotions and our bodies just as much as our minds. We experience the full range of feelings, and a powerful sense of community, when making music together.

Our musical journeys help us to discover fresh ways of seeing the world, seeing ourselves and seeing our communities. The choice to learn and progress in music requires effort, commitment, personal discipline and expert guidance - working hard with others in an ensemble to achieve a coherent and beautiful result is both demanding and uplifting; something that people of all ages relish and benefit from. And increasingly, published research confirms our deepest instincts about the tremendous benefits that arise when we participate in this heartful, dynamic creative activity.

For these reasons and more, I believe music should be central and accessible in children’s lives right from the early years, and throughout schooling – that way all the benefits can be assured, and will be lifelong.

Following 14 years involvement as a Founding Director of Sage Gateshead, responsible for Learning and Participation, last year I took up the part-time role of Programme Director for inspire-music, a Paul Hamlyn Foundation initiative aimed at improving music learning for children and young people through helping teachers to

learn from examples of inspiring, effective practice. Working alongside the Chair, Professor Graham Welch (UCL Institute of Education) this role has given me the opportunity to explore the landscape of music education across England, and I have been intrigued, challenged and inspired by the journey.

We have seen shining examples of vivid, effective music education across ages and stages, illustrating a tremendous richness of approaches, from early years up to the end of school life. These involve different styles of music; different styles of teaching, leadership and facilitation; different settings; different resources; different specific goals. Whole school singing, symphony orchestras, steel bands, Bhangra groups, wind ensembles, hip hop projects and more – it’s all going on, and the best music learning in England reflects the different cultures, tastes and flavours of the communities involved. Children and young people have the chance to explore and experience different musical worlds, to develop skills and become musical for life.

However, it’s also no surprise that we’ve seen weakness and difficulties. In our 2014 report for the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Inspiring Music for All, we noted the challenges faced by unconfident or badly-trained teachers and music leaders, poorly resourced schools and settings, confusing assessment frameworks, and school Senior Leadership Teams under strain. In these situations we see the opposite of that diversity, with music-making often the first thing to be squeezed out of the crowded curriculum.

To address these issues, I believe that across the sectorwe must redouble our focus on teacher development and empowerment – helping all teachers (particularly at primary level) to gain courage and confidence about music, so it has a daily, natural place in the curriculum they teach. To achieve that, it is vitally important that teacher development in music education respects and builds on the skills and strengths teachers already have, rather than taking a deficit-based approach to training. In this way the input of visiting artists and projects can leave a lasting impact on the individual teachers involved and will make a real long-term difference.

This is volatile time in education more widely, with more change on the way, as heralded in the recent Government White Paper. Now, more than ever before, investing in the confidence and skills of teachers is vital to ensure stable, positive music learning opportunities for all children and young people, irrespective of age and circumstance. I welcome the Voices Foundation commitment to this critical endeavour.

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KATHERINE ZESERSON is Programme Director for inspire-music, a Paul Hamlyn Foundation music education initiative; as well as strategic advisor to Music Generation Ireland, the European Concert Halls Organisation, Curious Minds (UK), and Mesa Redonda, a network of socially engaged youth music/arts organisations in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Katherine believes in the power of reflective artistic practice to build compassionate communities.

www.inspire-music.org

The research and organisations Katherine references in her article include: The Power of Music (Hallam, 2015), www.sagegateshead.com, www.inspire-music.org and www.phf.org.uk/publications/inspiring-music

I first learned about Voices Foundation roughly fifteen years ago, when I went to watch Suzi Digby (Founder) taking a children’s music class at the Tabernacle community space in Notting Hill. I had heard about her work through the Headley Trust, a long-term supporter of the Voices Foundation and was interested to see it for myself.

At the time, I was just starting to have singing lessons myself, with a very exceptional and wonderful teacher and was strongly aware, from my own experience, of the great benefits of singing in terms of all aspects of mental, physical and spiritual health.

Since those first experiences of developing my own singing voice and seeing Suzi’s teaching and the value it brought to the children in the class, I have continued to believe in the great importance

of choral singing, particularly for school children, as a way of connecting mind, body and spirit; as a way of creating a sense of bonding within the choir and therefore the whole school and as a way of enhancing confidence and broadening horizons across the board.

The Headley Trust of which I am a trustee, is proud of its association with the Voices Foundation over many years and strongly believes that this charity makes a significant contribution to the educational, musical and personal futures of the pupils with whom it works, as well as strengthening and inspiring whole schools and helping them to provide a positive musical environment for their children.

JAMES SAINSBURY James is a board member of the Voices Foundation. He is the chair of trustees for the charities Home-Start UK and the Resurgence Trust, which, among other things, publishes the ‘Resurgence and Ecologist’ magazine. He is a trustee of the Tedworth, Headley and Staples trusts and the Kay Kendall Leukaemia Fund. He is also a patron of Best Beginnings and a member of the advisory board of the Sutton Trust.

James Sainsbury my journey with the Voices Foundation and why I continue to support their valuable work, 15 years on.

Annual Giving Scheme event: A Summer Evening of Drinks and Music

On July 6th 2016, we are hosting a summer drinks reception for all our supporters and Annual Giving Scheme members to thank you for your generous and continued support of our work. The event will be held The Charterhouse in the City of London and is generously sponsored by Pol Roger champagne.

The Charterhouse is a historic and beautiful complex of buildings in Smithfield, London dating back to the 14th century. Over the years the building has welcomed numerous monarchs and served as a monastery, private mansion, boys’ school and almshouse. We’re really excited to welcome you to this historically fascinating venue.

The event starts at 6.30pm with a welcome and music from 7.00pm. We will also be hosting a silent auction on the night with some fantastic and unique lots.

We do hope to be able to welcome you all. Please let us know if you haven’t received your invitation. Alternatively please RSVP directly to: rebecca.hawley@voices.org.uk

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SPRING 2016 / Issue 2

Inside voicesIN THIS ISSUE... Katherine Zeserson talks about music education and the importance of teacher development

Children and teachers from St. Barnabas School, Pimlico tell us about singing every day with the Voices Foundation

Our CEO, Becky Walsh outlines some of the challenges in music education today

Update on what’s new at the Voices Foundation

Fundraising: Trustee and investor, James Sainsbury provides us with an insight into how he first got involved with the Voices Foundation and why he continues to support us

The Voices Foundation would like to thank:The Christopher Laing Foundation The Fishmongers’ CompanyFriday Afternoons FundThe Goldsmiths’ Company Good GiftsThe Headley TrustThe Holbeck Charitable TrustThe John Lewis PartnershipThe John Lyon’s CharityKerry RubieNational Association of Design and Fine Arts SocietiesSchroder Charity TrustThe Segelman TrustSir William Boreman’s FoundationTedworth Charitable Trust Westminster Foundation

Music education in the UK is provided by a large and complex sector comprising organisations working in many different ways to give children a full and inspiring music education. The Voices Foundation is the only organisation which primarily focuses on the training of school teachers to deliver a daily singing-based music curriculum in the classroom. We work to improve the musical confidence and skills of the teachers so that singing can be a regular part of every school classroom, and children can begin their musical education at a young age.

Each year we take on around 25 new schools (whilst continuing to work with our existing cohorts) and in each school we work to train and coach every classroom teacher. This academic year 2015/16 we are working with 200 primary school teachers who are new to the Voices Foundation. At the start of the academic year we asked them a series of questions to determine their levels of confidence and skills as musicians and teachers of music. The results of the survey reinforce our perception that the teachers we are working with have not been empowered to teach music. Most PGCEs or initial teacher training programmes include just 4 hours on how to teach music (as part of a whole year of training) and perhaps these teachers’ own childhood music education was limited or lacking. The truth is that, despite this lack of confidence in their own musicianship, they are expected to teach the national curriculum for music to their pupils.

At the start of the academic year 2015/16 80% of our new teachers said that they had no confidence in their own musical skills; 93% stated that they had very little understanding of how to teach music; and yet 77% placed a high value on music as part of a child’s education. They see themselves as ‘unmusical’ and don’t feel

capable of initiating or sparking their pupils’ musical education. And yet, this is exactly what is required of them – most primary schools are not lucky enough to have a music specialist on the staff who can lead the way and support others to develop their own skills.

The opportunity to give children the beginnings of a music education, and indeed to give them the wider associated benefits which we know music can bring, is being dangerously overlooked in this system. We know from recent research (as highlighted also in Katherine Zeserson’s article here, ‘The Power of Music’, Hallam) that regular and active engagement with music has a significant impact on brain structure and function which leads to improved outcomes for children academically and personally.

It is therefore important that we find ways of ensuring that we give all children a good start in life by giving them a regular and sustained musical education starting at a young age. If we can build these firm foundations we will create a context in which other inspirational activities provided by organisations such as the BBC or the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra have greater meaning and longevity of effect. In a few months’ time, our independent evaluators will report back to us about our current cohort of 200 teachers. The report will outline what the teachers are saying about their skills and confidence after a year of working with the Voices Foundation. The process behind this teacher development requires persistence on the part of the teachers. You, our donors, are fundamentally important to us in providing the support which spurs us on to continue this challenging and vital work. Thank you!

A word from the CEO, Rebecca Walsh What’s New at the Voices FoundationAchievementsInside Music: Early Years A new, revised edition of our Early Years resource book has just been published with Alfred UK. The book is for leaders and teachers working with children aged 0-5 in pre-schools, day care, nurseries and reception classes and will aid them to lead effective, structured and engaging music sessions involving songs, rhymes and listening.

New TeamOur new office team is now in place with 4 full time office staff, including Becky Walsh, our CEO. Our Programme Manager, Victoria Hunt specialises in working with schools and is helping us to develop better relationships with our current head teachers as well as to reach more schools in the next academic year. Rebecca Hawley is our Development and Communications officer and is helping the organisation to increase revenue, enabling us to reach more children with our work. Hannah Coombes our administrator, is helping to streamline our processes to make our work more efficient and organised. We are all looking forward to meeting you at our event on the 6th July!

The Segelman TrustWe are delighted to announce that we have been awarded a grant of £30,000 per annum for the next three years from the Segelman Trust. This generous funding will have a broad and deep impact on the organisation in many areas and we are thrilled to receive this grant. Our sincere thanks go to the trustees of the Segelman Trust.

Next StepsEvaluationOne of our main aims this year is to gain a true understanding of the outcomes and impact of our work with schools. Our organisational evaluation with Riverside Associates continues and will helpus to develop our strategy. We will be reporting back to you with our findings in the autumn.

WebsiteOur existing website is in much need of an upgrade and we are excited to be working on developing a new one. This important asset is crucial in helpingus to demonstrate our expertise and unique model within the music education sector as well as helping us to improve the music education of more children by reaching more schools and teachers.

WorkforceAs we grow as an organisation, we need to ensure that we have a highly trained workforce across the country to carry out our work, and that the quality of our work is consistent and always improving. In order to avoid standing still, we want to invest in constantly refining our work and our practice.

CURRENT ISSUESLocal Authorities and AcademiesWorking closely with schools, we have to be versatile and prepared to respond to political, economic and social changes to the education system in the UK. We are listening carefully to recent political discussions relating to academies and will continue to respond to the sector to help teachers and children in the best way.

School Profile: St. Barnabas Primary School

WelcomeWelcome to the second edition of The Voices Foundation newsletter. As a thank you for supporting the Voices Foundation we’d like to keep you up to date on our work, new projects and progress.

We have a wealth of news to share with you including articles and comment pieces

From leading professionals in the sector, a profile of onE of the schools with which we work and information on how your support is helping us to provide a high quality music education to children across the UK.

Thank you for your continued support.

‘The school has made excellent progress and the children now help the new class teachers learn the singing repertoire’

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We work to equip teachers with the resources, skills, technique and confidence to teach music effectively thus improving every child’s access to music education.

We spoke to teachers participating in our programme and asked them to describe their reactions and experiences at varying stages of their development. This infographic demonstrates a teacher’s journey learning to teach music with the voices foundation programme. Quotes taken from Voices Foundation teachers since September 2014.

1 ‘I always avoid teaching music. I can’t sing and don’t have the confidence to sing in front of my class.’

3 ‘It’s really not as bad as I thought. When I really get to grips with it I think I might be able to enjoy it.’

4 ‘I’m actually learning something I can do with the children and it is interesting and well presented and delivered. The techniques are quick and useful.’

2 ‘I have no real focus to teaching music, I don’t know how to teach the skills involved.’

TransformingTeachers

Each September the voices foundation takes on approximately 200 new teachers. At the beginning of their training with us, we ask them to fill in a survey about their experience and understanding of teaching music. Here were the results in September 2015:

77%felt that music was hugely important in the primary curriculum

A medium-sized primary school in Pimlico, London

60% of pupils are eligible to receive Free School Meals, which means they come from lower-income families. This is compared to the national average of 26%

St. Barnabas Primary School has been following the Voices Foundation Musical Foundations programme for 3 years. In the first year of the programme, the school followed a full, in depth programme and in subsequent years has followed a smaller programme to help embed singing into the school culture. This means that each term, every classroom teacher receives training and side-by-side coaching and mentoring from one of our specialists.

Naomi Pilling, Year 3 Teacher, talks about her experience using our Musical Foundations programme with her class:

‘We aim to sing every day and only occasionally miss this. The children really enjoy it and surprised me, at first, by how good they were. I assume this is because they have been used to singing in class (with the Voices Foundation scheme) ever since they started school. Interestingly, the biggest impact of singing on my class during this year seems to have been to improve their listening and focussing skills. They seem to understand new concepts in musical learning very readily, I think because they have experienced it before it becomes consciously learnt.’

We spoke to Joseph and Zara (pictured above), both aged 6 and pupils at St. Barnabas. They sing every day at school with our Musical Foundations programme and we asked them what they think about singing:

How does singing make you feel? Joseph: Singing makes me feel happy and excited. Zara: Singing makes me feel really comfortable. I like that there are so many good verses and tunes to sing.

What is the best thing about singing in class?Joseph: The best thing is singing with the other children. It cheers people up if they’re a bit sad.Zara: The best thing is that everyone gets to hear you so they might like how you sing. The other thing about singing is that if you sing and feel happy then you can sing more.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Joseph: There are so many things! The top three things I would like to be are an astronaut, a fireman or a scientist Zara: I would like to be a teacher in a primary school. 

Our specialist trainer, Carole Kendall (pictured below right) has been working with St. Barnabas Primary School since they started the Voices Foundation programme in 2013:

‘When I first started working with St. Barnabas, the school already had a strong singing culture due to the previous deputy head who was an experienced singer and very good singing leader. She had built up singing assemblies to a high standard. However, when she left the school, the level of confidence in the teachers to lead music decreased rapidly and music had a low profile. Children did not have an understanding of the basic skills and concepts. Through following the Voices Foundation programme, the class teachers at St. Barnabas have developed a better understanding and the children have been equipped with experience and understanding which, at top junior level, is enabling them to read and write musical notation and comment on musical structure. Children across the school are able to take the lead in music sessions, for example with simple conducting. They can comment knowledgeably on music which they perform and listen to using appropriate musical vocabulary. The school has made excellent progress and the children now help the new class teachers learn the singing repertoire. This excellent model builds confidence for everyone.’

88%had little experience of teaching music

78%lacked confidence in teaching music

79%felt that they had a poor level of subject knowledge, particularly around musical concepts and terminology

80%didn’t think they had any musical skills

5 ‘I’m buzzing with ideas and looking forward to trying them out! I can see that this is going to be extremely useful. We had a great choir practice today. We even managed 2 part singing!!’