Morpeth Secondary School
Musical Futures believes music learning works best when young people are making music, and when their existing passion for music is reflected and built-upon in the classroom.
Case Study: Morpeth Secondary School
Morpeth School has nearly 1,200 students and is situated in Bethnal Green – an ethnically diverse area that has some of the most endemic poverty in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Morpeth started exploring Musical Futures in 2005. Now all Year 7, 8 and 9 students participate in Musical Futures.
Peter Romhany, Head of Music, explains why Morpeth joined Musical Futures.
“One of our whole-school developmental targets has been to look at ways of helping students become independent learners and develop team skills. Raising student aspiration is another key focus in our school and the teacher-facilitated lessons, creative ensemble work carried out in class and by external groups such as the Guildhall School of Music and Drama have provided opportunities for students to excel.”
At the heart of Musical Futures is the idea of ‘Learning to Learn’ – a discovery about learning involving a set of principles, which help learners to learn more effectively and to transfer and utilise these principles across the curriculum. 'Rock Factory’ begins with a series of workshops where all students experience drums, guitar, keyboard, singing and bass guitar, using a carousel system. At the end of the workshops, students select their favourite instrument and are asked to form bands. All bands then work on an opening piece, building up the skills required to play their instrument before they progress onto more complicated music.
Impact on students
At the end of the first year, feedback from students was very positive. Attendance across the year group for Music classes was greater than normal and student uptake with instrumental tuition rose. Even more noticeable was the number of girls who wanted to play and form their own bands. When asked how ‘Rock Factory’ differed from the usual experience of school, student responses included:
‘It’s more enjoyable’,
‘There’s less written work and it’s more hands on’,
‘It’s not boring and I want to do it’
‘Rock Factory is more interactive’.
Now in our third year of the full programme with Key Stage 3, other positive outcomes include the uptake of music in Year 10, the number of students wanting to learn instruments and join existing school performance groups, students independently forming their own bands and a more balanced gender and ethnic involvement in extra-curricular music.
Website
phf.org.uk
—