Planning

Exemplary. Having been introduced to the project by the Creative Partnerships Director, Anna Cutler, we were quickly contacted by Robert, who outlined his proposals and requirements. Through email contact we agreed on the dates of the project.

Fifteen students were chosen from the year 8 cohort by Jackie Mortimer (Head of Faculty) and me. The aim was to choose those pupils who would benefit the most from such an artistically and creatively stimulating process. A gender balance was achieved.

Delivery

Robert is clearly a skilled practitioner, not only in his field of music but also in his work with young people. His project has been a real “wake-up-call” for me, a teacher of some 13 years, the demands made upon the pupils have been high and they have always risen to these challenges and often exceeded even the highest expectations.

Even after the very first session, the pupils were taking responsibility for their own work and for the output of the group. The issue of discipline has proved to be of particular interest. Robert is “firm but fair” to use an over-worked cliché; however, to leave it at that would miss the central point of interest. From very early on, responsibility for the conduct of the group had been laid fair and square at the door of the group members. An organic development soon resulted in a system of self-policing.

Ownership of the work and the group identity was apparent from the earliest stages. I will of course endeavour to replicate this in my own teaching. The strength of my feeling about this project can be exemplified by an extract from an e-mail I sent to Robert on the evening of the first session when I describe his work as ”…truly inspirational…”

His affect on the pupils involved has been marked. They are now thinking for themselves, creatively (both individually and collectively), and to coin a phrase “thinking outside the box”. The skills they have acquired will (although there is no empirical evidence) undoubtedly make them more successful across the curriculum and more importantly in life. They are already displaying thinking and team-working skills which are far beyond those of their peers; there is no question that they have a head start.

I have as yet to mention the musical content of this project. The end result will be excellent and the process has been invaluable to the pupils’ music education and to my own. However, the music has provided a vehicle for something much bigger. Our pupils have grown; they will question, they will challenge, and they will demand to know more.

Initially, the time allocation seemed large, but with hindsight, it has been a small price to pay for the end product.

Suggestions

My only criticism is that too few of the staff from other faculty areas took the time, or were given the opportunity, to come and see what we were doing. Those who did come were singularly impressed, with one exception, who commented that some of the individual performances were "quite acceptable", whereas the purpose of that particular exercise was communication between and within the group, and, using those success criteria, the result was no less than astounding. The head of year 8, Tracey Temple, has taken a close interest in the project and has become a great advocate, as has our faculty head and the dance and drama staff. Indeed, one of the earlier pieces produced by the team of pupils is being used by one of the GCSE drama groups.

The Way Forward

Robert has made a great impact upon the pupils and staff involved in the project. Although this will undoubtedly permeate throughout the whole school via those people, the opportunity should be made available for all staff and all pupils to access these experiences. Perhaps making the opportunities available is not enough. People, are creatures of habit; they will continue to eat junk-food until they are forced to try something of really good quality. Then and only then do they find out what they've been missing.