How do you start a music programme from scratch with hardly any funds? How do embed music appreciation in a boys school where sport is the main motivator and the only instrument lessons happen in private schools?
Yes, you’re right this is the case in many parts of the UK. I know from working in SE London that this is the challenge that a lot of music teachers face every day. Well this piece on the music teacher’s hub written by Celeste Smith outlines her struggle to do exactly that in South Africa.
Here in South Africa it’s only the private schools that include private/instrument music lessons in their curriculum. At the moment, I’m teaching music appreciation as a subject in a private boys school that is obsessed with sport (grades 4-8). Music is a very low priority and making headway is slow and sometimes, I have to admit, I want to fall down in a puddle on the floor in the fetal position and suck my thumb at the injustice of it all.
You’re going to find a lot here that you can relate to but hopefully you’ll also get some inspiration and confirmation that you’re doing alright, and you’re doing all the right things. As Celeste says:
I have had to be creative in picking what I do with them, especially in a school where the music budget is small.
There is some true maverick stuff going on here and you can read the full post by following this link – The Art of Pioneering a Music Program
