Oxford Music Education – serie

There are around 40,000 children and young people in the UK alone with severe or profound and multiple learning difficulties, in special schools and in mainstream education. Research has indicated that provision is at best patchy, despite the widely held belief that music is beneficial, both in its own right and to promote wider development. This book seeks to foster progress in what is still a young discipline by reflecting on contemporary thinking and practice, identifying key issues, introducing recent and ongoing research, and providing practical advice for practitioners including teachers, therapists, and community musicians.

How do some schools get music so right while others get it so wrong? Janet Mills, a former HMI and teacher, draws on work in more than 800 schools and published research as she seeks to help schools improve their practice - no matter how good it is already. Successful teaching, she argues, is creative, uplifting, enabling, and, above all, rooted in music. The aim of this book is to 'Put the music back into music'.Thought-provoking, challenging, and empowering, this book is an essential read for all those interested in music in schools, including class teachers, instrumental teachers, and researchers. Using informative and entertaining examples and anecdotes, Janet Mills criticizes notions such as 'musical children' and 'musical schools', and comments on the roles of instrumental teachers and so-called 'non-specialists'. She explores how music in school can, and must, interact with music out of school, and considers how to measure progress in music - and how not to. Music in the School is not a step-by-step guide to better teaching, but rather a springboard for consideration, reflection, and action. Anyone who cares about music at school will find this book a powerful tool.

This book looks at two years in the life of the UK's first Specialist Music College - the Northampton School for Girls - and sets the development of this school against what we know about other schools often described as 'musical'. The author also sets out a wider context of local and national developments in education, and challenges myths about musical children and the idea that some children never succeed in music. This book does not provide easy answers but, in an entertaining and thought-provoking way, challenges the reader to think hard about the issues surrounding music provision in schools and to reflect on and help develop their practice. Foreword by Howard Goodall.

What are instrumental lessons for? And why do so many students want to 'give up' when they have only just begun? These are just some of the questions examined in this thought-provoking and entertaining book, which draws on research and on the author's wealth of experience to encourage teachers to build upon the strengths of current practice. Instrumental Teaching is for both those who have been teaching for many years and those who are starting out. It focuses on learning by young people but also ranges more widely, and it relates to all teachers, wherever they teach. Janet Mills asks probing questions such as 'why teach?' - and 'why learn?' - and provides practical advice on subjects including 'the first lesson'. She addresses the thorny issue of practice, and explores myths such as the notion that some instruments require particular physical or personal attributes. This book will challenge and inspire anyone who is, or is thinking of becoming, an instrumental teacher.

Assessment in schools has become a hotly debated issue in education. In the wake of political pressures for accountability, educators have sought to defend the principle that assessment should serve the interests of learners and learning. With the aim of improving learning and raising standards, this book presents a case for formative assessment, day-by-day, rather than summative assessment at the end of key stages. The author draws on and discusses the practical application of a range of theoretical and philosophical research, encouraging a holistic approach and focused teacher-intervention. The book provides material for reflection as well as practical tips, and is suitable for instrumental and classroom teachers (at all levels, but particularly 11-18), and the academic community.

This long-awaited new edition of Music in the Primary School is for all those involved in Primary music, for music specialists and non-specialists, teachers and advisers. An indispensible handbook, it contains practical advice and ideas for facilitating listening, composing, and performing, with reference to the National Curriculum. Part 1 focuses on the organization of music-making and suggests inclusive activities, while Part 2 presents a theoretical framework for curriculum planning.