Every Child a Musician
FAQs
Please see below some of the most
frequently asked questions about Every Child a Musician. If you
have any further questions which are not answered below, please
contact email ecam.tutor@newham.gov.uk.
What is Every Child a Musician?
What is Every Child a Musician?
Who is Every Child a Musician for?
How can music help my child?
My child and the programme
When will my child be able to join the
programme?
Which instruments can children learn?
How can my child decide which musical instrument to
learn?
How many lessons will my child do per week?
Where will the lessons take place?
What can my child expect to learn?
Supporting your child
How can I support my child in their musical
learning?
How often should my child practise?
How will my child's progress be monitored and
reported back to me?
Looking after the musical instrument
How can parents/carers ensure the instrument
remains in good working order?
What happens if the instrument breaks or my child
loses the instrument?
Rationale for the programme
Why is the Mayor providing this
programme?
Why have western instrument been chosen?
What effect will the Every Child a Musician programme
have on the current Council funding to the Newham Academy of
Music?
Are independent schools able to join the
programme?
Further information
How can I find out more information?
What is Every Child a Musician?
What is Every Child a
Musician?
Every Child a Musician is a groundbreaking
programme provided by the Mayor of Newham. It gives children in
Year 5 and Year 6 the opportunity to learn how to play an
instrument, at no cost to parents. The programme will be rolled out
to Year 5 children in all schools throughout the 2010/11 school
year.
Who is Every Child a Musician
for?
Music lessons will start for
Newham children in primary school in Year 5 and continue through to
the end of Year 6. The programme will roll out to all schools
throughout the 2010/11 school year.
How can music help my
child?
Learning a musical
instrument can enhance a child's learning experience at school in
many ways. Research has shown that musical training enhances other
types of learning. For example, it can contribute to improving
literacy, creativity and general intellectual development, as well
as increasing concentration.
Taking part in music classes can improve children's self
confidence, self esteem and team working as well as give children a
sense of achievement. By giving a child the opportunity to learn
and take care of an instrument they can learn to appreciate the
values of responsibility self-discipline and commitment.
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My child and the programme
When will my child be able to join the
programme?
The programme was launched in schools in school year 2010-11. All
children will have the opportunity to participate in the programme
when they start in Year 5 if their school is participating in the
programme. The programme is now running in 62 schools across the
borough.
Which instruments can children
learn?
Children can learn to play the trumpet, trombone, clarinet, violin,
viola, flute, guitar or keyboard. Each school will have a selection
of three instruments for children to choose from.
How can my child decide which
musical instrument to learn?
When your child's school begins to offer the programme your child's
class will have the chance to hear and try out a range of musical
instruments during a taster session at the start of term. This is
great way for children to experience a variety of musical
instruments and so they can decide what they might like to
learn.
How many lessons will my child
do per week?
There will be one
lesson per week, per child, with each school determining the most
suitable day and time of the lesson.
Where will the lessons take
place?
Lessons will take place at
your child's school.
What can my child expect to
learn?
Your child's tuition will focus on learning to play
the chosen instrument, including how to read music. Your child will
also learn about the instrument itself e.g. its history and role in
musical performances.
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Supporting your child
How can I support my child in their musical
learning?
Your child will need your support
and encouragement to help them to make the most of this
opportunity. Each school is committed to working with you and your
child to ensure the instrument is well maintained and cared for.
Being interested in your child's progress and listening to them
play will help to motivate and encourage your child. Being
available, where possible, to supervise practice time at home will
also be helpful.
How often should my child
practise?
Your child will be allowed to bring their
instrument home to practise. Some schools will also provide
practice sessions during breaks and after school. Practice will
improve your child's musical progress and your child's music tutor
will advise on the amount of time they should practise per
week.
How will my child's progress
be monitored and reported back to
me?
Each child will be provided
with a Practice Booklet. Your child's music tutor will update the
book with how your child is progressing on a weekly basis. The
booklet will be given back to your child every week for you to
review.
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Looking after the musical instrument
How can parents/carers ensure the instrument
remains in good working order?
You and your child will be responsible for taking care of the
instrument. Each instrument comes with a carry case for protection,
so you will need to ensure the instrument is stored and transported
in this case. Your child's music tutor will advise on how to care
to the instrument they choose.
What happens if the instrument
breaks or my child loses the
instrument?
You will be
responsible for reporting instrument loss or damage to the school.
Within reason, we will provide replacement instruments in cases of
loss or damage. Schools will be able to provide you with the
detailed policy on this.
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Rationale for the programme
Why is the Mayor providing this
programme?
The Mayor is delivering on the
promise that he made in his 2010/11 contract to provide free music
tuition to every year 5 child. The programme is a way of supporting
traditional learning in school. Playing an instrument can help with
academic learning through increased discipline and commitment.
Music is fun and can give children more confidence and help raise
their self-esteem, both of which are key influences in doing well
at school.
Why have western instruments
been chosen?
There are several reasons for this:
- This is a mass participation service which will deliver up to
2,000 lessons a week when running at full capacity. We need to
ensure a range of instruments for which we can supply a sufficient
number of tutors from the local labour market and beyond. This
means looking at the most widely offered instruments i.e. western
instruments.
- Every Child a Musician aims to encourage the students to play
together so instruments need be compatible with this and so of the
same musical tradition. The current range of orchestral and
complementary instruments has been selected to support this aim.
These instruments will enable any child to play alongside another
child from any of the schools throughout the borough.
- We consulted parents from the range of ethnicities represented
in Newham schools. They agreed that it was sensible to choose
western classical instruments. As orchestral instruments are also
the most universally played, this selection also enables all
parents and children in Newham to have some understanding of what
the instruments are, what they sound like and how they are used. In
addition to this the basic skills that children will learn on the
programme will enable them to take up another instrument, such as
the Dhol or Tabla, in the future should they wish to do
so.
What effect will the Every
Child a Musician programme have on the current Council funding to
the Newham Academy of Music?
The funding for Every Child a Musician does not have
an effect on the funding for Newham Academy of Music. The Council
funding for NMA is from a Government grant called the Standards
Fund. This Government grant will be significantly reduced from
April 2011 and NMA have been informed that the Council will no
longer be in a position to continue to devolve this funding to
them.
Are independent schools able
to join the programme?
The
programme is currently being rolled out to Local Authority primary
schools in Newham. At present the programme is not being extended
to independent schools but all expressions of interest will be
logged in case of future developments and/or opportunities to work
together.
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Further information
How can I find out more information?
When your child's school begins to roll out the
programme, you will be invited to an Every Child's a Musician
information workshop that will be held at your child's school. You
can also speak to your child's teacher for more information.