Celebrating the First Year of our Music Programme
Primary school children across the region are receiving increased time studying music thanks to our first year of work.
We have just published the results of our first year of work in which 960 children in the region received weekly subsidised music lessons. This number increased to almost 2,400 children from September 2022 as new schools joined the programme.
Our work is inspired by the life of the late Dr Richard Shephard who, as a composer, conductor, teacher and performer, changed the lives of hundreds of children across York and North Yorkshire.
“Our mission is to bring the experience and enjoyment of music to children and young people in Yorkshire and beyond,” said General Manager Cathy Grant. “Over the past year we have been privileged to witness the powerful transition that can take place during a music session where a child suddenly gains confidence to sing up or join in, or where a child’s engagement is gradually improved by the techniques used by the teachers to establish positive routines in terms of listening, turn taking with instruments, and focusing.”
We received our initial funding from private donors and trusts in memory of Dr Richard Shephard. We aim to support the Government’s National Plan for Music Education which acknowledges that more can be done to make access to music education equal to all children.
“We were very privileged to receive generous funding to get started,” continued Cathy, “And now our focus is on securing additional funding to grow and sustain our activities. Our work focuses on providing a ‘whole school’ approach – to make sure every pupil benefits. We’re also working in some of our regions most disadvantaged and isolated areas. This is because we know that young people from low-income families and in rural areas have significant barriers to accessing music.”
As well as receiving feedback that the lessons, provided by our curriculum and delivery partner Sing Education, have been effective in increasing musical knowledge, we’re particularly pleased that headteachers have reported positive impact on confidence levels and indicated some improvements to wellbeing, even over just a short period.
In a survey of schools on the programme:
· 100% said that children’s confidence was ‘very much or somewhat improved’ – with 87.5% saying ‘very much improved’.
· 100% said that children’s musical knowledge was ‘very much or somewhat improved’ – with 62.5% saying ‘very much improved’.
· 87.5% said that children’s wellbeing had ‘somewhat improved’
· 50% said that children’s behaviour had ‘somewhat improved’
· 75% of schools said the school’s standard of music delivery was ‘very much improved’
· 87.5% said their teacher’s confidence in delivering music was ‘very much or somewhat improved’
One huge highlight of the year was inviting 120 children from across North Yorkshire and Middlesbrough to sing in York Minster.
Amanda Stone, Head of School at St George’s RC Primary School (Scarborough), commented: “We had a fantastic time celebrating Make Music Day at York Minster. It was a wonderful opportunity for the children to come together with pupils from other schools to share and celebrate their love of music. Being able to do this in such a beautiful setting made it even more special and memorable. It was an absolute pleasure to see the children bring the joy of music to others with their fantastic singing.”