Once again, thank you to everyone who was involved in the concert last Tuesday. A fantastic evening, and we have had much praise from parents and others who were there. It was a wonderful team effort during the day and in the evening, and the recording is very good. Keith has just about put together a CD of the evening that will be available to parents this week. I am looking at how we can develop our concerts and evolve. If you have any suggestions, let me know please.
The sixth form open evening went well on Thursday. If you have a Year 11 student, chat to them about if they are taking music or music technology. I'll put a list of students who are interested on the board in the kitchen. Having the chat about it can be hugely important!
Friday saw the Big Band performing at the Christmas Lights event in Hertford. Totally mad, on a stage too small. However, the atmosphere was just like being on Tour! Thank you to the many staff to came to join in or watch. Great publicity for the school and something the musicians will remember for a long time.
Tom Caldecote has joined us teaching woodwind. Mainly here on a Wednesday, he will also be working with Clare on our primary projects. Welcome Tom!
We are preparing for Christmas now (!). The Carol Service is on Tuesday 18th December at 7pm. It is at All Saints Church this year (change of venue to previous years) and is repeated at 11.30am on Wednesday 19th for Years 7 and 8. There will be rehearsals during the afternoon.
Lesson observations are now under way. The work of instrumental teachers and their teaching is equally as important as what goes on in the classroom. At present, Debbie is observing lessons to look at the quality of teaching, tracking the requirement to make music lessons musical. Then as a department we will be looking at how to better show and document progress. Planning is one of the key things here.
This Friday, 30th, is the occasional day. Year 11 start on study leave on Monday 7th December. With Year 11, you must not continue to timetable lessons without checking with students that they can attend. Assume nothing. It may be simpler to not teach them. You know your students and you must speak to them about this. The mock timetable is in the kitchen.
One of my priorities now is to prepare for Ofsted. We should be looking at being an outstanding department. To achieve this, there is still much to do. I am now working with Sue to put together our department folder, complete with all the data required - Pupil Premium, Free school meals, breakdown of students in ensembles, curriculum and instrumental working together with learning and so on. I will be putting together a list of the main requirements for us to be outstanding, so everyone can see the bigger picture.
The whiteboard in the office and in the kitchen will now have, by 10am, a list of students who are absent each day. It is accurate for those who are in school, but where a form register has not been taken (usually mine), it will then have all those students listed. The aim is to stop Sue being interrupted with 'is so and so in school before I go to look'. Do check the list. If not on the list, they are in school.
Thank you to everyone for the continuing hard work.
Mark
