Music news for week fo 16th January

Hello!

Many thanks to everyone for the prompt submission of reports. They clearly show that you know your students well and what they need to do to improve.

Last week we had the Year 11 parents evening. A very successful time, with targets and challenges clearly set. As many of you know, the performance element is the one that will make or loose the target grade for the student. Therefore, you have to choose suitable music (have a list of 3 or 4 pieces that you select from, knowing they are suitable). Get them to listen to recordings of the music. You must nag them if they are not working fast enough. It is with this that I have the greatest worry - please please nag, challenge, email home, pressure, shout at. Don't accept that no practice has been done - you are accountable for at least 20% if not 40% of their final GCSE grade. As a department, we have to get the GCSE grades right, and students have to achieve what we believe they can achieve. I will be speaking to everyone this week who has GCSE musicians, to ensure that Year 11 and Year 10 are on track to achieve recordings if not already done. Many Year 10s already have recordings and thank you to those who have done them!

Linked to this is lesson absence. Please use the absence form on the right here to put in every single absence. It is really important that everyone does this. Remission has to be tracked, and we have to account for our absence numbers. I am sorry to nag, but need to ensure we are all consistent!

As many of you know, I am going to the Governors Finance meeting in a couple of weeks. I will report on our financial situation, and plans for the future. The aim is to try to maintain our current level of funding from April. I am also starting to think about our priorities for the coming financial year, and welcome any input you have. Primary work is becoming increasingly important, and we are starting to work with Playsomething and the Music Service to start some woodwind and brass 'group lessons' in some primary schools. It has to be planned carefully, to avoid falling into the 'wider opps exit strategy fiasco' that often happens when they suddenly have to start paying. I am trying to support more instruments in this work, but cannot do it alone. Ideas and suggestions needed. Our financial and musical priorities have to react to what is happening in education, what is successful and what requires support. This is what we are doing with the primary work, the continued success of our choirs and singing, the continued development of our use of technology and so on. All whilst reducing our costs! Not easy.

Year 12 and 13 exams continue this week. Year 10 are on work experience the week before half term as well, and thus will not be in school. I may organise some planning time and KS3 chamber workshops for this week. Ideas for a good use of this time welcome.

AB exams - please complete the form linked on the exams page above fairly urgently. We have a very tight turn around for the entries. Trinity slightly less urgent, but complete the form please! I will arrange a Rock School date this week for later in the term.

Many thanks for your continued hard work and dedication to the musicians that you teach. The talk this term is going to be about hubs, funding and the future, as we move into a new financial year. We are in a very strong position, but have to continue to develop and move forward to stay in this position!

Have a great week

Mark

Music News for the week of 9th January

Hello!

Everyone is back in full swing this week. It is a 3:2 split now for the coming 3 weeks or so, returning on Tuesday 31st Jan I think.

I have put the following information on the parents newsletter:

Most Year 10 and 11 students have fixed times out of class time and Years 7 - 9 have a minimum of a 3 week rotation. Swaps for Years 7 - 9 are thus not possible as it upsets the rotation for the students concerned! The school timetable is on a 3:2 split for the rest of January. Thus, fixed lunchtime lessons move with the lunchtime. The same for break. Please can the students take note of this. Thus a student with an 11.00 breaktime lesson has it now at 10am for a few weeks. Still breaktime. 


Years 12 and 13 have exams. They need to communicate with teachers as to their availability a week in advance. Not on the day. It is unfair to expect the teacher to make up a lesson when they are given moments notice. All students have different exams, so they are old enough to organise and plan..... (I am ever the optimist!). A lesson missed is a lesson missed.


Other reminders for the week:

• Reports - by Thursday at the very latest please, by email. There are many still to receive and it is important that Sue can get them completed on Thursday. It is essential that you meet this deadline - it is also unfair to those who have completed them on time.
• Associated Board and Trinity letters are in the kitchen. If you have candidates for the exams, please hand them out this week. The AB deadline is very tight, and entries have to be received back within a week, as the deadline to AB is a week on Friday. Please complete the form on the exams page linked from the top of this page. Again, it is vital to meet this deadline.
• A2 recitals - we have asked for Sunday 4th March. AS will be at the end of March. All students should be ready for the recitals by the end of January. The AS listening resit for the 4 musicians is this Thursday.
• Final GCSE performances - these should be completed within the next 2 weeks. I need you all to be assertive with this and take no nonsense. If the students are taking time to learn the pieces, why? Have you emailed home? Have you told me? Year 10 should also be completing recordings this term.
• Year 11 GCSE Music students have their parents evening this Tuesday.
• Year 9 option choices are very soon. Please be talking to Year 9 students who could take GCSE Music, to let them know they are capable. We need the numbers and you are an important part of the publicity for this.

As we know, there is still a lot of change in education. Our numbers are still healthy for music, lessons and learning. We should never sit back and must continually work to motivate each and every student that we teach.

Have a great week!

Mark