Earlier this term, Southampton and Isle of Wight Music Hubs shared their response to Barry Carpenter’s Recovery Curriculum with schools teachers and leaders across the region.

Artswork — the South’s Arts Council Bridge Organisation — hosted a webinar called “Supporting Pupil Wellbeing and Reconnecting with Learning through Creativity” where the hubs presented the way the recovery curriculum had informed planning and projects for the year ahead. The event featured a keynote from Professor Dame Alison Peacock, CEO of the Chartered College of Teaching, and was well attended by schools, as well as arts professionals from across the South .

About the Recovery Curriculum:

The Recovery Curriculum outlines five losses and five levers of recovery for children and young people.

Loses:

1. Routine

2. Structure

3. Opportunity

4. Friendship

5. Freedom

Levers of Recovery:

1. Relationships

2. Community

3. Transparent curriculum

4. Metacognition

5. Space

Sharing the hubs’ approach

In the virtual session, Nia Collins, Relationship Manager for Southampton and Isle of Wight Music Hubs, shared how projects and plans for the year ahead are designed to address the five losses through specific music-making activities which build upon the five levers for recovery.

In the session, the hub also shared a growing body of evidence showing that music can have a positive impact on both social, emotional and wider academic outcomes for children and young people in the longer term.

Nia Collins, Music Hub Relationship Manager said:

“Huge thanks to Artswork for inviting the music hubs to be part of such a wonderful event and for bringing us together with the other brilliant speakers and a great number of teachers too. I came away inspired and hopeful for our children and young people, seeing the passion and compassion that our educators and arts colleagues have at this extraordinary time has motivated me even more to continue on this path of putting health and wellbeing at the forefront of what we do in the Music Hub.

The role of music in supporting the health and wellbeing of pupils, and in particular how this can be so closely tied in with schools’ recovery curriculum planning, is an incredible opportunity to broaden the curriculum. We should absolutely take in this extraordinary year.”

As a new school year begins, and teachers welcome back pupils once again, Southampton Music Hub is working with schools to keep music at the heart of creative learning communities. Much about the year ahead can feel very uncertain, however, the whole team are dedicated to responding to challenges in the same spirit as they have done before: keeping our focus on bringing the life-changing power of music to every child in the city.

Here are a few of the ways we’re getting ready to do just that:

Empowering and developing teachers

This year, instrumental and vocal teachers are being given extra time to plan and prepare for the year ahead. The team are having training sessions with educational psychologists, to better understand the personal and emotional challenges young musicians are facing, and how music lessons can be part of the response. There will be training on how to recognise and nurture the personal and social development of young musicians, as well as training on how, where it may still be needed, online music lessons can be the best they can be, for all involved.

Additionally, “Music for Wellbeing” guides for schools use music a tool for helping children understand and overcome the emotional challenges faced throughout the coronavirus pandemic. The hub is empowering and developing teachers so that young musicians can reach their fullest potential.

Special guidance and practices

Working together with school’s, Southampton Music Hub is helping to keep all children, teachers and the community as safe as possible, including guidance around good hygiene, social distancing, engaging with NHS Test and Trace, as well music specific risk assessments. Music can only change lives for the better, when we first keep each other safe, and these new practices will help happen.

Blended delivery

Not all music can be face-to-face, at least, not yet, and so online and remote music-making will still be a core part of the hub’s offer. But online is not just a second-best option. Digital workshops open up capacity, so that more schools can be inspired by world-class musicians and composers. Ensembles will continue to develop their exciting digital performance programmes which can reach a bigger, broader audience, in the year ahead too. Online music lessons will also continue for some, where needed, enabling musical learning to continue when face-to-face lessons are not possible. By blending online and face-to-face music-making — embracing the best of both — the hub is able to make sure more children than ever can access music.

Looking ahead

Every new year brings new possibilities, including new challenges, and this year, that is particularly true. But music has a unique role to play, helping bring people together, helping us understand ourselves and each other better, and helping us to imagine a bright future for our schools and communities.

Over the coming weeks, you may find yourself missing out on music lessons, or playing with your ensemble. Here are some things you could do instead.

1. Perform at home

   Pick pieces of music you know. Try new pieces of music. Come up with an exciting programme of music to share with those around you. Practice hard. Then invite the people you live with to watch the show. Make tickets and a programme with fun facts about the music and your instrument. Don’t forget to invite your pets.

2. Perform for older relatives with video chat

   We know many older people might be feeling lonely over the next few weeks or months. Why not perform a concert for your older relatives over Skype, or FaceTime, or Video Chat?

3. Write a song

   Composing your own music is a great way to understand your feelings, particularly in difficult times. It can also be a great way to forget your worries for a while, and focus on something more positive. You could write music inspired by our recent Mayflower 400 project. You could be inspired by your favourite songwriters and composers. You could write parts for any instruments you play. You could write lyrics to sing or rap. Anything is possible when you’re writing your own songs.

4. Download music apps and create music on your phone/tablet

   If you don’t have an instrument, or can’t play one, or just fancy trying something new, why not download free apps like GarageBand or Walk Band and make music on your smartphone or tablet? Why not get inspired with the free Synthesis eBook?

5. Create and share playlists of music you like

   Listening to music is a great way to change the way you feel. You could make a playlist of happy songs to pick you up when you feel down. You could also playlist of sad songs that you can listen to when you just want to feel sad for a while, that’s ok too. You can then make a playlist of songs that inspire you to sing, dance and jump around when you’re feeling in more of a party mood. Share your playlists with your friends, or even make one together.

However you do it, remember, making music is great!

As pupils, teachers and families across the city enjoy the final week of the academic year, Southampton Music Hub is celebrating a record-breaking year of life-changing music: a year that includes over 22,000 people taking part in 250,000 inspirational hours of music in workshops, events and performances from the Stadium Tour, Everybody Sing and City Ensembles.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Matt Brombley, Projects and Partnerships Manager for Southampton Music Hub, says:
"It's been another incredible year for music in Southampton. The hub's achievements are only possible thanks to all the schools, staff, partners and families across the city that share the belief that making music makes lives better, and work together to share that life-changing power of music with every child."

This Spring, Southampton Music Hub presents a brand new set of songs that will help the youngest children in school to explore the world around them through singing. The fun and simple songs explore themes from brushing you teeth and washing your hands, through to family and holidays. 

The free song book will be sent to every Reception class in the city, and will be supported with free singing workshops from Southampton Music Hub's experienced early years singing tutors. 

Nia Collins, Southampton Music Hub Manager and Vocal Strategy Leader, says:
"We are delighted to be able to offer a set of songs written for the EYFS framework that help children in Reception classes use music to explore their relationship to the home environment. These free songs will be accompanied by free workshops in schools which will help children enjoy singing from the very beginning of their schools lives. The songs are simple and catchy, and we hope that children will take these songs home so that parents can singalong too."

Southampton Music Hub and Southampton Inclusion Partnership (SIP) are working together to pilot a new SEND Music Advisor role in the city. The role will help improve access to music for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Kelly Jo Peters, who is the music teacher at Great Oaks School, a Specialist Lead Educator in SEND Music for SIP and a national SEND Music consultant, will be taking on the role, supporting the city’s special schools and inclusion units to help every young musician reach their fullest potential, regardless of the challenges they may face.

Matt Brombley, Interim Hub Manager for Southampton Music Hub says:
“We’re delighted to work with Southampton Inclusion Partnership and Kelly Jo Peters as part of our ongoing commitment to improve access to music for children with additional needs: recognising the unique challenges they face and valuing the unique contribution they can make. Kelly Jo’s expertise and experience mean she is uniquely placed to help deliver our ambitious plans for 2018–20 and beyond.”

Kelly Jo Peters, SEND Music Advisor for Southampton Music Hub, says:
"Music is my passion and sharing that passion to help others develop their musicality is my lifelong goal. In this new role as SEND Music Advisor, I will help children with additional needs access increasing music learning opportunities and experiences. This role enables me to work with the city's special schools and inclusion units, as well as arts organisations, in order to support the Southampton Music Hub and SIP in delivering a dynamic and engaging music programme for SEND."

Janina Spencer Assistant Head from the Southampton Inclusion Partnership says: 
"Working in partnership with the Southampton Music Hub will further SIP's purpose in developing inclusive opportunities for pupils across Southampton. Kelly Jo (SIP SLE) is extremely experienced in the field of music with SEN and mainstream so her expertise will be invaluable. It will be exciting to watch music develop for all"

Kelly Jo Peters and the Great Oaks iPad band performing at Portsmouth Guildhall

Solent music leaders enjoying a percussion session at a previous Solent Cultural Conference 

Invitations went out this week for the annual Solent Cultural Conference — a central part of Southampton Music Hub's ongoing support for teachers and music leaders, as they work together with the music hub to bring life-changing music to every child in schools and across the city. This year’s conference will see an inspiring range of sessions — from hands on music making workshops through to creative and practical classroom ideas — all delivered by highly esteemed local and national music leaders.

Hosted by Southampton, Portsmouth and Isle of Wight Music Hubs, the conference will take place on Thursday 2 November 2017 at Portsmouth Guildhall. 

Matt Brombley, Interim Manager at Southampton Music Hub says:
"We recognise and value the incredible work that music teachers do in our schools and communities every day. Each year the Solent Cultural Conference challenges us to try new ideas, find new ways of working, and be inspired by incredible music leaders from across the world. Investing in music staff — seeing them develop as musicians, teachers and leaders — is an essential part of bringing life-changing music to every child in our city. It is our hope that, once again, this year we will inspire and equip our music leaders with new ideas and skills that they will go back and share, to enhance music making for the city's children and young people."

The autumn term, and the new school year, are off to an inspiring start for staff at Southampton Music Hub. With two days of training, the first was dedicated to looking at the year ahead, and a second was dedicated to different approaches to creating music, where staff were also joined by music teachers from Portsmouth Music Hub. The morning session was expertly led by Neil Valentine, a nationally recognised music leader, former Southampton Youth Orchestra member and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra member. During the afternoon, Matt Brombley from Southampton and Isle of Wight Music Hubs shared approaches to composing music with technology based on the past year of the Music Tech project.

Nia Collins, Interim Hub Manager for Southampton Music Hub says:

"We have incredible team of staff who are both outstanding musicians and educators, and it's been a delight to spend the past two days with them, working alongside nationally recognised music leaders, to inspire our staff with new music experiences that they can now share with the children and young people in Southampton."

As the new school year starts, Southampton Music Hub is working in schools and across the community to deliver its ambitious programme of life-changing music for the year ahead. Through first access, instrumental and vocal tuition and city ensembles, every child has the opportunity to perform and progress. Through the Stadium Tour, every child will have access to inspiring and inclusive music experiences, with world class musicians touring around the city's schools. Everybody Sing will help everyone to enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits of singing . The Family Music Programme — including Family Singing and a new Family Rock Jam, along with the return of the Family Orchestra — will help all families share the life-changing power of making music together.