Today, Changing Tracks release their annual findings and review in to inclusion for music services.

Southampton Music Services, the lead partner for Southampton Music Hub, takes part in the Changing Tracks network, and earlier this year, took part in an Action Research Project with Looked After Families which has contributed to this review.

About Changing Tracks:

Changing Tracks is a programme of support and learning for and with music services wanting to improve equality, diversity and inclusion. It is run by Hertfordshire Music Service and funded by Youth Music. It was previously called MusicNet East. Changing Tracks members are helping each other to be more inclusive through a peer network facilitated by Music Mark, funding for action research, support and challenge, advice and resources.

About the Alliance for a Musically Inclusive England

The network is part of the Alliance for a Musically Inclusive England.

The Alliance is a growing network of organisations working together to:

• promote equity in music education

• support others to do the same through advocacy, CPD, resources, and strategic alliances.

What does being musically inclusive involve?

Musically inclusive practice involves making sure young people’s music is HEARD:

• Holistic: placing emphasis on personal, social and musical outcomes

• Equitable: people facing the biggest barriers receive the most support

• Authentic: developed with and informed by the people we do it for

• Representative: the people we work with as participants and colleagues reflect our diverse society

• Diverse: all musical genres, styles, practices are valued equally

Schools, children and families across Southampton and Isle of Wight have been enjoying joining in with last week’s “10 Minute Sign & Sing” videos:

I did 'Try Everything' with the whole school on Friday… They absolutely loved it!!

It was fantastic standing at the front and watching the concentration on their faces as they signed along with Kelly.. she was really great - so clear.

— Jill (teacher at Beechwood School)

Sandra, is a music teacher at Great Oaks, a secondary school for young people with a range of complex learning difficulties including autism and speech and language difficulties, and she says:

I really like this new song… thank you for your hard work in putting these songs and the signing together. I like the fact the signing is Makaton!

And for schools who are seeing disruption to their usual music making, the videos have helped to create new, exciting shared music experiences:

These are fab!  That's fantastic as we can't do our Christmas Nativity do want to do something different for parents…

— Laura, teacher at Newchurch & Nettlestone Primary schools

This week Southampton and Isle of Wight Music Hubs launch a new “10 Minute Sign & Sing” series — weekly videos to help children enjoy making music safely in class, and at home.

All the songs include step-by-step instructions to help everyone enjoy singing along, as well as signing along using fun and easy Makaton signs.

Whilst Covid-19 restrictions mean that, for some, whole-school singing assemblies may not currently be possible, these quick ten minute videos can keep music at the heart of daily school life in a new way — as part of class or year group “bubbles”. As an added bonus, videos can be sent home to children self-isolating, so that no one misses out on making music this year.

Makaton Foundation says:
”For those not familiar with Makaton, it is a unique language programme that combines signs, symbols and spoken word to aid with communication and understanding new ideas. Using Makaton with Singing is a fun and easy way to learn to use signs with singing for young children. Signing and singing have been shown to encourage the development of communication and language skills and are beneficial for vocalisation, confidence, social skills, emotional development, well-being and self-esteem.”

Each week the team will be creating video resources covering two songs: one for Early Years and Key Stage 1; and the other suitable for Key Stages 2–3. Children with Special Educational Needs can join in with whichever song they like best — all the songs come with Makaton signs and instructions, and can be enjoyed by everybody.

The music hub has partnered with Welsh National Opera as part of this project and their fantastic vocal practitioners — opera singers and workshop leaders Emily Rooke and Dalma Sinka — will be creating the videos for Early Years and Key Stage 1.

Nia Collins, Music Hub Relationship Manager, says:
“By keeping videos quick and accessible we hope to encourage regular, short singing, to take place on a daily basis in a well-ventilated classrooms and homes throughout the year. As government guidance outlines, singing a little and often is absolutely possible and we believe the health and wellbeing benefits that come with this are absolutely vital to children and young people.”

10 Minute Sign & Sing is part of the Everybody Sing Song Bank:

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.”

Today, Southampton Music Hub launches “Black Lives Matter: Songwriter Sessions” — a new ebook resource featuring performances and interviews with Sheldon Hamilton McKenzie and Sal Resco Chitulu.

Through their music, and in conversation, these two talented local artists share their music and their stories: helping us to better understand where their music comes from.

Southampton and IOW Music Hubs are celebrating Black History Month with Calypsonian, musician and educator, Alexander D Great. Thanks to exciting new digital resources, children and young people will gain a fascinating insight into the music of Trinidad and Tobago, as well as an understanding of Alex’s experiences growing up as part of the Windrush Generation.

Each set of videos features performances of Alex’s unique Calypso songs; storytelling in the Griot style; historical background to Windrush, and the origins of Calypso; as well as help for schools to compose their own calypso music. These digital resources are available for all schools in the region, with versions suitable for ages 5–18 years old.

During the month of October, Alex will also be visiting the Isle of Wight, thanks to a collaboration with hub partners The New Carnival Company and the Isle of Wight Heritage team. On Wednesday 14 October 2020, will be performing and speaking about his experiences at an evening event in Brading Roman Villa .  

Also, in February 2021. Southampton and IOW Music Hubs will follow up this resource with a Calypso writing project, led again by Alexander. This will focus on writing songs telling pupil’s own stories from lockdown and the lasting effects of Covid-19 in their lives.  

Nia Collins, Music Hub Relationship Manager, says:
“Alex is such an incredible polymath and I can’t wait for them to enjoy his colourful evocations of the past and present through songs and storytelling. His enthusiasm and engaging style will no doubt captivate pupils’ imaginations and inspire their creative responses. As part of the recovery curriculum this year it is vital that we give pupils the space for self-expression and to rebuild their relationships with each other through shared experiences while still safely offering them the same high quality opportunities we always have which I believe this project does”

Southampton and IOW Music Hubs are looking to recruit a talented young (18–25), BAME music artist and/or producer, who is passionate to work with younger musicians, producers and performers: helping them discover digital music genres, build musical and personal skills, and move forward towards better musical futures.

This role is part of the new ‘Digital Native Artists (DNA) Programme’ which has been funded by Art Council England.

Working across electronic dance music genres, modern rap and hip-hop genres (including grime, trap and drill) and progressive R&B and pop genres, you will help build a diverse and inclusive programme of music making and learning.

You will use your music and production skills to develop and deliver a programme of digital music resources, workshops, and events which engage with aspiring young musicians in schools and other settings across the region. The programme will enable participants to improve their musical skills, develop new personal skills, and inspire them to continue making music in the future.

This a development role, and training and support will be given to help build your teaching and learning skills, as well as mentoring and support to help you develop a wide range of professional skills for working within formal and informal education settings.

This role is a one year (48 weeks), fixed-term contract, for one day per week (6–8 hours) starting in Autumn 2020. Salary is £400 per month, £4,800 total.

Get in touch to send a CV, covering letter and a link to examples of your music.

Applications should be received no later than 12noon on Friday 16 October 2020.
Interviews, via Google Meet, will take place during the week beginning Monday 19 October 2020.

Art Asia are offering four creative ways to explore the Mayflower story:

“The Mayflower Story began with the epic voyage of the pilgrims, in search of the New World and finding their site of belonging. It is a story of persecution, hope and challenges they encounters as they negotiated a new regrouping of communities to call it home. The Mayflower story has a double edge — the pilgrim finding a new home but at the same time displacing the indigenous people and paving the way for colonialism. It is important to recognise this. At a time when we are living through some extraordinary times, not only because of the pandemic but because of inequalities and entrenched racism in society ‘Belonging’ attempts to bring the lives and stories of the new settlers in Southampton.

Art Asia are offering creative responses, including singing, storytelling and craft, and are inviting Southampton’s communities to respond.

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.

As another school year comes to an end, Southampton Music Hub looks back on a year which has been unlike any other.

Mayflower 400

Symphony 400: The Voyage

The year, and our Mayflower 400 journey, began in four primary schools, where composer James Redwood collected musical ideas inspired by the Mayflower story. 

Over the next few months, those ideas inspired a momentous musical voyage for a new orchestra of 100 talented secondary musicians, alongside digital remixes and resources for others to play and create for themselves.

Big Sing: The Journey

Alongside Symphony 400, Southampton Music Hub partnered with Mayflower Theatre to take inspirational songs from their newly commissioned musicals to school children across the city. The songs inspired and motivated hundreds of hours of workshops and rehearsals for young singers.

Southampton: A Musical Odyssey 

In early March, over 1000 young musicians performed two nights of unforgettable music at the Mayflower Theatre, with a programme of music which included musical performances of all shapes and sizes, including the debuts of Symphony 400: The Voyage and Big Sing: The Journey.

“I was really nervous — I’ve  never done anything like this before — but being with my friends, I was able to get on stage and sing with everybody!” 

— year four pupil from Hollybrook Junior School

Responding to Covid-19

Just a few weeks after the unforgettable events at the Mayflower Theatre — a celebration of the passion, creativity and resilience of the city’s young musicians — the country went into lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and that same passion, creativity and resilience was shown once again, in the face of unprecedented circumstances. 

In the past few months...

• Southampton Music Services has moved over 600 music lessons online

• City ensembles have created a virtual concert programme

• Pizza boxes of music-making activities have been sent to shielded children

• A new Soundbites Digital programme has allowed First Access to continue in schools and at home

• ‘The Greatest Friend’ encouraged children to look after their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of others

• Weekly instrumental and curriculum newsletters have supported schools and home learners

• Resources from the Synthesis project have inspired independent electronic music-making

At every stage, young musicians and all those that support them — from their families to music teachers, to hub partners and beyond — have shown incredible resilience, creativity and passion for keeping music playing.

Looking Ahead

There are so many uncertainties ahead, and as Southampton Music Hub charts out a plan for returning in September, the challenges ahead feel huge. Not least of all because we know of the huge emotional burden that has been placed on the city’s young musicians over these past months, being separated from the friends and musical communities they love. 

Nights like Mayflower Theatre in March, and the incredible response of the past few months, serve as a reminder of what can be achieved when people come together and unlock the passion, creativity and resilience of the city’s young people and communities. 

Young rock musicians from Southampton have kept their rock bands going throughout lockdown, working hard to turn their usual rehearsals and concerts into virtual band practices, and now, video performances too!

On Tuesday 14 and Thursday 16 July 2020 Southampton Music Hub and Southampton Music Trust will host two virtual concerts to celebrate the achievements of some of the city’s most talented young musicians.

These ‘Award Holder’ musicians receive additional support throughout the year. Through one-to-one music lessons, ensemble membership and instrumental loans, their incredible talents are nurtured to fully flourish.

For those young musicians who face challenging circumstances in their lives, Southampton Music Trust provides free support which means that talented young musicians, who can benefit the most, get to enjoy the life-changing power of music.

Southampton and Isle of Wight Music Hubs are launching version 4.0 of the Synthesis Video Guide resources, designed to help young electronic musicians build new composition skills, inspired by some incredible musicians.

Building on videos about looping (with Ricky Tart), ragas and scales (with Dr Pooja Angra), and arranging (with Em Johnson), this updated version adds resources about mixing, bass lines and chords.

Matt Brombley, Project Manager for the Synthesis Project, says:
”Using digital resources allows for young musicians to choose their own adventure through the world of electronic music composition. With these new videos, we’re excited to make that world a little bigger.”

The Synthesis Project is funded by Youth Music. Find out more about the project.

Some music hub friends have sent in videos of them singing, dancing, signing and even playing along with ‘The Greatest Friend’ — enjoy watching them as they get moving, make some great sounds, and even get a little messy!

Over the past few days the team have spent time reflecting on how we can better support BAME musicians in our city. We continue to listen and learn. We also want to act now.

So, today, we launch a new, paid commission for BAME musicians in Southampton.

Southampton Music Hub is looking for BAME musicians, performers and producers who:

• Live or study in Southampton

• Are 18+

• Perform or record their own original material

We’re looking to commission them to:

• Record a performance (audio or video, 3–4 minutes) of a self-composed piece of music

• Participate in a recorded, one-hour zoom conversation about their music

Genre and style are open, and musical and lyrical content should be appropriate for audiences of all ages.

The recordings will form a digital resource pack for schools and the wider community that will be made freely available on the Southampton Music Hub website.

Fee: £200 for individuals, £300 for duo or group performers

We are looking to commission 3-5 musicians in this first round, and hope to be able to expand the scheme in future.

Expressions of interest for this round close at 12noon on Tuesday 30 June 2020.

The brief is also available to download from the Synthesis Page

Coronavirus has has a huge impact on all our lives. For families up and down the country, the past half term has been unlike any other: learning at home, and keeping a social distance from others. With schools looking to start welcoming more pupils on site, starting with some of the youngest first, this is a challenging time for everybody.

For children, as this half term ends, and they look ahead to the big changes coming soon, there are lots of confusing thoughts and feelings to try and make sense of. That is why Southampton Music Hub has created a brand new song called, ‘The Greatest Friend’.

We Need You!

With some very silly lyrics, fun actions, and sign language translation too, the song is fun for all ages. So there really is no excuse not to sing, dance or sign along.

The song also has a very important message hidden inside: it’s ok to feel sad and confused sometimes; everybody feels that way, but, it’s not forever.

What better way to show that we’re all in this together, than a video of everybody joining in? That’s why we need YOU!

Send us your videos and video clips either through the music hub website, or on Twitter, and you could be part of a huge, exciting, community video version of the song.

Today, Southampton Music Hub releases the first evaluation report from Action Research into the impact of moving music lessons online during the current Covid-19 pandemic.

Drawing on responses from young musicians, parents and staff, the report highlights some key findings:

1. Build on existing strengths

   1. Staff, parents and young musicians all have existing, transferable experiences, skills, knowledge and understanding that can be used and built upon to support new initiatives and formats

   2. Existing relationships, infrastructure and processes can be built upon and developed, even in challenging circumstances

   3. Facilitate and support the sharing of adapted good practice and learning experiences

2. Community is key

   1. Support is all around us — colleagues, family members

   2. This support supplements, but is not a replacement for clear and concise guidance

   3. Sharing emerging good practice, both formally and informally helps to support staff and families, and further opportunities to do this should be found

3. Simplicity enables speed

   1. Selecting a single platform allows for quicker training, support and troubleshooting

   2. Platform specific pre-existing skills are broadly low, and the transferable knowledge and understanding which accompanies these skills are quickly built upon

   3. Complicated technical setups do, sometimes, result in higher audio and video quality, but we have not gathered enough evidence to support the assertion that this improve learning outcomes for young musicians

4. Challenging circumstances are increased, but can also be reduced

   1. For children, young people and families already facing challenging circumstances, moving music lessons online has resulted in a reduction in their engagement — a deeper understanding of the causes of this reduction is needed, and both the adaption of existing strategies and the introduction of new strategies for engagement will be needed

   2. For those able to engage, learning music online has provided many improvements to wellbeing, including:

      1. A comforting sense of connection to “normal life”

      2. Improved, transferable confidence 

      3. Increased parental engagement

5. Exceptional circumstances lead to exceptional responses

   1. Across staff, parents and young musicians there is wide acknowledgment of the exceptional context in which this work takes place, and the willingness to undertake exceptional actions as a result

   2. However, there are some transferable principles that would apply beyond the current period:

      1. Parents and young musicians highly value regular music lessons, including developing a learning relationship with an individual teacher

      2. Staff, parents, and young musicians may not have experience of specific technologies or activities, but are willing to use and build upon existing transferable skills, knowledge and understanding to achieve successful outcomes

In responding to the report, Matt Brombley, Development Manager for Southampton Music Hub, says:

In compiling this report, I was overwhelmed by the extraordinary amount of effort, goodwill and energy that had been shown by our young musicians, their parents and teachers in exceptional circumstances.

To staff, your resilience is truly incredible. In teaching, we often talk about modelling, and usually, mean playing music for our students in a way that demonstrates excellence. But to me, this report shines a light on how you have gone further: modelling resilience to the young musicians you teach, demonstrating what huge challenges can be overcome when we approach them with a willingness to learn and adapt. I cannot include every thank you that came in the responses from our families, it would be many pages long, instead, accept just one on their behalf — thank you!

To parents and guardians, as this report shows, your existing skills and confidence have been vital in getting online music lessons taking place. But, beyond that, you have been on a learning journey of your own — developing new knowledge and understanding, as well as building on your skills and confidence, and this progress should not be lost or underplayed. It has not always been easy, or simple, but you have made it work. For many of you, this experience has brought you closer together as a family, making you more engaged in the musical lives of your children. On behalf of the young musicians you support — thank you!

To our young musicians, I am delighted that we have been able to provide you with music lessons at a time when so much else is being lost. You have shared how comforting it is to be connected with “normality”, with your music teachers, and with music as a place for creative self-expression. Your energy and passion have driven us all forward, wanting to allow you each to develop to the fullness of your potential — thank you!

We continue to learn together.”

Responding to the reports key development areas, Kath Page, Manager for Southampton Music Hub, says:

“We have already started to respond to the key development areas highlighted by this report. We are committed to helping children overcome the barriers and challenges which may prevent them benefiting from the life-changing power of music. I’m delighted that we have already moved to:

1. Deliver physical music resources to children who find they don’t have the right technology to access music lessons online. Starting with shielded children, and expanding over the coming weeks, boxes of music activities will help them continue making music at home.

2. Working with schools to expand our online music lessons offer, including a digital version of our incredibly popular SoundBites project, which can be done both at school and at home

3. Re-imagining our inset programmes for the rest of the year, and the year ahead, to allow time for the team to share, and build upon, the new and adaptive practices which they have so quickly deployed”

Southampton Music Hub has new sets of resources to support music-making and learning at home and in schools this week.

Instrumental Newsletter

A weekly newsletter for instrumental musicians, to go alongside online music lessons, and instrument specific resources being sent directly by instrumental teachers.

Curriculum Newsletter

A weekly newsletter for those missing out on classroom music sessions.

Music Technology

Resources for making use of iPad and other digital apps, including video guides from expert musicians on how to write your own songs.

Soundbites Digital

This week, the first of ten weekly sessions for First Access musicians is heading out to schools and families that are missing out on their Soundbites and In2Music lessons. Learning music from across the world, over ten weeks, young music-makers will use their voices and any percussion they can get their hands on — or just their hands — to explore melody and rhythm.

Think your school or family should be taking part? Get in touch

Over the Easter Holidays, staff from Southampton Music Services were redeployed within Southampton City Council, becoming part of the team which delivered child care for vulnerable and key worker children during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Judi, Debbie, Lewis, Simon, Kevin and Kath were joined by other city council staff as well as teams from Youth Options, to provide sport, music, arts, games and other activities.

Our Holiday Clubs have started!! 🎉

Here are the team at @woodlands_CC ready for a fun day of sports, music and games! ⚽️🎼🧩🎨 @SouthamptonCC @MusicHubSouthhttps://t.co/JiHmRoXrPH#holidayclub #socialdistancing #Easter #Hampshire pic.twitter.com/luLnvn6cJx

— Youth Options (@YouthOptions) April 6, 2020

Another fun day at our Holiday Club! This time we’re making slime!! 💜@SouthamptonCC@MusicHubSouth @Woodlands_CC#easter #easterholidays #artsandcrafts #hampshire #Southampton pic.twitter.com/hKLs7yPtpQ

— Youth Options (@YouthOptions) April 8, 2020

The sessions did more than inspire the kids — two members of the youth options staff have taken up the ukulele as a result!

The active outdoors staff have fallen in love with the Ukulele lessons which have been run in partnership with @MusicHubSouth! So much so that Ben has ordered himself a new uke!#music #ukulele #southampton #hampshire #EasterFun pic.twitter.com/qMIjgmWdO8

— Youth Options (@YouthOptions) April 9, 2020

Matt Brombley, Development Manager for Southampton Music Hub, says:
”We’re so proud of the members of our team who gave up their Easter Holiday to be redeployed within the council and to take on such important work. Music has incredible power to help us make sense of the world around us — that is never more important than now, particularly for vulnerable children in the city. Added to that, we know the huge sacrifices that key workers in the city are making during this time, and for our staff to step up and help support them to be out in our hospitals and communities doing vital work, we’re overwhelmed with pride!”

Southampton City Council leader Christopher Hammond said:
"It's been brilliant to see how schools, childcare providers and other community organisations have gone the extra mile.”

Southampton Music Hub is launching Challenge-19: a challenge to the city’s young musicians to perform for friends and family, sharing their musical talents through digital video and over the phone.

For those who meet the challenge of performing 19 times, they can send a record of their achievement to the music hub office to get a digital certificate.

Young musicians interested in taking part should get in touch with the music hub office.