The new National Plan for Music Education micromanages teachers, schools and Hubs, telling them to carry on doing the same as before, only better. “Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Instead what’s needed is for schools to stop teaching classical musical instruments in whole class lessons and to focu on easy to play instruments and the music styles that the children actually want to play.
As well as hitting curriculum objectives, this percussion pack will help pupils enjoy the real sense of achievement that comes from making music as a group. In fact, I can see it delivering genuine benefits in terms of class cohesion, self-esteem and team-building skills.
In February, Carnival takes place in towns and cities all over Brazil. The Rio carnival, also known as ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’, is the biggest of these and is perhaps the world’s most popular Carnival, famous for breathtaking performances, samba music, costumes and its week-long party atmosphere. The Rio carnival was cancelled in 2021because […]
This week is Children’s Mental Health week in the UK. This year the theme of the week is Growing Together. The aim is to encourage children (and adults) to grow together, and to be a part of the growth journey of those around them. Our children are entering their third year since the start of […]
When we talk about boosting kids’ self-esteem, you’ll be familiar with ideas such as practicing gratitude, keeping a journal, or going for a walk. But if you think back to when you were young, would those things really have resonated? If you’re anything like us, you were hungry for more exciting or rebellious activities. Activities that could […]
Helping young minds blossom Now this is the kind of revamp to kids’ education we have all been crying out for. While focusing on how to teach teens about mental health and diversity, we seem to have created a huge blind spot – forgetting about preschoolers. With 50% of mental health problems already established by age 14, it’s […]
October is Black History Month and a great opportunity to develop children’s awareness in so many dimensions: cultural, historical, socio-economic . . . An African Drumming or African Dance day gives everyone an instant cultural immersion and a springboard for learning. And it gives everyone a massive togetherness boost and a fantastic social/emotional workout. African Story Telling, Ancestral Mask […]
If the last 18 months has taught us anything, it is that human beings are resilient creatures. We have all been forced to adapt to so much change, deal with grief and loss, and endure many months of solitude with life in lockdown. As an adult, these challenges have been difficult. The one thing we […]
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