New online course to help music teachers inspire next generation
ABRSM partners with FutureLearn to provide an intensive teacher development course Becoming a Better Music Teacher is a free online course for teachers created by ABRSM and available through FutureLearn. The course is aimed at teachers who are beginning their teaching journey or wishing to refresh and refocus their teaching skills. It is now open for enrolment and will provide teachers with a strong foundation for effective music teaching. ABRSM is passionate about inspiring musical achievement and believes that music teachers play a vital role in leading and shaping their pupils’ musical journey. It offers a range of teacher support initiatives including teacher development and annual teacher conferences; and this latest partnership with FutureLearn represents a new expansion into e-learning. ABRSM’s Chief Executive, Michael Elliott said: ABRSM’s mission is to inspire achievement in music, and in recent years, it has experienced increasing global demand for the provision of training and support for music teachers. Our partnership with FutureLearn provides a new venture into online courses and its success will guide the further development of our teacher support offering. We trust all those enrolling on our FutureLearn course will enjoy the rich array of teaching support and materials prepared by our many contributors and will be keen to continue their journey of learning and discovery in association with ABRSM and its many partners around the world. Enrolment for ABRSM’s Becoming a Better Music Teacher is now open. The online course has been developed to inspire effective music teaching and musical progression. Commencing on Monday 10 June, it will cover five key areas of teaching practice including: Teaching and Learning Principles; Core Musical Skills; and Professional Values and Practice. The course is focused towards teachers’ professional development and includes: how to develop your own teaching philosophy, explore the basis for motivation and how motivation is linked to progression, and design individual learning plans for pupils. Nigel Smith, MD of Courses and Learning at FutureLearn, said, “Learning to play a musical instrument or sing is a life-enriching experience, and we’re delighted to be partnering with ABRSM to help music teachers be as effective as possible. Few subjects have such capacity to inspire all, regardless of ability or age, and we’re happy to be providing teachers with the tools they need to be inspirational.” ABRSM is excited to be able to offer this course in partnership with FutureLearn. FutureLearn has partnered with some of the world’s most renowned universities and institutions and ABRSM’s Becoming a Better Music Teacher is part of their continued commitment to teacher support. Enrol today
Bring the magic of music to the classroom
Classical 100 is a free resource for primary schools in the UK that’ll ignite enthusiasm for classical music in your classroom. Classical 100 features 100 pieces of classical music in a dynamic list, ranging from Bach to Bernstein and Handel to Haydn. You can sort the music by mood, instrument, tempo and historical period, or in any other way that suits you. “Classical 100 offers exciting opportunities for teachers and pupils to explore and enjoy a wide range of classical music. The 100 pieces are a perfect stimulus for storytelling, drama and dance, with lots of ideas for music-making activities. The resource is ideal for introducing pupils to the joy of classical music, where pupils can improve their aural skills in identifying a range of orchestral instruments along with interpreting the emotions of the music while developing concentration in listening skills.”Kate Picken, Music Teacher and Youth Music Development Officer in Dumfries & Galloway Council Make your lessons more engaging Each of the 100 pieces features its own musical challenge. Challenge your students to complete the activities. Listen, learn and explore all 100 pieces. The challenges are fun and flexible enough to use in a number of ways – from short starter activities to longer pieces of work spanning several hours. “The children clearly loved taking part in the Classical 100 lessons, they were intrigued by the challenge titles and are looking forward to taking part in their next challenge and collecting more stars. It was great to be asked ‘when can we do our next challenge?’ at the end of the session!” Helen Wiles, Leader of the Arts at St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School Accessible to all You don’t have to be a specialist music teacher to use it in your classroom. Each challenge includes a helpful guide and all the resources you may need to tackle it with your class. Even if you’re not too confident with music, you can still bring the magic of music to your classroom. How did Classical 100 come about? Classical 100 was developed by industry experts with a wealth of primary teaching knowledge and professional experience compiling syllabuses and other education materials, and has been rigorously tested by a broad community of teachers, music services and music education experts. Michael Elliott, Chief Executive at ABRSM: “Classical 100 is about igniting enthusiasm for, and keeping children engaged in, music. This is really important for all of us and is part of ABRSM’s commitment to support and inspire achievement in music.” Classical 100 was developed in collaboration with Classic FM and Decca, and is supported by the Department for Education.