04/09/2008
The Music Manifesto is leading the world when it comes to thinking about music education. 'What can the world can learn from the Music Manifesto?' was one of the key themes at this year's worldwide conference on music education, hosted by the International Society for Music Education (ISME).
Music Manifesto Development Director Marc Jaffrey (pictured, with ISME chair Liane Hentschke) was invited to speak at the event in Italy in July on 'Championing a Music Education for All'. He told the story of the Manifesto, from its very beginnings to the present, and cited the reasons for its success. Chief amongst these he believes was the determination to 'champion the child not the music'.
With the needs of children and young people at the heart of the Manifesto, he explained the campaign's impact in terms of its scale: "We had a big vision and a practical roadmap to deliver. We had new money constantly arriving and we worked strategically with the Government's spending plans."
Marc also placed strong emphasis on teachers and educators as 'change agents' and the use of partnerships and collaborative working across the political, education, children's and music sectors. The campaign's demands simply could not be ignored.
The ISME audience was clearly hungry to learn lessons from the Manifesto's success so far. Marc was clear that early positive results including Wider Opportunities and Sing Up are 'wins' that need to be built on. He said that workforce development, the challenges of supporting music making from primary to secondary, including children with special education needs and children at risk, all present ongoing challenges. "The campaign goes on."
The Music Manifesto, he believes, has shown in a small way that leadership, courage and belief can effect change for the good that has a broader impact on a turbulent world. "The context within which we are deliberating on 'how best to educate our children' and promoting the 'benefits of music education' is shifting fast. The answers we give may be critical to our survival and need to be promoted urgently, certainly if we wish, as music educators, to help contribute to solutions rather than stand on the sidelines."
Appealing to the international community of music educators and their supporters and allies, Marc finished by calling for a global education alliance that includes the young, their carers and parents, artists, innovators and business. "One that links arts disciplines," he said, adding, "We also need common cause with environmental movements. We need to remind everyone that a sustainable planet will only be possible by fostering the self-belief, imagination and creativity of our young today to find solutions tomorrow. Music is not the only story, but it is a key to unlocking that potential."