04/04/2008
The team that leads the Music Manifesto has announced five big priorities for the campaign.
Top of the list is celebrating and promoting good practice in music education, with the development of a brand new awards scheme to do just that. The five areas that have been singled out for action are:
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An awards scheme which celebrates good practice in music education
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Workforce development
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Transition (particularly children moving from KS2 to KS3)
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Crossing boundaries between the formal music education sector and out-of-school activities
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Special educational needs and inclusivity
The priorities have been set by the Music Manifesto Partnership and Advocacy Group (MMPAG). It was formed in November last year to develop a programme of work that delivers a range of tangible outcomes over both the short and long term, following on from the campaign's second report, Making Every Child's Music Matter.
MMPAG Chair Darren Henley says the team went through "a detailed process of identifying areas in which we believe that we, as a panel, can make the most difference. It would be tempting to try to operate across a huge range of topics, but we feel it is prudent to limit ourselves to five key priorities."
Darren Henley has written to the Minister for Schools, Andrew Adonis, and the Minister for Culture, Margaret Hodge, informing them of the five priorities. Both ministers have attended meetings of the group and are keen to do so again in future. The MMPAG has welcomed their involvement and continues to push hard to ensure that the government delivers against the Manifesto's recommendations.
Help shape the work on the five new priorities
The MMAG has divided itself into five smaller working groups to focus on the priorities in more detail and look at achieving outcomes in the short, mid and long term.
If you have particular expertise in any of the areas and would like to share your thinking with the relevant working party, please get in touch with Music Manifesto HQ now. Perhaps there are particular elements of the way that you work, learn, perform, manage, communicate or organise that you would like to share? Or experiences you would like to pass on, or resources you would like to make available to others?
Is there a particular project or piece of work that you think the team should visit or witness for themselves? Or do you have some general thoughts on improving music education in the key areas identified that could make a real difference to more of our children.
Don't keep your expertise to yourself. Please do get in touch at: info@musicmanifesto.co.uk so that your correspondence can be passed on to the relevant sub group. It's together that we will make the biggest difference.
You can also discuss your ideas on any of these themes in the forum.