Is music at a crisis point in NZ Schools?

I came across a very interesting pod cast from Radio NZ that was pointing to a crisis underway in NZ Schools where music education is not as accessible to students as it once was.

I have very little musical background - the only musical experience is what I got at primary school, where we were one of the fortunate schools to have a specialised music teacher. I remember very little but the things that stand out for me was excellent singing tuition for the whole school (and an auditioned choir), a lesson on what notes looked like and their associated letters, and I remember at one point a friend and I entered a competition where we had to compose music. She was quite musical and learnt out of school and I just tagged along really. At some point I guess I must have learnt some basic instrumental skills like the recorder.

At college, we had to learn a few notes on the recorder and play a song for an assessment. Other than that though, I also have very little recall of what we did. 

I would call myself pretty much musically inept.

The podcast here has two people being interviewed. Tim Carson represents the view that there is a crisis, and Lisa Rodgers represents the MOE.

At about 13-14 minutes MOE representative claims that music in schools is fine in all the schools she's visited. That means more than just singing, but having learned enough that a child could compose a basic piece of music. Clearly she's never been to some of the schools I have experience in. I do believe there is many other teachers like me who flounder around to do our best to be able to teach the basics not only of singing, but also of music. And we do so with very little confidence. 

Schools are funded to deliver the curriculum through their operations grant, however, the individual needs for schools means that subjects like music often get pushed down the list of priorities. There is a continual need to rethink how we can engage in the literacies (including maths, as it's a language too) through arts subjects. They are critical to the development of the whole child and providing exposure to many elements. Schools need advisors and funding for development not only in music (although I think that seems to be the area of least confidence) but also in the general area of The Arts. 

I am fortunate to be working now in a school that values the arts and music education and I look forward to learning what I can from our lead mentor in music.

The Dream Job

You know that feeling when you know something is totally right for you, but you still have a tiny bit of anxiousness towards it? I had that about this job - no matter how much I knew that I wanted to be working collaborativly, wanted to be working in a new school, wanted to be working with and for the people who interviewed me - there is still that wondering of 'have I missed the catch?' 

The second day (Thursday) started with some vision casting - where was this journey heading. By morning tea time it was a relief to let out that big sigh and say, "Yes! - I am working with the right people - they think like I do."

We covered a little bit of Growth Mindset...

a bit about curiousity and thinking...

and some things about trust.

It was so refreshing to talk, so early on, about trust being one of the biggest factors within a team environment. Stephen M R Covey has a book titled 'The Speed of Trust - the one thing that changes everything,' I love the second part of this book title, as having experienced a change in trust with a colleague before, I realise the significance of that statement. Ultimately now, I have grown from that situation and I know that for me building trust looks like: leading by example (showing others what trust looks like), communicating and taking ownership when it doesn't happen, building a relationship first, looking forward to improving the relationship, not back. I am so looking forward to working with this team - I truly believe that after this conversation together we are already have a high-trust dynamic. 

We also had a wee look at the essence of the NZ curriculum. I think the NZ curriculum is a fantastic document and really fits with developing a whole child. My personal belief is that primary education in particular is about exposure to exposure to everything and growth of the child. This video from Julie Atkin sums it up nicely as the 'development of self.'

Dr. Julia Atkin: Expressing the essence of the NZ Curriculum from EDtalks on Vimeo.

We were asked to consider these two questions and would love to hear your responses as well: What is learning? What is my job? 

We found the second one much easier to answer succinctly - to make learning happen. 

Friday was another great day with the team and guest Rob Clarke who gave us a whirlwind tour of everything Google. It was fantastic to learn about the vast scope of what Google can do. Apart from lots of shortcuts and handy hints to organise emails, one of biggest take-a-ways was the power of a Google+ profile and inspiration to develop this new blog. 

By the time Saturday rolled around it was definitely time for a brain break and the opportunity to make the most of this environment with a bike ride, walk, lunch out and a swim (indoor at the events centre - not quite brave enough for that lake!!).