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| This budding violin virtuoso is lacking motivation to practise. Photo: Alamy |
My daughter, who is in Year Four, is already a proficient musician and music lessons at her school are pitched way below her ability. Her class is learning to play the recorder. She says it’s really boring and the other children make a horrible noise. Can’t schools cater for more able children in music lessons as they do in maths and other subjects?
Most people would agree that the noise
of novice recorder players – or indeed beginner violinists or trumpet
players – can be excruciating. Unfortunately, primary schools don’t
usually have the budget for more than one specialist music teacher, and
this makes streaming classes in music impossible.
In previous decades, many schools
didn’t have a specialist music teacher at all, so provision was varied,
depending on the training and personal knowledge of the general class
teacher.
Competent music teachers
cater for different abilities in music lessons. This is greatly
enhanced by the provision of extra space, which may not always be
available. However, those teachers who have practise rooms linked to the
main music room can organise small groups of students to work on their
own compositions and experiment with instruments creatively without
disturbing others.
This promotes creativity and
independence, as well as enjoyment and cooperation, not only in a
musical sense but also nurturing a student’s social and emotional
development. If room is limited, as in many Hong Kong schools, even a
talented teacher would find it challenging to get a large class of
children practising instruments at their own level.
The class music lessons in your daughter’s school may not develop or hone advanced musical skills, but there are some worthwhile aspects. For example, she is gaining experience in playing and singing in a large group – remember, music education is more than playing an instrument to a high level or becoming an expert in musical theory. She will have the chance to develop singing technique and aural training to distinguish different instruments, rhythm and pitch...
The class music lessons in your daughter’s school may not develop or hone advanced musical skills, but there are some worthwhile aspects. For example, she is gaining experience in playing and singing in a large group – remember, music education is more than playing an instrument to a high level or becoming an expert in musical theory. She will have the chance to develop singing technique and aural training to distinguish different instruments, rhythm and pitch...
I am assuming your daughter already has
individual music lessons. As well as becoming proficient in playing an
instrument and learning music theory, there are often unseen advantages.
A recent British study showed that children who have one-to-one music
lessons with a professional teacher develop better problem-solving and
motor skills than those who only attended class or group music lessons.
These children were also found to be less anxious than others.
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| This saxophone student needs extra lessons. Photo: Alamy |
It is usually down to parents to organise peripatetic music lessons for
their children outside school. In most schools, parents now have the
option of paying for a visiting teacher. These teachers are available
before school, at lunchtimes or, typically, at the end of the timetabled
day.
