Awards for Young Musicians (AYM) has released Practical Progression, a series of films made by and for music leaders.
The series has been produced in partnership with five music education hubs currently delivering Awards for Young Musicians’ Furthering Talent programme:
A peer-led professional development programme
The films form part of a peer-led professional development programme also called Practical Progression.
They aim to build on music leaders’ existing tool kits, whatever setting they are working in, as well as looking at different ways to support young people in overcoming barriers to their music-making.
About Practical Progression
Practical Progression features the following films:
- Identifying Musical Potential (see above)
- Made in partnership with Nottinghamshire Music Education Hub, this film looks at identifying musical potential and how teachers can spot it in a child when they are working in a group setting. It challenges the concept that only a child who already shows some level of technical ability has potential. Some children may not have had access to music lessons so the film looks at other indicators of potential such as enjoyment, expression and memory.
- Personalised Learning
- Made in partnership with North-West Midlands Music Education Hub, this film looks at an approach that places a young person at the heart of their learning, exploring how to engage and motivate students by giving them more choice in setting their own musical goals. The film introduces Awards for Young Musicians’ Individual Learning Plan (ILP) and how it helps teachers find out about their students and what they want to learn. It then follows a violin player and his teacher as they record their own music for the first time.
- Encouraging Diverse Musical Experiences
- Made in partnership with Leicester-Shire Music Education Hub, this film explores the benefits of providing a diverse range of musical experiences for young people in order to encourage engagement and enjoyment. The film focusses on musical diversity and shows three different ways of experiencing music via Leicester’s Sitar Society, a Turntablism workshop and a Taiko drumming performance. The film also speaks with a local studio about its inclusive approach to music-making.
- Supporting Musical Communities
- Made in partnership with Greater Manchester Music Education Hub, this film looks at what makes up a musical community and how it can support a young person to make musical progress. The film explores how parents and carers, peers, music teachers and schools can play a role in putting young people at the centre of a thriving musical community. It visits some real-life examples of musical communities and shows the difference they are making to the young people they are supporting.
- Exploring Musical Journeys
- Made in partnership with Brighton and Hove Music & Arts, this film meets two individual musicians and one band and explores their musical journeys and the decisions that have affected their careers. It looks at the benefits of providing children and young people with a diverse range of musical experiences and some of the many career options that are available to them on their own musical journeys.
‘Spotting young people’s musical potential’
AYM Teacher Facilitator and producer of Encouraging Diverse Musical Experiences, Rachel Thomas, said:
‘I hope Practical Progression will communicate the engagement and energy we’ve seen in the young people involved and thus give a human face to the elements of the Furthering Talent progression model.
‘In turn, this will hopefully inspire more teachers to get involved in spotting young people’s musical potential and providing increased support for them and their music-making.’
